Entries Tagged 'Nail care tips' ↓

Cuticles Your nail’s cuticles (the skin that surrounds the hard part of your nail) keeps your nails healthy and protects them from fungal infections. Cuticles are quite sensitive to injury. Do not cut them or pick at them; this may damage them permanently. Instead, after a shower, bath, or after soaking your nails, use a soft wooden stick to gently push back the cuticle. Overgrooming cuticles may cause them to thicken so be sure to use gentle care when grooming.

Nails ? Cleaning - If nails are dirty, use a bristled nail brush to remove debris from around cuticles or from under fingernails. Remove all polish with nail polish remover; do not pick at polish as that can damage the surface of nails. ? Shaping - Nails should be gently filed with a fine emery board, never with a metal file that can cause damage. File in gentle, long strokes from corner to center; do not “saw away” at nails. Keep the emery board poised at a 45 degree angle in relation to the fingertip to prevent damaging the nail layers. Do not file deep into corners of the nail; this weakens the nail. In general, shorter nails are easier to maintain. ? Protecting - Do not use your nails to scrape or lift anything, or to pull anything open. Wear gloves when washing dishes and use nail and hand lotion daily to keep hands and nails moisturized. ? Polishing - You may wish to use only a ridge-filling colorless coat on your nails to give them extra shine and strength. If you polish your nails, use a ridge-filling base coat followed by color and then a protective top coat for the best results. Give your nails at least an hour to dry before using your hands.

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

Some interesting facts about our age and our hands.

In your 20s: Prevention is better than cure.Get into the habit now of applying sunscreen to the back of your hands after you’ve applied it to your face. When you’re driving, your hands are constantly exposed on the steering wheel, because UVA penetrates through glass. By protecting your hands now, you’ll prevent pigmentation blotches later, which can be time-consuming and costly to erase.

In your 30s: Beautiful hands in a hurry.Keep a tube of hand cream next to your hand basin, next to your bed and in your car ? and apply it often. But if your hands seem beyond repair, book a specialised manicure: Warm oil is massaged onto your hands and then they’re dipped in paraffin wax to boost the effect (your hands heat up in the wax). It’s the best way to get beautiful hands… fast.

In your 40s: Banish blotchy pigmentation.Regular exfoliation will keep your hands looking smooth and youthful. It removes dry skin, and also improves the appearance of superficial blotchiness caused by pigmentation. A hand cream that contains antioxidants, retinol or hydroxy acids will also help, but it needs to be applied regularly. Cape Town dermatologist Dr Ean Smit recommends microdermabrasion to treat pigmentation. IPL is another option. You should see results after the first of these non-invasive treatments, but subsequent treatments might be necessary if blotches are large or numerous. It is very important to apply a sunblock after IPL or microdermabrasion to prevent pigmentation from returning or intensifying.

In your 50s: Help for bony hands.With age, the layer of dermal fat that gives the skin its cushioning diminishes, so hands and feet look bonier and blood vessels become more obvious. Fat can be injected into the hands to soften the boniness, but respected South African plastic surgeon Dr Gavin Morrison recommends caution. ‘One needs to be careful with hands, as their primary purpose is function. Also, because fat takes best where there is some subcutaneous tissue in which to site it, the risk is irregularity.’

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

Some quick tips to help: -Yellow Nails - Soak your nails in one-fourth cup of bleach mixed with one-half cup of water. -Not Quite Dry - Coat wet nails with cuticle oil and cover your nails with plastic wrap. -Polish Smudge - Moisten the pad of your finger with polish remover and tap lightly to smooth it out. -Chipped Polish - Moisten your finger with polish remover and quickly swipe over the chipped area to smooth out the edges. -Broken Nail - If the break isn?t too low, carefully cut the nail, file it, and trim the other nails so they?re of equal length. For a big break apply a couple of drops of nail glue to the surface of the nail. Let set and hold the break in place for about a minute. Reapply glue and cover the nail with a piece of tea bag or tissue. Let dry, and then buff excess off.

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

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

The condition of our nails speaks volumes about us. While you or I may pay scant attention to our nails, others will. Think of the nasty nails you’ve seen on display in open-toed shoes and you know what I mean. Showing off out-of-style nail trends also says a lot about us — mostly that we don’t subscribe to fashion magazines. When was the last time you saw a model with a French manicure or nail art?

Nail Art
I sincerely hope no one orders a hit on me for saying this, but nail art is tacky. A painted flower on one big toe is cute because it’s dainty and unexpected, but ten fingers decorated in swiggles, lightening bolts or glued-on cubic zirconias are wrong.

That said, if you love nail art (in some parts of the country, such style is incredibly sought after). There are loads of ideas for nails.

French Manicures
People think French manicures are a classic style but I agree with the editors of a major beauty magazine (the name of which I can no longer remember) who stated quite firmly that French manis are declasse.

Even tackier than French manicures? French pedicures. Find out what happened when I said that on a blog in May, 2006. More than 50 people wrote in the comments section either agreeing or vehemently disagreeing with me.

Fingernails of Varying Lengths
This is a major fingernail faux pas of which I am constantly guilty. It is a big no-no to leave one’s house with unkept nails of varying lengths (I will never forget the day my friend Deirdre took one glance at my hands and said, “That’s just wrong.”).

At any given time, one of my nails will be legions longer than the other nails, no two of which are the same length. This is because I have nails of varying strengths. If I let them grow, only the nails on my pinkie and ring fingers would make it to Guinness Book of World Record length. My thumbs? Not a chance. They are always the first to break.

Long nails in general are not popular right now. Even if you have fingernails that are strong as horse hooves, you should aim for a short, rounded nail.

Unkept Nails
Chipped nail polish isn’t cool. If you are like me and are too lazy for proper upkeep, skip the color and try a clear polish.

Also falling under “unkept”: Chewed nails. To stop biting your nails, invest in a manicure. You’ll think twice before gnawing on your $20 investment. Plus, nail polish doesn’t taste good.

So what type of nails are in? Short, rounded nails. Squares were popular for awhile and are ok, but rounded is really the way to go. Paint nails a bright, dark, opaque (my fave) or clear. Bare nails are also OK if you are too busy for manicures or inately lazy like me.

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

Some quick tips to help: -Yellow Nails - Soak your nails in one-fourth cup of bleach mixed with one-half cup of water. -Not Quite Dry - Coat wet nails with cuticle oil and cover your nails with plastic wrap. -Polish Smudge - Moisten the pad of your finger with polish remover and tap lightly to smooth it out. -Chipped Polish - Moisten your finger with polish remover and quickly swipe over the chipped area to smooth out the edges. -Broken Nail - If the break isn?t too low, carefully cut the nail, file it, and trim the other nails so they?re of equal length. For a big break apply a couple of drops of nail glue to the surface of the nail. Let set and hold the break in place for about a minute. Reapply glue and cover the nail with a piece of tea bag or tissue. Let dry, and then buff excess off.

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