Picture this: Just a couple weeks ago you went to the nail salon and got a beautiful gel or dip powder manicure. You’re feelin’ yourself and can’t stop showing off your new look.
Now, it’s been a couple weeks, they have grown out and may or may not started to chip.
And every girl knows once one of your nails starts to chip, you start picking them all off.
Next thing you know your manicure is gone and your nail beds are raw.
You want a polish to cover that scratched look, but also want to give your nails a break. So what do you do?
Well, here are the five steps you should take after viscously peeling off your gel or powder manicure.
1. Buff your nails out
Make sure every bit of polish is off and buff out the first layer to dig deep and reach the real layer of your nails. With certain gel and powder nails, the nail techs usually put a base coat, so you want to make sure that layer is removed.
2. Shape and Cut
Filing and cutting your nails gets rid of all the dead and unhealthy part of your nails. For those that like long nails, this can be hard, but allowing your nails to regenerate and grow a new healthy layer is totally worth it.
Think of it like when you get a trim to get rid of the split ends on your hair, you know that it will make your hair grow faster and healthier!
3. Nail mask. Yes, a nail mask.
It seems there is a mask for everything these days, can you believe there is one for your nails? And let me tell you, I tried it and it worked wonders.
There are some nail masks on the market to purchase, but the cheaper and healthier option is just a natural DIY one at home. All you will need is coconut (or olive) oil, honey, cotton balls and tin foil. First mix together about equal parts of honey and oil then soak it in the cotton balls. Then, place the cotton balls on your nails and wrap tin foil so they stay in place.
Now you get to feel totally helpless and sit around doing nothing for 10 to 15 minutes. Personally, I left it on for a Friends episode. Tip: Make sure to play the episode before wrapping your fingers in foil, or things could get messy.
Once the time is up, rub the excess into your cuticles and treat yo self with a nice moisturizing hand massage.
4. Hydrate
After giving your nails a boost of hydration, you want to make sure to keep it going throughout the week. Applying hand cream and cuticle oil as much as possible will help keep them hydrated on a daily basis.
5. Let them breathe
As much as you miss your beautifully painted nails, try to resist the urge to go out and get another manicure. Staying away from the chemicals behind long lasting manicures is not only beneficial for your nails’ health, but for your bank account too.
So next time you get a long-lasting manicure, keep this beauty 101 in mind!