Nail Care

Hi! My first few posts were on nail stamping but after reflection, I realized that I skipped the foundation of all nail design: The nail itself.  How do you grow strong, unbreakable, beautiful nails? My peers are always surprised when they look at the length of my nails. They always ask me how I don't break them. The answer is very simple: Nail strengthener. You can probably guess by the name that it strengthens the nail and therefore makes it harder to break. The key is to put on nail strengthener every two days if you don't have nail polish on or before every manicure. They are usually clear so that they can be used as base and top coats. Personally, I don't see the point of using it as a top coat because it doesn't touch the nail directly and therefore doesn't do much strengthening. However, some people believe it works better as a base and top coat so it's all opinion based. Here is my personal nail care routine; consider the fact that I paint my nails on average every four days.
-Take off old chipped nail polish using remover
- Cut and file my nails
- Wash my hands to get rid of any oil and powder leftover so that I start off with fresh nails
- Get rid of my cuticles
- Paint on a coat of nail strengthener (preferably with no acetone)
- Paint on one to two coats of my colored nail polish, do my designs
- Paint on my top coat
-Let my nails dry
Keep in mind that this is my personal routine and it works very well. However, you can always add or eliminate a few steps. For example, I don't cut and file my nails every time; I also don't always get rid of my cuticles because I don't need to. The nail polish removal, nail strengthener and top coat are musts for a good looking manicure and healthy nails. Those steps only take an extra two minutes but make a great difference. About the strengthener, I don't use any suggestion; I keep changing them because I haven't found the perfect one.