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Natural Nail Care & At Home Care for the Nails

How do the nails grow?   How can I make my nails stronger?  Do artificial Nails hurt your natural nails?  Can nail polish help my nails grow faster?

These are all valid questions for your nail care expert.

Where do we begin???

nail anatomy

 

First let’s start with the anatomy of the Nail.  Boring, but needed to understand how the nail grows and how to keep the nail healthy.

The above diagram show the different parts of the nail.

Growth of the nail begins in the Matrix of the nail, this is under the skin below the base of the nail.  Nail Growth is greatly dependent on the health and nourishment of the body.  If you nourish your body with the right foods, and enough water, and fresh air, your body should be healthy and this will reflect in your hair, skin and nails.

Nails grow at an average rate of 1/8th inch per month.  Nails grow more rapidly in younger people, thus as one ages the nail growth slows down. Under normal circumstances, growth of a new nail plate takes about four to six months.  The nail bed on which the nail body (plate) rests contains many nerves, as well as blood vessels for continuous nourishment.

As the nail is formed under the skin, in the matrix of the nail, you need to be extra careful when you push back your cuticles, and do not apply so much pressure, which could cause you to “dent” the newly formed nail, which could lead to a distortions in the nail, and possibly cause a furrow in the new nail.

Nail Healthy

When filing the nail, file from outside to center with a fine grit file.  This will shape the nail without shredding or tearing it.  Friction can be reduced with the use of an nail oil and the use of a hand lotion will help the massage feel great and moisturize the tissue of the skin as well as the nails.

Cuticle solvent will help break down excess cuticle tissue, where as a cuticle oil will help lubricate the cuticle where it can be pushed back easier. You can decide if your cuticle is excessive or dry and what route you need to take.

How can I make my nails stronger and healthier?

A professional manicure is recommended.  When you go to a professional they should do a hand and nail analysis, and then determine what services would benefit you and your nails.  In a professional salon, there should be a variety of services to choose from.  You can start with a very simple water manicure, which will include basic nail care to give you a jump start to healthier nails.  You can do a very basic water manicure at home, but it always feels better when you have it done at a salon.

mani soak

 STEPS to a BASIC WATER MANICURE.

  1. Wash and sanitize hands
  2. Perform visual examination of hands and nails
  3. Remove polish
  4. Analyze skin and nails thoroughly
  5. File and shape nails
  6. Apply cuticle remover or oil
  7. Place hand in finger bowl (bowl of warm, soapy water)
  8. Repeat filing, shaping and cuticle care on opposite hand
  9. Pat first hand dry
  10. Push back cuticles, gently.
  11. Scrub hand and nails
  12. Clean under free edge
  13. Pat hand dry
  14. Repeat cuticle care and cleaning on opposite hand
  15. Apply massage lotion or cream
  16. Perform hand and arm massage
  17. Remove all traces of massage lotion or cream from nails
  18. Apply base coat- let dry at least one minute
  19. Apply first coat of color,- let dry at least one minute
  20. Apply second coat of color,  -let dry at least one minute
  21. Apply polish at free edge of nail
  22. Remove any excess polish from the skin
  23. Apply top coat – let dry at least one minute
  24. Apply quick dry product.

Can Artificial Nails Hurt My Natural Nails?

Yes.  If not done properly artificial nails can damage natural nails.

There are seven layers to a healthy nail bed.  If the technician gets carried away and files through those layers the natural nail bed will be left too thin.

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If the technician does not keep their tools clean and sanitized, you, the client are at risk for infection from virus, bacteria or even fungus.  It is very important to make sure the salon you frequent practices the highest levels of safety and sanitation.

mani tools

MMA Alert – Methyl Methacrylate Monomer is outlawed for use in the Salon.  It is a poisonous substance that should not be used in acrylic monomers.  This substance is still used in some salons, even though it is illegal.

If I have Artificial nails put on How often do I need to go back to the salon.

At least every two weeks.  If you are a nail bitter, you may need to go in sooner.

Will Nail Polish help my Natural Nails?

Yes, it can if it is a high quality polish.  Some nail polish will have strengtheners and fortifiers in them to help give your natural nails a little more support.

Does Polish make my nails grow faster?  No, but it can help protect the nail, by giving it a little extra thickness.

mani pedi color

What is the best way to protect my Natural Nails?

Protect your natural nails by treating them like jewels not tools.  This means to value them, protect them with the use of rubber gloves, when doing household chores.  Keep them clean, and moisturized.  File out any rough edges to protect the nails from snags and tears.  When you exercise proper care on a regular basis, upkeep is at a minimum.  

Hope you find this information interesting and helpful.  If you have any questions pertaining to the Services We Offer at the Academy, you can give me a call at 405-238-3426.  We are always happy to help you with all of your beauty needs.

See you soon at the Academy!

 

 

 

Categories
Beauty Tips Cosmetics Nails

Nail Polish – How do I choose what to use???

Daily Wear – Long Wearing – Extended Wear…….

In today’s market place, there are endless options on almost everything, including nail polish.  I recently attended a trade show, and again they had the latest and greatest new item…..a long wearing weekly polish. What’s so new about this, I thought this was the goal from the beginning.

mani polish

 

Polish, polish what do I choose?

Daily wear, weekly wear or extended wear?  What is the difference and which should I choose?

1. Daily Wear.opi_nail

Daily wear nail polish is widely available to the public at salons, local stores, such as discount stores, drugstores, dress shops and even catalog stores such as Avon, Beauticontrol, & Victoria Secrets.  Daily wear is used at home for easy application and removal with either a non-acetone, or an acetone based polish remover.  Daily wear polish is very economical and can be found as low as $ 1.00 per bottle, and upwards depending on the degree of nail conditioners and additives added to the formulation.  Additives can range from ridgefillers, proteins, diamond dust, ceramic flecks, nylon fibers, silk, aromatherapy, and the list goes on and on.  The sky is the limit on additives and prices depending on the degree of benefit derived from the ingredients.

Generally speaking the use of a base coat, prior to the polish application and a top coat after the color coat will help the polish to last longer.

Hint: Always seal the free edge of the nail with your polish coats, this will help your polish to wear better. Keep polish off of the cuticle area and the nail walls, this will help with lifting & chipping . (see diagram on parts of the nail)

Easy on and easy off, with little damage to the nail plate, with regular removal practices. Great for home use.

2.  Weekly Wear or Extended Wear Polish.

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Extended wear is just that, it is meant to be worn for a longer period of time without chipping and cracking.  This polish has a few more additives in it to extend the wear of the polish.  It is still meant to be removed easily at home with little or no damage to the nail plate.   However, read directions carefully to see if there are any special application methods needed for this type of polish.

3. UV Cured Polish. Gel Nails. Durable Wear.

gelish2

Extra Long Wearing.  UV Cured Polish requires a special light to cure the nail polish.  These nail polishes usually last on the nail, if properly applied for two to three weeks.  These nails are actually  in the artificial nail category as soft gels. They are meant to be long-lasting, durable, no peeling, no chipping and no dulling color.  There are two different types on Gel Nails, soft gel and hard gels.  Soft gels can usually be soaked off with a solvent such as acetone, but Hard Gels usually have to be buffed or filed off.

Extreme caution must be used during the removal practice, due to the damage that can occur with either the nail product solvent, or the mechanical damage that can occur with excessive filing or buffing.  This type of Nail Polish application is recommended to be done in the salon by a professional that knows how to both apply and remove the product safely.

Speciality Products.  essienailsglitter

There has been a flood of fun new nail polishes that have hit the market in the past few years.  The days of 5 shades of Red are over and now there is a very wide range on polish and products that can range from matte to super shiny, heavy glitter to diamond dust, to glow in the dark, even products with mylar filaments, sand texture and dried flower petals,  and the list is endless.

With all of these new texture products make sure you can remove them safely without damage to the nail plate, free edge or cuticle.  If you damage your natural nail you may see permanent damage later that you cannot correct.  nail anatomy 3

 

The Choice is YOURS!

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Isn’t it great to have so many choices and products to choose from?  We are really well blessed here in the United States, with so many options in everything we have to purchase and use.  Sometimes all of the choices are overwhelming but, We are blessed with American made products, and we have national authorities that make sure our products are safe for use, not all countries can say this.   Please always read your information on your products and see how they are tested, how to use them, what they should be used for and how to dispose of them.  Use common sense with application and removal and enjoy the new products.  Watch, listen and learn and I’m sure you will find the perfect product for YOU! 

Salon professionals are here for you to help guide you with your choices, but all in all the choice is YOURS.  ENJOY!

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