It's so easy to restore damaged nails and a few easy steps can help you to repair them. You don't need to spend lots of time giving your nails some TLC and you definitely don't need to spend a fortune!
Pay attention to your cuticles! Often they look unsightly when they grow up your nail bed and stick to your nails, the stuck cuticle also prevents the nail from growing. To prevent this make a habit of pushing your cuticles back gently with your towel while your hands are still wet after you've been in the shower. Your cuticles will go softer when they're wet and this will make it a lot easier to push them back.
Olive oil works wonders! I swear by olive oil, not only is it good for your insides and outsides, its good for your nails too! Massage it into your cuticles before bedtime. It softens them and the stimulation of the blood around the nails encourages them to grow. Another cool thing you can do with olive oil is make your own hand/foot scrub. Chuck some salt (sea salt is best but table salt works just as good or even sugar!) into a bowl and add to this some oil. Don't put too much oil in as this will just leave your hands greasy. On ratio you should probably use two parts salt to one part oil. If you have any handy you could add a drop of your favourite essential oil although the only purpose of this is to make it smell nice. Mix the salt and oil together and that's it! Scoop a bit into wet hands, rub together as if you were using soap and rinse off for beautifully soft hands. Amazing what a blob of olive oil can do!
Invest in a nail file. You don't need to buy a flash one, just a normal nail file will do. I prefer banana files (they're shaped like a banana if you hadn't guessed!) because their shape makes it easier to file the edges of your nail. No matter what shape you like to file your nails, always remember, don't scrub your nails with the file. Just use a sweeping motion filing inwards, doing one side at a time until you achieve your desired shape. If you've chipped your nail or it's snapped off, unfortunately it's going to be shorter than the others, this is one of these sad facts of life we have to deal with I'm afraid! But even still, shape it with your file and at least it won't look tatty. It will grow back eventually!
Strengthen your nails with top coat or clear nail varnish. Clear nail varnish or top coat is really easy to find. Paint your nails with it to help strengthen them. It makes them lovely and shiny too!
French manicures add length and the white bits are easily done with plasters! I love french manicures, it's such a classic, and it makes your nails look really fresh and clean so this is good for everyone and is brill for disguising discoloured nails, or if you're after a more natural, subtle look. It also makes short nails look longer. A lot of people tell me they struggle painting the white tips on, and to be honest I struggle a bit myself sometimes when I'm having a wobbly day. You can pick up french manicure stencils for really cheap from ebay, or if you can wait for them, just make your own stencils by cutting the shape you want out of a plaster or some masking tape! Try experimenting with the shapes and make pointed tips instead of rounded ones, or use different colours instead of white to spice up your manicure or to turn this daytime look into more of an evening or occasion one.
I hope this has rescued a few nails in the world!
Take care,
Ni
xxx
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