There are a lot of little things that you could be doing without even thinking about it. And, it could be taking a toll on your nails. Here are some of the things that we all do from time to time.

* Don’t wash a dish without slipping into a pair of rubber gloves. Hand models who make their living from their gorgeous hands and nails, wouldn’t dream of doing any housework without some sort of gloves to protect their investment.
* You haven’t made certain that your nails are dry and free of oil before applying polish.
* You find that your polish is chipped and you can’t help yourself from picking at the remaining polish. Not a good idea. You could actually damage the underlying nail.
* Don’t let your nails get too long. Not only do they look unattractive… picture talons in your mind…

# they are easier to break.
# Don’t use your nails as tools. We do this all the time, and it weakens our nails.
# We go out in public with chipped polish. Nothing looks worse and everyone does notice. Get a repolish
# You don’t moisturize your cuticles and it is such an easy thing to do. Get into the habit of moisturizing every night. Who needs hangnails.
# I was told a long time ago never to carry heavy packages. The reason… the weight caused blood to rush to your hands and becoming trapped in the veins, which in time enlarges them. That is not something you want to see when you hit your forties.
# You don’t carry an emery board with you at all times. If you find yourself with a snag and you don’t have an emery board handy, guess what you are going to use… that’s right, your teeth.
# No one likes ridges in their nails, but overbuffing could lead to traumatizing the nail. Instead, massage a good oil into the nail and then a ridge filling base coat. That should take care of the ridges before you apply your polish.

For any enquiry or if you would like to get your nails groomed, give us a call or visit our salon! Our details can be found on this web page - Manhattan Nails Contact Page

Ever spend an hour doing your nails only to smudge a nail within minutes of finishing up the last coat? Here’s six tips to avoid those smudges on your next manicure…

Tip #1: Make sure nails are super clean Natural oils on your nails aid in chipping. Even if your nails are polish-free, apply polish remover to get rid of oils on the surface of nails.

Tip #2: Prep nails with a base coat Polish will adhere best to nails prepped with a base coat like Opi Nail Treatment Start to Finish. Here’s a list of great base polishes at every price:

Tip #3: Don’t lay on the polish too thick Three to four thin coats of polish rather than 2 thick coats will last longer, cut down on drying time and cause fewer changes of bubbles brewing on your nails.

Tip #4: Don’t forget the tip When polishing, polish the tip of the nail as well. This helps cut down on nail polish chipping.

Tip #5: Consider a shimmery color. The little particles of sparkle will help polish cling to your nails.

Tip #6: Apply a clear topcoat Topcoat helps extend the life of your manicure. You can use the base coat as a topcoat. Do brush topcoat on and around the edges of nails as well, it’s an extra seal against chipping.

Tip #7: Allow proper drying time Make sure you give your nails a good 45 minutes drying time before handling objects. Once dry time is over, submerge nails in cold water then apply lotion. This allows for a slippery surface until nails are completely dry. For pedicures, wrap toes in plastic wrap if you’re wearing shoes other than flip-flops or sandals.

Tip #8: Keep topcoat handy To prolong the life of your manicure, apply a topcoat every other day.

For any enquiry or if you would like to get your nails groomed, give us a call or visit our salon! Our details can be found on this web page - Manhattan Nails Contact Page

Nail Growth Tip
The speed of nail growth is increased if you enjoy a healthy diet. It’s a proven fact. Illness however, can slow it down.

I’m including some foods that can easily be worked into your diet.

* An egg salad sandwich that has lots of spinach in place of lettuce and just a little salad dressing.
* A veggie salad complete with dressing that contains lots of chopped garlic.
* A wholesome cereal (not the sugary stuff, sorry) along with two slices of whole wheat toast with natural peanut butter. Did you know that there are peanut butters on the market with no added sugar or salt!
* An omelette with cheese and tomatoes.
* Grilled chicken on a whole wheat bun.

Nail Growth and Vitamins

If you want faster growing nails, be sure that your diet is rich in Vitamins A, B-Complex, C, D, E and iron, calcium, zinc, sulfur, and the essential fatty acids.

* For Vitamin A, look for fruits that are yellow and orange or veggies that are dark green.
* For Vitamin C, chop up some green and red peppers and offer them to your family as a snack.
* For Vitamin D, look to your dairy products.
* For Vitamin E, a supplement is your best option.
* For zinc, options include kidney beans, rice, chicken or cheese

For any enquiry or if you would like to get your nails groomed, give us a call or visit our salon! Our details can be found on this web page - Manhattan Nails Contact Page

Giving yourself a professional pedicure is an 8-step process.

The first step is to remove the old polish from your nails.

Instead of cotton balls (which will leave fuzzies), we suggest using a lint-free cotton pad, such as Miss Webril or our favorite, Lippmann Collection The Stripper To Go .

Saturate the cotton pad with acetone remover & rub off the old polish. If the color isn’t coming off easily, press the saturated cotton on the nail & let it soak in first. A tip for removing stains from nails: try rubbing whitening toothpaste on your nails. You can also rub a drop of lemon or lavender oil on each toe & rub a buffer back & forth over the nail.
This will remove the yellowed outer layer.

Tip for picking the perfect polish remover: Alcohol- and acetone-free removers are less drying, but don’t work as well, especially on dark shades. Use the ‘free’ stuff on lighter shades.

Step #2 — Cut & File Nails
It’s best to use high quality clippers made for clipping toenails such as Tweezerman Deluxe ($10). To avoid ingrown nails, cut nail straight across to just above the skin. Make sure your nail doesn’t extend over the tip of your toe.

To get a soft square shape, file nails in one direction until they are even & slightly rounded at the corners. (Hint: Don’t use metal files, they’ll rip your nails). Basic emory boards like the ones from Revlon work great, but if you want to go truly pro, try the Mehaz ingrown toenail file which allows you to easily lift nail corners for shaping. Don’t clip the sides of nails, that can cause ingrowns.

Emory board tip: The fine-grade surface is for smoothing the nail edge, while the coarser surface is for shortening & shaping nails.

Step #3 — Soak Your Feet
Fill a large flat-bottom bowl with warm water. Throw in bath salts, your favorite aromatherapy oils or Epsom salt & let your feet soak 10 minutes. The more cracked & calloused your feet, the longer they need to stay in.

Trick only the pros know: Add a quarter cup of milk to your bath along with the essential oils & salts. The lactic acid in the milk loosens dead skin.

Step #4 — Trim Cuticles
Apply cuticle remover to the base of each nail & rub it in. Sally Hansenis a basic remover & works great. Leave on for a minute, then use an orangewood stick (Tweezerman works great) to gently push with a circular motion everywhere where skin meets the nail (including the sides). Be careful to remove skin only on top of the nail, don’t touch the toe flesh.

Use cuticle nippers (Mehaz nippers work best) to trim any loose skin. Be careful not to nip your toe flesh.

Step #5 — Scrub Your Feet
Apply an exfoliating body or foot scrub to a foot file or wet pumice stone to slough away the dead skin on the balls & heels of your feet. You’ll want to scrub the balls, bottoms & sides of your heels & around the toes. To get the most leverage, sit on the side of a bathtub, facing inward. Remember the pedicure motto we read about once, “smooth, don’t remove.” You’ll want to stop if your foot turns bright red (this means you’ve scrubbed too hard). Remember, that tough skin is there for a reason.

Any basic foot file or pumice stone from your drugstore will do the trick, but if you want the Cadillac of foot files, try Perfect Beauty certamic foot file, $20, 800-694-4866).

Step #6 — Moisturize
Dry feet thoroughly including between the toes & rub in a thick foot cream like Barielle Total Foot Care Cream, $19.50 . Rub the feet & the calves. Rehydrate cuticles by rubbing in a dab of cuticle oil.

Step #7 — Polish Your Toes
Use acetone remover to get rid of any excess oils on the nails (including the cuticle oil you just applied). Apply a thin base coat using 3 strokes, one down the middle, then one on each side. Don’t paint the cuticle. Wait a minute before adding two coats of your favorite polish, then finish with a thin top coat (try quick-drying Seche Vite, $10. Clean up any errors with an orangewood stick wrapped in cotton & dipped in acetone remover.

Let nails dry for at least 40 minutes.

Tip: It’s good to paint any polish remaining on the brush over the front nail edge. This prevents chipping.

Step #8 — Finish
After nails have dried, spritz with a moisturizing oil like SolarSpeed spray. This sets your polish & moisturizes your cuticles. Then voila! You’re done!

For any enquiry or if you would like to get your nails groomed, give us a call or visit our salon! Our details can be found on this web page - Manhattan Nails Contact Page

There are a lot of little things that you could be doing without even thinking about it. And, it could be taking a toll on your nails. Here are some of the things that we all do from time to time.

* Don’t wash a dish without slipping into a pair of rubber gloves. Hand models who make their living from their gorgeous hands and nails, wouldn’t dream of doing any housework without some sort of gloves to protect their investment.
* You haven’t made certain that your nails are dry and free of oil before applying polish.
* You find that your polish is chipped and you can’t help yourself from picking at the remaining polish. Not a good idea. You could actually damage the underlying nail.
* Don’t let your nails get too long. Not only do they look unattractive… picture talons in your mind…

# they are easier to break.
# Don’t use your nails as tools. We do this all the time, and it weakens our nails.
# We go out in public with chipped polish. Nothing looks worse and everyone does notice. Get a repolish
# You don’t moisturize your cuticles and it is such an easy thing to do. Get into the habit of moisturizing every night. Who needs hangnails.
# I was told a long time ago never to carry heavy packages. The reason… the weight caused blood to rush to your hands and becoming trapped in the veins, which in time enlarges them. That is not something you want to see when you hit your forties.
# You don’t carry an emery board with you at all times. If you find yourself with a snag and you don’t have an emery board handy, guess what you are going to use… that’s right, your teeth.
# No one likes ridges in their nails, but overbuffing could lead to traumatizing the nail. Instead, massage a good oil into the nail and then a ridge filling base coat. That should take care of the ridges before you apply your polish.

For any enquiry or if you would like to get your nails groomed, give us a call or visit our salon! Our details can be found on this web page - Manhattan Nails Contact Page