Your nails might not be the most striking aspect of your appearance that others notice every day. But having healthy and beautiful nails is an important part of feeling confident and a great way to complement your personal style. We think it is important to do things that improve the health and natural appearance of your nails as part of your overall beauty upkeep. That’s why we compiled this list of tips for keeping your nails healthy and beautiful.
If you are also wondering what kind of training or employment you may gain from a career as a manicurist or nail artist, take a quick look at nail schools in your area. Training is typically short-term, compared to traditional degree programs. And almost every city has an employment landscape for nail technicians.
Take a few moments to review these 7 nail care tips for health and beautification…
1.) Keep them clean, and handle with care.
This is our first tip, since it can be easily overlooked. While your mind may naturally focus on which products to use, don’t forget that keeping your hands clean will greatly minimize their exposure to damage-inducing germs, bacteria and toxins. Also, when you use a scrubber to exfoliate, go easy on the skin around your nails. Use something soft and scrub gently. This will eliminate unnecessary damage and repair.
2.) Moisturize regularly.
Using a high quality moisturizer is essential in keeping your nails from looking dry or flaky. If you aren’t sure which type of nail moisturizing product is right for you, visit your local beauty supply store. There are many types available for people with all nail and skin types.
3.) Consider alternatives to acrylic nails.
We understand that you love the styles and colors to choose from at the nail salon. And we get how awesome they look, and make you feel, when you walk out of the salon with fresh bling on your nails. But the powder that is contained in acrylic based nails can include a lot of harsh ingredients. These unnatural chemicals are among the top enemies of healthy nails. Fortunately, there are great alternative products available that many nail salons offer as compatible options.
4.) Use proper filing techniques.
Filing is a practice that is necessary but poses risks to your nails if you aren’t cautious with your technique. For those with thin nails, be sure to angle your file so that it works from underneath your nail. Hitting it straight on could cause brittle nails to break, amounting in even more filing work to do. It also helps to flow in one direction, instead of a back-n-forth motion, which can weaken the nails.
5.) Don’t take a vacation from nail care.
It can be easy to forget about your nail care routine while you go on vacation. After all, you worked tirelessly to earn it, and all you want to do is relax and forget responsibilities, right? Start considering your vacations as a way to relax, as well as a chance to pamper your body. Book a massage, relax on the beach, and bring your nail care products in your makeup bag. Bring clippers, a file, and a preferred topcoat and strong base. Glitter polish may not be your regular style, but could come in handy, since it’s known for hiding chips that may spring up.
6.) Wear gloves when cleaning and avoid oils.
It doesn’t matter if you’re scrubbing the toilet, wiping down the stove, or washing a few dishes, you should always wear gloves when cleaning or handling chemicals you wouldn’t ingest. Like bacteria, chemicals we use for sanitizing our environment can be harmful to our nails. Also, when cooking with oils, try to keep them off your hands and nails as much as possible. These oils can alter the color of your nails – which is always annoying when you have recently applied a fresh coat that you love.
7.) A base coat is essential.
It may be easy to skip applying a good base coat before that amazing looking polish. But please don’t skip this step if you really want to have the healthiest, and longest lasting beautiful nails. A base coat will help that amazing polish last longer than without it. A base coat can also help you avoid staining your nails, which is always a bummer and adds more time to your nail care routine.
We could probably list another 20 tips for nail health and beauty. But if you follow these tips and discuss your needs with a local nail technician, you can get a better idea of what you need to do, based on your personal nail health. A good nail tech can also help you figure out which colors may work best for the style you want, and help advise the kinds of products you need to enhance your nail health, and the skin surrounding them.
Good luck as you improve the health and beauty of your nails! If you are looking for training or education as a way to become a nail technician, use our simple search tool to find the right nail certification program in your area.