Nail Polish and Keeping Nails Healthy

BEAUTY · GLOBAL

Nail Polish and Keeping Nails Healthy

Base and top coats, application, removers and what damages nails

Regular polish is far kinder to nails than anything cured under a lamp, and most nail damage people blame on polish comes from how it is removed.

Base coat is not optional

It prevents staining from dark pigments, which is what causes the yellowing people attribute to polish itself, and it gives the colour something to grip. Ridge-filling base coats even out an uneven surface.

Application

Thin coats rather than thick ones, which never dry properly through and peel in sheets. Two thin coats of colour with a minute between them beats one heavy layer.

Cap the free edge by running the brush along the tip of the nail, which is what stops chipping at the end.

A quick-dry top coat every two or three days refreshes the shine and extends a manicure considerably.

Removers

Acetone removes polish fastest and dries nails and skin. Acetone-free removers are gentler and slower. Either way, hold a soaked pad in place for a few seconds rather than scrubbing.

Never peel polish off. It takes layers of the nail plate with it, which is the single most damaging thing people do to their nails.

What actually damages nails

Picking and peeling, aggressive filing of the nail surface, cutting cuticles rather than pushing them back, and water and detergent exposure without gloves.

Cuticle oil daily is the most useful habit for nail health, since it keeps the plate flexible rather than brittle.

Breathable polish

Nails do not breathe — they are dead keratin fed from the nail bed beneath. Water-permeable polishes exist for religious reasons rather than health ones.

Making a manicure last

Avoid hot water for a few hours after painting, since nails expand and contract and the polish lifts. Gloves for washing up and cleaning do more for a manicure than any top coat.

Keep nails at a length that suits what you do with your hands, since long nails on a keyboard chip constantly.

Storage

Keep polish upright, cool and out of sunlight, and wipe the neck of the bottle before closing it so the cap does not seize shut.

Shaping and filing

File in one direction rather than sawing back and forth, which splits the layers at the tip. A gentle oval or squoval shape is stronger than a sharp square corner.

Never file or shape nails while they are wet, since they are softer then and tear more easily.

Keep a small file with you, since a snag caught early prevents a tear that takes weeks to grow out.

When to see a doctor

Ridging, separation from the nail bed, or a dark streak under a nail all warrant a proper look.

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