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Our nail technician has given you a great set of nail enhancements and you’re set to come in for an appointment in a couple of weeks. Is that all there is to it? Not quite. The following are some key pointers
to help you care for your nails at home.

Let your nail tech do her job. If you break a nail or if a nail begins to lift, schedule a repair appointment. Do not attempt to fix the nail yourself. Improperly gluing down a loose nail can cause moisture to become trapped between the nail and the enhancementand possibly cause an infection. Do not bandage a broken nail as bandages may also trap moisture. Do not take down the length of your enhancements as this will throw off the balance of the nail and may make the nail look bulky.
Treat your nails like jewels. Protect your investment by wearing gloves when gardening or exposing hands to water for extended periods of time. Do not put upward pressure on your nail tips, use a can opener to pop tops. Do not use your nails like a tool.
Add some extras. We may suggest that you apply top coat every other day (or more often depending on your exposure to the sun) to prevent chipping or yellowing. Cuticle oil is also a daily necessity as it keeps cuticles supple and the acrylic product moisturised and flexible. You can also use off the shelf moiturisure cream.
Listen to your nail tech. Can’t decide what length and type of enhancement you’d like? Your nail technician will be more than happy to make a suggestion. For example, if you’re hard on your nails
because you work on a computer or do heavy work, shorter nails may be your best option.
Call in sick. If you have a contagious skin or nail condition, wait until it clears before visiting the salon again. If symptoms persist, make an appointment with a dermatologist, a medical doctor and/or your local podiatrist.
Be aware of what you have. Very few clients will develop allergic reactions to an ingredient in some nail products. Allergic reactions are characterised by redness, itching, and swelling of the skin around the nails, or irritation around the eyes and mouth. If you develop any of these symptoms, call us. We will help you determine which ingredients you’re having a reaction to and will take steps to avoid them. If necessary, we can refer you to a dermatologist. Do not ignore a condition that develops around the nail. Always let us know when possible.
Don’t take them off. If you decide you no longer want to wear nail enhancements, do not take them off yourself. Picking and pulling the nails off will damage your natural nail, rip layers from your nail plate, and make regrowth a long, painful process. We can safely and painlessly help you remove your nail enhancements.

Interestingly enough, I’d thought to put this discussion here today as we’d had a few men who had recently been to our salon to get their nails cared for (some even asked for a very hot pink polish on their toes. Good on you, you brave souls!!!). We also have our own regulars of course.

Anyway, a few came on their own accord, while few others were accompanying their female partners (willingly or not we were not sure :)). But it is a good sign whether we’re labeling these men metrosexual or whatever. Men needs their usual TLC for their nails just as much as anyone. My man always get his good dose of manicures regularly and I always tell him to use hand lotion to keep his hands well moiturised. There is absolutely nothing wrong with looking after yourself from tips to toes, whether you are a men or a women, in our view.

See below for a few definitions of the “metrosexual” definitions that are being coined around.

Metrosexual - Modern enlightened, sort of rennasance man. Secure and confident, capable and cool, typically well educated and stylish. Heterosexual with a twist, not gay by any means, but he probally has a few gay friends, and can easily be mistaken for gay by rednecks and jock types. The only straight guy in a fabric store or antique shop who is not being dragged there by a woman.

Metrosexual - An urban straight male ranging in age from late teens to mid 30’s who is: good looking, stylish, fashionable, trendy, cultured, & well groomed. A metro sexual is very conscious about his image and looks in public. A metro sexual is often associated with getting manicures, facials, & massages, as well as using “products” and shopping at nice clothing stores. However, metro sexuals don’t necessarily engage in each of these activities.

Not that this will help with your nail biting problem, but I thought that I would share this little bit of information out of interest if nothing else… Apparently biting your nails makes them grow faster. You don’t realize this obviously as the biting seems to ruin the effect…

A Few Things That Will Help

*Short Nail Beds

We are born with the nails that we have, there is nothing you can do about it… to a point. I happen to have short nail beds and the best colors for my nails are soft colors. Lavender makes them look longer, so be sure to stock up on this gorgeous color.

*Removing Polish

First of all, look for an acetone-free polish remover, which by the way, will not dry out your nails. Saturate a cotton pad and then press onto the polished nail.

Wait several seconds and then draw the pad to the tip of the nail. Polish should come off with one stroke. The few seconds we give the polish remover is long enough to dissolve the polish and you are done in half the time.

*Saving The Nails

It is really easy to pick up some bad beauty habits and some of them might be costing you pretty nails. For a day, keep track of how often you use your nails as tools. Chances are you do so more often than you realize. Keep your list in front of you so that you will slowly begin to break the habits. It can be done… but you have to know about them first.

*Is This What Your Nails Are Craving?

If your nails are weak, splitting, fragile etc, the problem could be traced back to an inadequate water intake. Most people don’t drink nearly enough. How much water do you really drink over the course of a 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

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

Brittle nails are simply nails that have dried out to such a degree that they are splitting or simply snapping off.This is a common problem for a lot of women, but if you know what is causing it, you are that much closer to fighting back.

Known Causes

* -contact with harsh household products

* -low grade polish removers

* -metal nail files

* -chlorine from swimming pools

* -shortage of calcium or essential fatty acids

* -products containing formaldehyde

Tips that Can Help

* -Use polish removers no more than once a week. The low grade polishes I mentioned above can be extremely drying and have the strength of paint strippers in some cases.

* They can also remove the microorganisms that are necessary to healthy nails. Look for removers that are oil based.

* -Massage the nails with castor oil. After a month or two, you should notice a difference. Olive oil is another inexpensive way to moisturize dehydrated nails.

* -Give your nails a break from daily use of polishes. Let them breathe as much as possible. Rubbing the surface of the nail with your fingertips can not only stimulate circulation but leave each nail with a healthy glow.

Foods That Can Help

1. Salmon

2. Tuna

3. Shrimp

4. Trout

5. Cauliflower

6. Liver

7. Milk