Mar 30 2009
How to get your nails looking their best
You might not realise it, but you can tell a lot about a person from their nails. Bitten or distended nails are often seen as a sign of nervousness or low confidence, whereas someone who always has perfectly manicured nails can seem a bit vain. It’s not just on a superficial level either, the condition of someone’s nails can give clues about their overall health and nail problems can be the first sign of more serious health problems. But of course it’s not just about what others think. Everyone gets an extra confidence boost from stepping out with a perfect set of nails for a night out. So here are a few quick tips to help keep your nails looking their best.
Firstly and most importantly, never let your nails get too dry. Always moisturise your hands after you wash them and again regularly throughout the day. This will help your nails and cuticles retain their moisture and stop them from breaking or peeling. Moisturisers like those by Elemis are a good choice as they last all day and work well with your skin. Don’t cut your cuticles, but carefully push them back when they are soft, for example after a bath. If your cuticles are still dry despite keeping your hands moisturised, try using Eve Lom cuticle cream.
If you do have dry, brittle nails or get hangnails, it could be a dietary problem. Calcium deficiency can cause nails to peel or break, and white spots are often caused by a lack of iron. All these things can be easily remedied by making sure you eat a balanced diet. Manual work, including housework and washing up, can seriously damage nails so wear gloves especially where washing up liquid is involved, and always moisturise afterwards.
Nail varnish looks great but can really damage the nails if you use it all the time. Only paint your nails when you’re going out and want to look your best, there’s really no point going to all that effort otherwise when they will just get chipped anyway. When you do paint your nails, always use a base coat to prevent the colour from staining. OPI is a good place to start for a great range of colours that are long lasting, and they do base coats and nail treatments too. When you remove your nail polish use as little remover as possible and, yes you guessed it, wash and moisturise your hands straight afterwards to make sure your nails don’t dry out.