Whether or not you invest in an appointment at the salon every month, the status of your manicure can speak volumes about your appearance.
Let's Talk Nail Care
We're not saying that you need to blow a fortune on some high-end salon, but paying a little more attention to those digits may be the boost your daily ensemble needs. Here are some simple nail care tips you can use to keep up the health of your manicure at home, that won't cost you an arm and a leg.
Keep Those Babies TrimmedOne thing that gets in the way of a healthy-looking manicure really fast is when the length of your nails gets away from you. Sure, long painted nails may be a trend, but that tends to increase the hazard for casualties like broken, chipped and even torn nails!
The best thing you can do for the health of your fingernails is to keep them at a reasonable length. They don't have to be nail-bed-pink short—please, no—but don't let them get pointy-letter-opener-long either. The thing with long nails is, the longer they are, the more dirt they can attract causing them to lose their healthy glow and turn a grimy grey. Blech.
If that doesn't add a few years to your hands, we don't know what does.
Absolutely NO Nail-Biting or Tearing!It is important to keep your nails a healthy length, but it's also important to note how you keep them at that length. Nothing looks tackier than a stubby nail that has obvious signs of nibbling chewed all over it.
Everyone's guilty of it, we've done it before too! But please, for the love of all that is beautiful, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT bite or tear your nails! This option can be sorely tempting when you notice an uneven chipped or a broken nail, but trust us, the better choice here is using a pair of clippers to trim it down and give it a clean edge.
Biting and tearing often, if not always, leads to pink, sore fingertips that are anything but what you want to be flaunting at the end of your hand.
If your manicure has fallen victim to the grey and grimy, there is hope! Take one cup of warm water—not too hot or it will scald your skin! Dilute one to two tablespoons of white vinegar in the water and soak your nails in the solution.
Doing this will gradually whiten and brighten your fingernails and give them a natural sheen! When doing this only use white vinegar, as other kinds of vinegar may stain your nails—and who wants orange nails?
Soak for about 20 minutes every day until you've reached the whiteness factor you desire! Don't do this too frequently, because vinegar is an acid and may begin to wear on the strength of your fingernails. If you notice the white of your nails taking on a slightly transparent appearance, stop the soak treatment and let your nails return to normal.
It may even be a better idea to trim your nails down to avoid any breaks or tears!
Of course, should you choose to paint your own nails, keep tabs on them. If they start to chip, it's time to redo your manicure! An old and chipped manicure is just as tacky as grey and grimy-looking nails. Take care of your nails! They can either be your best or your worst accessory. It all depends upon how much love you give them.
