How To Take Care Of Your Own Nails Properly

Hand washing, sterilising. Hand washing, sterilising. Repeat. It can be kind of hard to take care of our nails at the best of times, but it’s even harder now. We can’t get our usual shellac appointments, there’s a lot more DIY happening and all sorts of things that can affect our nails. In light of things, having fab nails might not be at the top of our list, but every little helps! I’ve talked before about how to make your shellac last longer, but here’s how to take care of your nails, and give them a bit of TLC.

Stock up on cuticle oil

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, CUTICLE OIL IS KEY. If your cuticles are dry, ignored, or just in bits, your nails are never going to be healthy. So by taking care of your cuticles, you’re taking care of your nails. Keep your cuticles moisturised by popping on a bit of cuticle oil each and every day. This will help your nails be stronger and healthier, you’ll be delighted in the long run. Keep a little bottle of cuticle oil on your desk, by your skincare, or even beside the kettle so you’ll remember to do it while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil. Ideal.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by beautitude.ie (@amie.edmonds) on Mar 27, 2020 at 6:14am PDT

Don’t cut your cuticles

And while we’re on the topic of cuticles, don’t go snipping at them. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you can cause more harm than good. So best leave that to your nail tech! Instead, after you apply your cuticle oil, gently push back your cuticles each day. Using either your nails or a cuticle pusher (if you have one handy).

Keep your hands moisturised

Along with keeping your cuticles moisturised, keeping your hands moisturised also goes a long way. If you can get a hand cream with vitamins in it, or one that also works wonders for your nails cuticles, it’s a win-win situation. If you’re not sure which one to go for, start off with Vaseline Intensive Care Hand & Nail Cream, you can just pick it up with your shopping next time you’re in Tesco.

On another note – I’m not sure I’ve ever said moisturised so much in one post, but here we are!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by beautitude.ie (@amie.edmonds) on Feb 13, 2020 at 1:12am PST

Don’t saw at your nails

We can’t all be professional nail techs, but one thing to remember when doing your nails is to file ‘em properly. You often see people filing their nails as if they’re going mad with a saw. Back and forth, back and forth. Long story short, do NOT do that to your natural nails. This will only cause them to split, and eventually make them more weak and brittle. When you’re using a nail file, file in one direction only. It’ll take a little longer, but your nails will thank you for it.

Wear gloves

Whether you’re washing dishes or giving the floors a once over, make sure you’re wearing gloves. Even when you’re doing something small like washing dishes (if like me, you’re not graced with a dishwasher), keeping them in soapy water for any length of time can soften them up. Then adding cleaning chemicals on top can be a recipe for disaster. Even if it’s not every single time, try wear gloves almost every time when you’re off on a cleaning spree.