“Neat nails” – what does this phrase mean to you? To me, neither do nails have to be coated with varnish nor decorated with some patterns to be called neat. What I understand by the phrase ‘neat nails’ are the healthy nails. Therefore, instead of using a nail polish and drawing some fancy patterns, I simply take care of my fingernails. Here are my ways of keeping my nails neat.
My methods for neat nails
Less is more
It’s as simple as that, and it applies to all walks of life, not only to nail polishes. No matter if gel or acrylic, they all dehydrate nail plate and block the access to the oxygen. As a consequence, nails become less elastic so they turn brittle and split easily. In other words, if you do manicure regularly – which means that you don’t give the nails the chance to regenerate – you simply make them weaker. For that reason, the first thing I do to keep my nails neat = healthy, I put away all nail polishes for two or three weeks.
Protective gloves for neat nails
The condition of nails deteriorates as a result of frequent nail exposition to detergents. All the house chores done without wearing protective gloves (e.g. washing up, window/floor cleaning, hand washing) is the worst type of harm that you can expose your hands and nails to.
Menu for neat nails
As you probably know it, you can improve the state that your nails are currently in by eating the right food products. For that reason, I make sure that the dishes I eat daily are rich in nuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds – the sources of zinc, copper, silicon and other minerals.
Home manicure step by step
Now, when we took care of – let’s call it – infrastructure, we can move on to nail care. How to achieve the effect of neat, natural nails? Through home manicure and nourishing soak. This beauty ritual will replenish the cuticles with water and reinforce the entire nail plate.
How to do manicure at home?
- I use an acetone-free polish remover to get rid of old polish and then I wash my hands with a gentle soap.
- I file the nails to get the desired shape. I use a paper file (you can go for glass file if you want to) and I keep filing in one direction only.
- I treat my cuticles with a softening lotion. You can do the same by soaking fingers in water with olive oil.
- I towel dry my hands gently and push the cuticles back with a wooden manicure stick.
- I remove the cuticles with sharp cuticle nippers. Of course, I don’t cut too much of the cuticles to prevent matrix damage (this may cause wounds).
Nourishing hand soak step by step
- I slowly warm up a half cup of olive oil.
- I add the inside of vitamin A+E capsule (a dietary supplement available in a pharmacy) and combine with the oil.
- I dunk my nails in warm oil and keep them submerged for at least 10 minutes.
- I remove the excess oil with a paper towel.
Naturally, just one such session won’t improve the state of your nails forever. If you want to make it effective, you must carry it out systematically. Both manicure and nourishing nail soak have to be performed once a week. On the remaining days I try my best to nourish the nails using natural oils and conditioners that are available in a drugstore near me. I rub the products into nails; I also pay special attention to the lunula (this fair semicircle on the nails). In most cases I use castor oil (it prevents split nails and breaking), argan (moisturizes and delays aging processes) as well as many vitamin-rich nail conditioners (I use only oil-based conditioners). What I steer clear of are the conditioners containing formaldehyde because it dehydrates and deprives nails of shine.
Japanese manicure
This is a nourishing treatment recommended to handle dry and splitting nails. It depends on rubbing a green paste into the nail plate. The paste is highly nourishing and contains plenty of reinforcing substances such as silica originated from the Japanese sea, bee pollen, keratin and vitamins A, E. Japanese manicure gives you nourished and naturally pink nails that are clearly in a good condition.
What does the phrase ‘neat nails’ mean to you? How do you keep your nails neat?
