Manicure, pedicure is a requirement of every girl these days whether she is a college goer or a working women. Beautiful nails are as important as beautiful face. After face it is hands that everyone notices and pretty hands will earn you brownie points. Manicure is a sure shot way to get attractive hands and nails but getting a manicure once will not ensure that it will last that way for long too. So some tricks and tips can help you in making your manicure last longer and keeping your hands appealing. Here some very useful tips to make your manicure last long:
Prep your nails:
After a manicure the most difficult part is keeping your nail polish in place. It stays on for probably for a week or so and then it chips which is nothing but ugly!!So first and foremost you need to prep up your nails before manicure. Clean your nails with a good oil or lotion of course after removing every trace of previous nail polish.
Scrub your nails:
Exfoliating is the next and a must step to make your manicure last longer. Why? Well, because Exfoliation helps to remove the dirt and grime settled in the nails, the corners and under the nails. How do you do that? A simple way is by taking a tooth brush and scrubbing your nails with it. This will make sure all the parts of the nail are thoroughly scrubbed and the dead cells as well as the dirt and grime are removed.
Avoid hand soak:
Manicure does involve a relaxing hand soak step which is loved by all of us. The fact however is that this can result in shorter manicure life. When you soak your nails, it absorbs the water and the natural shape of the nails gets expanded. Later after the nail polish is applied and the water is evaporated, the nails contracts which causes the nail polish to crack and chip. Therefore it is better to skip this step even though it is very much relaxing.
File your nails:
You need to file your nails identical to your cuticle. This makes them break less.
Buff:
Lightly buff your nails to smooth bumps so that the polish will lay flat.
Check the heat of the dryer:
Normally at the salon various kinds of dryers are used for drying nails. Use your blow dryer on its cool setting to dry nails. Avoid getting your nails in contact with hot water for next 12 hours too. Dipping fingertips in ice water for a minute or two also aids drying.
Warm Polish:
Roll the polish bottle between your hands. This warms up the polish so it’ll spread more easily.
Wipe the nails:
Use white vinegar for wiping the nails. Take a cotton swab and dip it in white vinegar and wipe your nails with it. This will remove all the product buildup completely and clean your nails thoroughly.
Brush your nails:
Remove dirt and grime by brushing nails clean with an old dry toothbrush and whitening toothpaste for a refreshing feeling that whitens and brightens. After rinsing and thoroughly drying your hands afterward be sure to massage your nails with moisturize.
Moisturize your nails:
After all the scrubbing and washing, now it is time to moisturize your hands and especially nails. This will make the nails soft and ready for the next step.
Applying nail polish:
Make sure you apply a base coat primarily because a base coat acts as a base to seal the nail paint to it, allowing it to glide smoothly and last longer. Apply two coats of top coat of nail polish on the tip of the nails to provide extra resilience. Make sure the nail polish is applied on the edge of your nails too to seal the polish. Air-dry your nails and apply top coat once in every week. Wash your hands with mild soap and use gloves while doing household work. Apply nail oil daily and if your nail polish starts chipping then file the tips and seal it with a top coat.