Good morning lovelies!
I’ve had dozens of cashiers, co-workers, and even random customers in the same checkout line, ask if I do my nails myself, (or alternately if they’re Jamberries but I won’t even get into that), then “Are those your real nails?”, and finally “How do you get them so long without breaking?” I also have followers on my Tumblr that seem to think I wear acrylics??
So I’ve decided to lay out my nail care routine for you lovelies, and also share the tips I’ve found to be useful when growing out your nails.
1. Cuticle oil is your best friend
I try to oil my cuticles and nails every other day, and at the very least every time I use nail polish remover/acetone. I’ve been using straight jojoba oil lately, but almond oil is great too. Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream is one of my faves, the lemon scent is amazing!
2. Acetone is your worst enemy
I admit I do use acetone a lot, especially for clean up around my cuticles, but I always make sure to moisturize afterwards. Even when removing tough glitter polishes, I try to use nail polish remover because acetone is just so drying and wreaks havoc on my cuticles. It also makes your nails brittler, and more prone to breaking.
3. Keep clear coat/base coat on 24/7
Having some kind of barrier on your nails will help immensely to protect them while doing dishes, taking long baths, or swimming. When your nails have been soaking in water they temporarily become weaker and easier to bend, that’s also why you shouldn’t cut/file nails after they’ve been soaking. It’s kind of like how you’re not supposed to brush your hair while it’s wet either, it’s easier to break.
Also a couple little things that can help, drink lots of water, and make sure to stay on top of snags by filing them down so they don’t get the chance to turn into a full break. I’ve also heard wonders about Biotin for nail growth, but it caused me to break out badly so I dropped that almost the same day.
I’ve embraced my yellow nails because almost every method to lighten stains and whiten your nails is actually just causing more damage, in my book yellow = strong!
Also that whole let your nails breathe thing? Total baloney, but soaking bare nails in oil every once in a while is very beneficiary.
I hope this has helped, and if you have any questions I’ll be glad to answer them down in the comments!
Pop over again tomorrow morning~