Things that can ruin a manicure
BY AMY SCIARRETTO
A manicure can break down in a
variety of ways, and the causes are usually avoidable. It sucks to have chipped
polish or to be missing chunks two days after getting a mani, especially when
it'll be at least five more days before you and your hands find themselves in
front of a nail tech again. The fixes aren't always quick and easy. Plus, you
can suffer from dry, ragged, peeling cuticles, which are annoying, sometimes
painful, and tempting to pick. You can end up with flaked or uneven polish, or
you might lose or break a nail — and then your whole set of 10 digits looks out
of symmetry and sync. Who needs that noise?
Your hands also show age
easily. Therefore, you have to do a decent amount of moisturizing and
maintenance to keep them looking young and feeling healthy. Manis are one of
the easiest ways to keep hands all kinds of pretty, but there are certain
everyday activities that are murder on your manicure.
Here are several things that
can ruin your manicure — be it a $10 corner salon job, a DIY design, or a more
precise 'n' pro gel mani that's meant to last— along with tips on how to
prevent manicure massacres.
Cheap nail polish with no top
coat
It doesn't matter how ginger
or careful you are with your nails after a manicure. If you use a cheap polish,
with or without a top coat, your color can and will begin to chip and flake
almost immediately, leaving you with a banged up mani. You don't have to spend
$10 or $15 on pricey polish, though. In fact, SinfulColors is a fantastic
bargain brand sold at most drugstores and mass market retailers, from Rite Aid
to Target. Kylie Jenner even created several on-trend, matte collections and
beyond for the brand. I have used several of the Kylie x SinfulColors polishes,
and I hereby testify that they are terrific quality, long-lasting, and only
cost approximately three bucks a bottle. Just be sure to use two evenly-applied
coats, along with a base and top coat, and your nails will be good to go for at
least a week. If you skip the top coat, you are asking for nicks and dings in
your manicure.
Washing dishes
If you manually wash your
dishes, the potent combo of detergent and hot water can cause your mani to
break down. That's everything from your nail lacquer to your cuticles. As
Glamour notes, you want to wear gloves to protect your nails and the cuticle
skin. Both can become dry and brittle in any season, and you want to moisturize
with lotion or oil, not tons of water and dish soap, which can further dry out
your skin. So use gloves when washing, don't immerse your hands in soapy water,
and be sure to towel-dry and moisturize your hands sparingly after. Just remove
the excess lotion from your nails so the polish doesn't dull.
Overwashing hands
If you wash your hands a dozen
times in any given afternoon, you are going to degrade your mani due to the
repetition and by zapping moisture from your hands and the delicate skin
surrounding your nails. Try not to overdo it with soap or harsh chemicals.
Instead, use a mild cleanser if you find yourself soaping up multiple times per
day.
Anti-bacterial hand sanitizers
Who doesn't love those cute
little anti-bacterial hand sanitizers, aka "anti bacs," from Bath
& Body Works? They smell amazing, like birthday cake or autumn leaves or
sun-soaked cherries. Your hands feel clean when you use them. But as Cosmo
points out, using hand santizer can break down the top coat, leading to chips.
Anti bacs can also dry out skin if you use them too much, since alcohol is a
key ingredient. They also cause the top coat to look dull and cuticles to
become parched.
Biting your nails
Biting your nails is a gross
habit on all levels. It's just not hygienic. If you are gnawing on your nails,
like you haven't eaten in a week or even as a nervous nibble, you are going to
do damage to both your polish and your cuticles. Nails aren't food, people!
Stop trying to eat 'em.
Typing
As a digitally-minded culture,
we all tap, tap, tap away on our computer keyboards and on our smartphones all
day, every day. As Byrdie points out, typing with long talons will cause the
nail to be traumatized and the polish to be chipped. If you are a power user of
a keyboard or mobile device, keeping your nail length short is a good idea.
It'll prevent the immediate destruction of your mani.
Your body lotions
While moisturizing hands is
essential, you can actually dull your polish and its shine with additional
product, like lotions or creams. Therefore, after applying a moisturizer, be
sure to wipe any excess off with a cotton swab or square. This might seem
counterintuitive, since I just told you that you need to moisturize to keep
your hands and mani in tip-top shape. But you should also take care to use
measured doses and apply carefully.
SOURCE: THE LIST
SOURCE: THE LIST
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