When mentioned nails, most people will agree that someone who has clean, beautiful nails can leave a good impression. Women would like to make nails done regularly, they may paint their nails at home or spend one hour in a nail salon to get a full set manicure, from nail shape, removing cuticles, brushing some nail polish to applying for nail extensions. Before you do your next nail care, you need to know that manicure may do harm to your health if you don’t take good care of any step.
How to get a manicure properly?
1. Nail shapes are not only about beauty but also very important for the health of your finger and nails.
There are two main nail shapes, squoval nails, and pointed nails.
Squoval nails are the most universal nail shapes, which don’t require too much manicure as our natural nails are more likely squoval. The most important is that the nails of square and round shape are the strongest and safest nail shape. Therefore, you have less chance to get broken nails.
You just need to trim off some length along your fingertip. French nails with nail polish make your hand look beautiful and convenient, also can hide dirt in your nail after work.
Pointed nails can show your personality of bold and stylish, and the long sharp tips make your hand look longer. However, sharp nails require more trimming in nail edges. You need to spend more time caring for your pointed nails. Most importantly, too much cutting will increase the possibility of paronychia and agnail.
2. Removing cuticles may do irreparable harm to your healthy nails and the skin surrounding them.
The nail technicians may tell you to remove the dead skin on your nails, which makes your nail smoother. They will not tell you that the dead skin or cuticles are important guards for your nail bed. Cuticles protect your nails and skin around them from bacteria and fungus which can lead to an infection or irritation, onychomycosis is one of the common bacterial infections.
The reason for dry cuticles can be excessive hand washing, lack of vitamin and moisture, nail polish remover.
What you need to do for nail care is to use some cuticle moisturizer to soften them, such as coconut oil.
3. Use your own nail tools at home or in a nail salon.
Whether you go to a nail salon or do nail care at home, use nail tools that only belong to you because you are not sure if those nail tools are entirely sterilized. If not, you may get a fungus infection. Make sure your nail kit is entirely cleaned and dry before and after each use.
4. Sterilize the manicure kit properly before and after each use.
Many nail salons use UV light sterilizers, chemical alcohol to disinfect their tools. Actually, UV light doesn’t kill fungi.
There are two main disinfection solutions for nail tools: cold disinfection and hot disinfection.
Cold disinfection
50-80 percent alcohol can kill fungi in 30-60 minutes.
Clean dirt on the tools, place your nail kits in a container, pour some 75% rubbing alcohol, and let the tools completely immerse in the alcohol for at least 30 minutes.
Hot disinfection
The most effective way to kill fungi is to put the metal nail tools in high-temperature liquid for at least 30 minutes.
Nail salons are busy, you’re not sure if they can sterilize their manicure tools properly. The safest way is to ask them to use your own nail kits.
5. Do not buff your healthy nail surface if possible.
If you often wear colorful nail polish, you may need to buff the nail surface frequently to make nails shiny.
As a result, your nails will be thin and brittle as potato chips, and your nails get fungal infection easily. In order to have healthy nails, don’t buff your nail surface. If possible, manicure your nails when all manicured nails of last time are trimmed off and new nails grow out. Nails increase around 1 millimeter per week.
6. UV dryer nail lamp is the reason that your hands turn black, not the color of your nail.
Are you using a UV dryer nail light after applying nail polish and gel?
UV nail dryer light is an efficient tool to shorten the curing time between coats for a gel nail treatment or gel extensions.
You may find that the skin on the back of your hands might look darker after nail treatment. It’s not because you choose the wrong color, but because your hands have been overexposed to the UV light for several minutes.
To avoid UV damage, you can apply some UV protection lotion or wear an anti-UV glove before using a UV nail lamp.
7. Nail gel does have some toxic ingredients, but the dose of the substance is volatile and will hardly cause health effects.
Don’t need to worry about it if you purchased qualified nail products.
How to care for your nails?
1. Keep your fingernails clean and dry.
2. Protect your fingernails from harsh chemicals and abrasion when you do housework or gardening. Rubber gloves are a good choice.
3. Let hand cream protect both your nails and the skin around them.
4. Eat foods that are rich in Vitamin. A healthy body has healthy nails.
5. Show some love to your nails, if you find your nail gets changes in color, shape, thickness, go and consult your doctor.
Whatsoever, think about the above nail care tips before you are doing a manicure. Owning beautiful nails means not only having a nice nail shape, pretty gel extensions, and nail polish but also having healthy nails with natural gloss and strength.
