Nail Care

Ready for a long read? Here we go:


I am a nail biter. When those who have known me to have had incredibly short nails my whole life hear that I'm a nail technician, it surprises them. They wonder how bad it is for business to have short nails while I perfect other people's. They wonder how I can teach others how to make their natural nails look beautiful, while hypocritically chew on the ends of my own. Then they see my nails today. They ask me how I overcame the habit of onychophagy, and what I do to keep my nails not only long and strong, but also healthy. With resistance, rewards, and a self-care, you too can not only kick this habit, but also have beautiful nails. These techniques are for anyone, whether you bite or pick your nails, ignore them, or have naturally great-looking nails. The greatest tool you need, is the WANT for healthy nails.


How bad were my nails?
I didn't just bite my nails, I also picked them, as well as my cuticles and the skin around my nails. I tried to quit several times in my life, and when I was 13 and had braces, I couldn't physically bite my nails. I thought I had conquered the habit, but then the picking started. When I was 14 and my braces were removed, I began to bite again. Once I had received qualifications to apply gel nails after high school, I gave them to myself as a resist to stop biting, but that didn't work. I even bit those and they would crack. It was completely subconscious. But other people were right; I couldn't advertise my nail business with the ugly stubs that I had, so I had to change my ways. It didn't happen over night, and took a lot of self-restraint, and I still force myself to resist the urge to pick at my cuticles. 

So what did I do?
I painted my nails every week, or more if the polish chipped, so I couldn't see my natural nails. If I couldn't see the imperfections, then I didn't feel the need to correct them. I carried nail oil with me constantly, and applied it no less than 3 times a day. If my cuticles and skin didn't look dry, then I didn't want to pick them. My best friend would hold my hand if he saw me biting so I couldn't continue. If you look at the above picture, you can see how tiny my nails were. My nail plates themselves are small in size due to genetics, but biting your nails decreases the size of your nails plates, and they might not grow back, so kick this habit while you can. My nail plates and the skin around my cuticles are redder than normal due to trauma, and the tips of my fingers were swollen. Sometimes they would swell to a greater size then my free edge, so although this didn't interfere with the natural growth of my nails, it made applying gels and polish neatly very difficult. My nails and fingers were sore to touch, and I'd become embarrassed and tried to hide them. They also became infected quite easily. Simple tasks like opening cans, using necklace clasps, doing up buttons, and typing on small phones (like texting) became very painful. So I changed my ways. I stuck to the following routine, and my nails changed.

Remove nail polish, push back cuticles, and clean behind your nails

First, remove any nail polish you have, making sure you get right into the corners and the back of your nails. This is very important, or the other products you apply will have very little effect. Then apply nail oil all over your cuticles and rub it in to soften the skin. Then take a cuticle pusher and push your cuticles back. I use a rubber one, and I suggest you use a rubber one as well if you have sensitive nails. If you have a thin layer of skin (called the eponichium), then push it back using a metal cuticle pusher. If you have any bits in the way, you can snip them off using cuticle nippers. I suggest you only do this in extreme cases. Pushing your cuticles back encourages the nail to grow back healthier, longer, and stronger, but clipping your cuticles encourages your nails to grow slower, and if used incorrectly, you could permanently damage your cuticle, preventing healthy nail growth. Once you've pushed back your cuticles, take a bamboo or orange stick and clean under your nails. 

File, then buff your nails

It's time to file your nails. If you're like me, then having any free edge is a miracle in itself, so taking length off isn't something you desire. However, filing is still important. I suggest you use either a cushion file or a glass file. With the cushion files, it really doesn't matter what kind you get. Thick, thin, straight, or banana-shaped, it is personal preference. However, for your natural nails, use a 120 or 220 grit file. The higher the grit, the softer it is You could get away with a 100 grit file if you're VERY careful, and don't use an 80 grit on your natural nails; only use it on false nails (plastic, fibreglass, gel, or acrylic). Any glass file is okay to use. Always file from the outside-in to prevent splitting your nail. Splitting your nail could cause trauma to your nail-bed or cuticle, and these could impede future growth. Only use a "saw" motion on false nails. Filing your nails doesn't just remove length, it shapes your nail. If you have anywhere on your free edge that could catch on something and tear, file it away smoothly. After filing, buff your nails using a cushion buffer, or I found a really nice one from Revlon (I got mine at Shoppers, but they should be available in any store that sells nail supplies). It has two sides for filing (although I never use these sides, I always use a cushion or glass file), and 4 different buffing pads. "Even Out", "Smooth", "Buff", and "Shine". Buff your nail plate gently to remove any excess oil, and it helps smooth your nail plate for healthy growth, and maximum polish adhesion. Corrigation is when your nail plate has ridges. This is due to hormones or genetics. You cannot prevent the occurrence of ridges, but you can smooth them out by buffing them away. Once you've filed and buff your nails, give them a quick brush, because they will probably have dust on them, and continue to these next few steps. 

My favourite products

These are the nail treatment products that I use the most. Partly coincidence, partly because I love her products, but they are all Sally Hansen. The one I am holding is my favourite daily treatment product. It's Sally Hansen's "Maximum Growth". You apply this to your bare, clean nails every day for 5 days, then remove the product and start again. You can also use this as a base coat and a top coat. The golden bottle is "Nailgrowth Miracle". This is a strengthener. The purple bottle is "Miracle Nail Thickener". Like its name implies, it's a thickener, and I love this product. It is my favourite thickening agent. The clear bottle beside the purple is "Extended Wear". This is a strong base coat that really helps the coloured polish to stick to the nail, while also protecting your natural nail plate from the colour. This is what all base coats are supposed to do. The second clear bottle is "Instant Fix". This is a top coat, but it is quite thick so it works as a strengthener too, but not instead of. The silver bottle is my favourite nail strengthener. The design of the bottle keeps changing, but the product is the same. It's called "Diamond Strength", and said to contain real diamond filigments. Whether this is true or not, I'm unsure, but it really works well as a strengthener. The red bottle beside that is "Insta-Dry". I love this top coat if I'm in a hurry. It dries to the touch in 30 seconds, and rarely chips. I have shocked many clients with how fast this top coat dries. The same goes for the sister base-coat, "Insta-Grip" (clear bottle, red handle). Again, it dries to the touch in 30 seconds. Finally, the last red bottle is "Insta-Dry Speed Dry Drops". Place 1-2 drops of this over any polish and it dries within 3-5 seconds. It's incredible! But I'd let the original polish air-dry slightly to prevent the colours bleeding together, and this product is NOT a top-coat substitute.

                               

For my basic nail care, I only use the first four products listed above. With my nails clean and clear with my cuticles pushed back, I apply one coat of Maximum Growth to each nail, and allow to dry. Then I take Nailgrowth Miracle and apply one thick coat to each nail, including on the free edge. This is important to keep your nails thicker and stronger. The more coats the better, but make sure you don't make the tips heavy or they could break off. If your nails are long enough, apply this product to the back of your nails as well. 

Once that is dry, I take Miracle Nail Thickener and apply a thick coat to my nail plates, free edge, and behind my nails. Allow to dry. This might take slightly longer due to the thickness of this product. If you apply this product too thin, you might see air bubbles forming. This doesn't do anything to harm your nails, it just looks odd and night interfere with the final look of your nails, even if you cover it with coloured polish. Finally, I apply one coat of Extended Wear and let that dry too. I apply these before every application of coloured polish as a base coat, otherwise, I leave them plain with these 4 products on. I don't dare not apply them, because my nails are naturally thin and brittle, and these products prevent them breaking. 

Nail oil and hand lotion

Once your nails are completely dry, apply a decent amount of nail oil around your cuticles and behind your nails, and rub it in. Then take any hand creme, lotion, or body butter and rub that all over your hands and fingers. Give them a good massage; they deserve it! Hydrating your nails and fingers is very important. It prevents your nails from drying out, cracking, or flaking. Hydrated nails grow faster and healthier, as well as stronger. There is no such thing as applying nail oil or lotion too often. That is a myth. Go crazy and apply as much as you can. I started by applying nail oil 3 times a day and making it part of my daily routine (like brushing my teeth). 

Extra care

Another myth is allowing your nails to "breathe". You don't need to leave them bare and without polish or products. Some people claim that wearing polish all the time discolours their nails. The fact is, nails discolour if you fail to apply a base coat when wearing polish (especially dark colours), and also a poor diet. Your diet effects your nail growth, your hair growth, and the health of your skin. Drink lots of water! Hydrating your body is equally, if not more important as hydrating your nails. Also make sure you have a stable about of vitamins in your diet. If in doubt, take daily multi-vitamins. Check to see if they contain Biotin. Biotin helps with nail and hair growth. Lukonychia is when you find tiny white spots on your nail plate. The only way the remove these is by letting them grow out. They appear if you have had trauma to the nail, or have a lack of zinc in your diet. Remember, nails are jewels, not tools! Don't go clawing your way through life if you want long, healthy nails. You can substitute using your nails as tools by using your fingers, or real tools to help you (I don't recommend you use your teeth). 

Anyone can have beautiful nails

You don't need to be a nail biter, or have unfortunate genetics or vitamins missing from your diet in order to follow these steps. You can have long or short nails. If you want shorter nails, then safely file them to the length you desire, and as they continue to grow, continue filing. Your nails develop a nicer shape after several months of filing, buffing, and sticking to these nail care tips. Like I said, it won't happen overnight. You need to persevere and take good care of your nails. You can see how long my nails are, and they don't interfere with my daily life. I can still type (as you can very much tell), text, play piano, and handle small objects or clasps with these nails, and they don't even click against surfaces that much. In fact, I can do more comfortably with longer nails than I did when my nails were short. ANYONE can have beautiful nails, and if I could change the look and health of mine, I'm sure you can too.

If you need anymore help...

If you need any help with growing or maintaining nicer and healthier looking nails, I can help you by giving you personal tips depending on your nail growth and what activities you are involved in daily, or if you live rather close to me, I do offer a manicure, gel nail, or nail art service. If you would like to buy any of the products I mentioned but can't quite get a hold of them yourself, send me an e-mail at scribblingwithpolish@gmail.com and I'll see if I can help you. I am not associated with any companies that sell these products, I just have my select favourites. You don't need to follow these tips 100% in order to get nice looking and healthy nails, but they do help, and are only suggestions and tips that I follow myself. Have fun!