My Nail Care Routine! 16 Tips to Healthy Beautiful Strong Long Nails & How To Manicure

Biologically nails' main function is to protect fingertips from injuries, but especially for girls good looking nails also represent a fashionable accessory. You don't have to go to the nail salon to get beautiful nails. Here I will show you 16 tips that will help your nails stay healthy and pretty. Let's get started! Regular moisturizing with a hand cream will not only make your hands look younger and skin feel softer, but it will also help your nails stay strong and beautiful. At least once a weak give your nails an extra moisturizing treat. There are many hydrating nail oils in the market, but you can use an olive oil or oil meant for dry hair tips, like I do. Apply it to your nails and give them a quick massage for a pampering nail spa. Your nails will appreciate it! When it comes to filing, make sure you use a file with a fine surface. If your nails are peeling and they break easily, maybe your file is too rough. A rough file causes small fissures and cracks, making the nail weaker. To reduce the risk of breakage, it is also important to file the nails in one direction only and never go back and forth. Before applying nail polish or nail varnish, however you call it, I like to use a nail cleanser to effectively remove dead skin cells in the area around cuticle. It increases the oxygen supply to the nails hence promotes their growth and strength. Cuticle oil is essential for healthy and beautiful nails. Putting oil around the cuticle helps moisturizing the entire nail, reducing the incidence of chipping, cracking and splitting. It will also make the cuticle softer. A very important rule is to never ever trim the cuticle as this is a natural barrier to bacteria and fungus. Hurting it can cause permanent nail damage or even an infection. Therefore, I just like to very gently push the cuticle back with a wooden stick. Always use a base coat underneath the polish. It will not only protect your nails from staining, but some polishes can also contain harsh ingredients, so the base coat will defend your nails from the direct contact with those nasty chemicals. Now I am just waiting for the base to dry. Boooring... To color your nails beautifully my number one tip is not to load the brush with too much polish, because if you do it's more likely that you'll make a mess. The polish will be streaky, it will take ages to dry and when it eventually does, it can leave non flattering bubbles on the nails. Therefore it is better to apply few thin coats. I am using the Essie's Jam n' Jelly here, which is one of my favorite pink polishes. Don't worry if the first coat isn't perfect, we'll apply the second one in a bit. Make sure the polish is completely dried before applying the second coat to prevent streaking. With this polish, two coats give me a beautiful opaque color, but for some you may also need three. I like to leave some space on the nail edges for an illusion of slimmer and longer nails. Now I am going to teach you how to create a simple nail design. I just decided to do this cute little flower, since it's almost springtime. You need two additional polishes. Put a drop of the first polish to some material, I am just using a peace of a plastic bag here. The color I am using is Essie's to buy or not to buy. With a toothpick then pick some color and make a tiny dot on your nail. Then take another color, mine is Essie's Fiji, and with the toothpick again draw small dots around the first one to represent the petals. Nothing complicated but it turns out very nice don't you think? In the end use a top coat to help your little nail art to last as long as possible without chipping and this will also give you a nice shine. And your manicure is complete! When choosing a nail polish remover, avoid the ones that contain acetone. Acetone is very harsh for the nails; it makes them dry, weak and prone to breaking. What you consume is also important for your nails to be healthy. Drinking enough water will make your skin, hair and nails look so much better. Healthy lifestyle in general will also show on your nails. Eat enough fruits, vegetables, nuts and fish for essential vitamins, minerals and proteins. Calcium is very important as well for the nails. and you can get it with milk or yoghurt. If you don't have time for balanced diet every day some additional nutrients in form of pills may help you out. Just like a flashy necklace or the right pair of earrings, if your nails look great, they can complement any look. Do not neglect these irremovable body accessories so they remain healthy, happy and beautiful. Well-kept nails will show their appreciation by boosting your confidence, as everyone likes clean, well-manicured and polished nails -- including yourself.