Nail Art 101: Weekly Nail Care

Hey lovelies!

How are you all today? ♥

You know how I was talking about bringing a series back from the dead? Well, it's the Nail Art 101. I did one post a year and a half ago, and it was pretty popular post, but then life took over and I regretfully forgot about the whole thing. Now that I've been better in many levels with my life, I finally sat down and figured out I actually have quite a bit I could write about nails.

So, I have planned some posts and kind of photographed some of them already as well. You can go check out the first part here (click!) if you want to read some previous blabber about Basic things in nail art. And today, I will tell you about my weekly nail care and how it works for me.

Clean up

First important step while starting your nail care routine is simply to remove the previous nail polish you may have on your nails. All of it. I personally use this affordable X-tra one currently, but you can use whatever remover that does it for you. I clean my nails with cotton pads is moisture with the polish remover, but once again, you can do whatever feels right.

Except I wouldn't recommend filing or ripping the polish off for obvius reasons (that will damage your nails). And of course, you can use a peel-off base coat for easier removal. In upcoming posts, I will share my tricks for removing glitter polish, in case some of you might need that kind of info.

Also, after this you can rinse off the acetone (or the remover in general) and make sure the undersides of your nails are clean too (as they gather way too much dirt under there).

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So my nails go from painted (above) to naked (below).

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So yeah, my nails get stained kinda easily, and I know they don't look that amazing without nail polish. I should probably have more days when they could breath but I love having them done too much, so... But anyway, you can see they look a bit nasty and dry, and the cuticles need to be pushed a bit. So the next step is:

Oil bath

I love doing this weekly - not that I like when my hands are soaked in oil, but because it makes a huge difference for my cuticles and nails. Basically for everything I may touch with acetone while painting/removing polish. So I soak them in a bit of olive oil for 10-15 min per hand (and leave the other one free just in case), after which I dab them dry on a paper towel.

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Next up is time to make the cuticles neat.

Pushing back the cuticles

Now, this is a part where you probably need to concentrate a bit. Cuticles are usually pretty sensitive and might get easily damaged, so you want ot always be careful when working with them. When you are doing a manicure, it always looks a tad neater if the cuticles are pushed back. Some people even go as far as cutting them, but it doesn't only sound painful, it also actually is a bit risky.

So I would rather recommend getting an orange wood stick, and using the flat end to gently push the cuticles back. I'm sure there are actual tutorials for that on YouTube, but I can also try to make one for you later on. It's important that the skin is quite soft when doing this, so it's best (in my opinion) to do this step after soaking the nails in oil or after shower. The skin should be clean and moisturized so that this step is the easiest.  

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Lastly I shorten my nails into the shape and length I want to, and the result is something like above.

Shaping the nails

Now, if you usually cut your nails, this could be the time to put down the scissors and get a file. A file damages the nails less as there's no harsh cutting movement. Of course, filing the nails wrong may be bad for them as well, but at least for me switching from cutting to filing has made my nails to break less and it gives me more control over the shape of the nails. Of course again, you need to do what works best for you. If you don't have any problem with cutting the nails, go for it.

I usually keep my nails medium length and square shaped. I feel like that works the best for me, even though I loved my long almonds as well. You can shape yours however you like, and if you need to know more about nail shapes, I'll be talking about them in some post later on.

Now, you are ready paint your nails, which we will talk about in the next part.

Tips for taking care of your nails all the time:
  • Drink enough water - it'll keep you hydrated and your nails will feel better
  • Eat enough vitamins - again, healthy body means healthy nails
  • Moisturize - get a hand cream, cuticle oil etc. and use it anytime your hands and/or cuticles feel dry. Keep a moisturizer with you all times. I
  • Clean up under nails daily - because hygiene
  • Be careful with soaps - if you have a sensitive skin like I do, you should avoid touching too much soap. Of course, you should keep your hands clean and all, but for example the dishwashing liquid may dry up your skin totally. It breaks up oils and grease which is bad for the nails as a nail without any natural oil will split and break. Use gloves when cleaning (the house) to avoid contact with cleansers etc. as you would with sensitive skin

With these tips, you should be able to keep your nails in quite a good shape.

Did you find this post helpful? And what are your nail care tips? Let me know in the comments!

That's all I have for you today, I really hope you have at least half as much fun reading this as I had writing it. I also hope these posts will be helpful for you if there are any nail things you have ever been wondering. And for those who are wondering what does this have to do with nail art, it's like painting whatever. You need to prepare the canvas for the artwork to look its best.

Tomorrow, I will have an outfit post for you, so stay tuned for that! In the meantime, you can follow me on social media for more frequent updates on everything possible.

Have a fabulous Friday ♥

2 comments

  1. great tips. I'll be trying the oil bath this week for sure!

    Giselle ♥ www.redlipstickandchampagnedreams.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, the oil bath is such a must - or any moisturizing. It keeps the nails from breaking ♥

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