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Health Living

Nail it the right way

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nails

Photo credit: Electric Nail Files

By Confidence Matiyenga

According to Mail Online, British women spend £450 for their nails to be done.When we hear of a wedding, birthday party or any special event we want to attend we all want to look good on the day. We even go to our beautician for acrylic nails. The coming of these nails came to the rescue for some of us who are used to nail biting, it even made the nails look extremely lovely. To get acrylic nails (a type of artificial nail) to stick, the surface of your natural nails must be filed until they feel rough. This thins your natural nails, making them weaker. Chemicals in the products used to apply artificial nails can irritate the skin around your nails and elsewhere. To remove artificial nails, you often need to soak in acetone or file them off. If you want to wear artificial nails for more than a few weeks, you’ll need touchups every 2 to 3 weeks to fill in the gaps that appear as your nails grow. Frequent touch ups can seriously damage your natural nails. The list of health risks doesn’t end but in short, artificial nails can leave your nails thin, brittle, and parched.

Thembi a nail artist at House of Glamour salon gave tips on how she reduces thin, brittle, and parched nail damage on her clients:

  • Choose soak-off gel nails instead of acrylic nails. Gel nails are a little easier on your nails because they’re more flexible. This means your own nails are less likely to crack.
  • Ask your nail technician to skip the cuticle trimming. Cuticles are often trimmed when you get any type of manicure but that should not be done. Cuticles protect your nails and the surrounding skin from infection. When you trim or cut your cuticles, it’s easier for bacteria and other germs to get inside your body.
  • Reserve artificial nails for special occasions. It’s hard to say it because clients give us money but artificial nails getting them only for a special occasion can reduce nail problems. Time without artificial nails gives your nails a chance to repair themselves.