Manicure Aftercare Tips That Everyone Should Know

It’s happened to everyone at least once. You get a beautiful manicure, and then just a few days later, a dent or chip ruins the set. To keep your nails looking polished for longer, here are a few manicure aftercare tips that everyone should know.

Avoid Harsh Chemicals

Soaps, hand sanitizers, and cleaning products not only suck the moisture right out of your skin and nails, but they can eat away at the polish, making it weaker and more susceptible to breakage. Wear gloves as often as you can when handling harsh chemicals, and make sure to use gentle hand soaps. If you can’t avoid it, keep a nourishing hand cream nearby to remoisturize.

Nourish Your Nails

The number one way to keep your manicure intact is to nourish and strengthen your nails. While you can accomplish this by staying hydrated and eating healthy, cuticle oils and hand creams will keep dry skin at bay. In addition, you want to lock in as much moisture in your nails as possible to promote a healthy nail bed and new growth.

Use the Right Products

One of the silent destroyers of beautiful manicures is actually allergies. Your skin and nails can be affected by the products your use. Even if you don’t break out in hives, irritation can occur. So, it’s important to keep your allergies in mind and choose nontoxic and all-natural products.

Using an SPF on your hands and nails while outside can also protect your skin and keep your manicure strong. In addition, topcoats prevent chipping and keep your nail color vibrant.

Manage Chips and Dents

If the worst occurs, and your manicure does chip or dent, you want to fix it as quickly as possible. This is because any damage weakens the structure of the entire polish, so sometimes a simple fill-in will do the trick.

However, if your nail breaks, file the affected area as smoothly as possible with a 400 fine grit file. In addition, always file in one direction, never back in forth. A back-and-forth filing motion can cause microscopic tears and breaks and can even chip off more polish!

With these manicure aftercare tips, you’ll be able to keep your manicure lasting longer so you can get the most bang for your buck. However, a strong manicure always starts at the base. With liquid builder gel nails, you’ll start off on the right foot and have the best foundation for a long-lasting manicure.