You want our nails to look beautiful, that’s why you spend so much time styling them! Here are a few tips to care for your nails so they always look great (no matter how they’re styled).
Manicure Maven for Fingernail Health
Apply a base coat, even if your polish has one included. A base coat will help your polish stay on longer, and it prevents your natural nail from becoming stained. We love Ella + Mila’s All About the Base, $10.50.
Don’t apply sunscreen on your nails, it can make your color fade. But, your hands still need the protection, so don’t wash it off. Instead, use makeup remover wipes (we recommend Honest Makeup Remover Facial Wipes, $19.99 for 90 count) to wipe off the sunscreen from your mani or pedi after you apply your SPF.
When you’re ready to change color, use Up & Up 100% Acetone Nail Polish Remover, $1.19, available at Target.
Cuticle Care for Fingernail Health
Don’t cut your cuticles, instead rub Vasaline ($1.79 for 175 oz at Target) around your nails every night.
Moisturize your nails with an oil or cream. Hand cream just sit on top of nails, but an oil or cream specifically made for cuticles and nails will soak in. Cover your nails with cuticle oil or cream, then wrap them in a warm washcloth for five minutes, two to three times a week.
Our favorites:
- Tenoverten the rose oil nourishing cuticle oil, $26.00, available at Target.
- Lauren B. Beauty Cuticle Oil, $20.00, available online.
- Sally Hansen Vitamin E Nail & Cuticle Oil, $6, available at your nearest drugstore.
- Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream, $5.99 for 0.6 oz.
- Badger Cuticle Care, $6.99 for 0.75 oz.
File Frenzy for Fingernail Health
To ensure your polish goes on evenly, smooth your bare nail with a buffer once a week. Don’t overdo it though. You don’t want to thin out your nail. Swipe each nail once with each side of a buffer, from the base straight up to the tip.
Shape your nails with a fine grit emery board to prevent tearing your nails. Don’t saw back and forth, instead file each side at an angle toward the center. Then round or square it off.
