5 Tips for Perfect Nails at Home
When it comes to doing a perfect manicure at home, that sounds like a herculean task to many people. But, you might be surprised that it’s actually easy to get salon-results at home with the right tips and tricks for perfect nails! Our beauty team has rounded up our five most important tips for how to take care of hands and nails at home for a flawless manicure, every single time.
How Do I Get Perfect Nails at Home?
When it comes to painting nails perfectly - and having them stay that way - here are a few tips and tricks you might want to take note of. Starting with the ideal products for your at home manicure kit, plus a few ways to make sure that you’re caring for your nails properly to ensure they stay perfect for as long as possible!
1. Always Use Base & Top Coat
I know what you’re thinking - you’ve always thought that base and top coats are a bit of a scam, and a way for nail polish brands to sell you even more products. The truth is, they’re a major key to getting perfect nails! A base and top coat are staples of your at home manicure kit - here’s why.
A base coat does two things - it smooths the surface of your nail, and makes it the ideal surface for your nail polish to stick to. This improves the wear time of your manicure for perfect nails that look like you just stepped out of the salon!
Depending on your top coat formula, this type of product also has more than just one benefit for your nails. However, the bare minimum a top coat should do is dry quickly and add a finishing shine to your manicure. A high quality top coat will also help your nails resist chipping and make sure your manicure lasts!
2. Use Cuticle Oil
Frequently using cuticle oil is a great way to ensure your nails look great, all the time. They’re one of the best nail care products you could reach for!
A high-quality cuticle oil deeply moisturises dry skin around your nails, preventing hangnails and making sure there aren’t any ragged edges. There’s one more benefit to cuticle oil, too - despite its name, cuticle oil benefits more than just your cuticles!
Our nails are made up of the same type of protein as our hair (keratin). Now, we all know that a good oil treatment smooths our hair and makes it more resilient against damage. Our nails benefit from natural oils in a similar way. Cuticle oils make them more resilient against breaking and snapping for healthy nail growth.
3. Strengthen Weak Nails
Sometimes, there’s only so much cuticle oil can do - and that’s when it’s time to bring in the big guns. Nail strengtheners are ideal for weak, bendy nails. They help to reinforce nails, making sure that they don’t bend and peel. Weak, peeling nails can make your manicure prone to chipping as your nails move and flex under the nail polish layer.
The combination of a nail strengthener and cuticle oil can’t be beat for helping to grow healthy nails!
4. Protect Hands & Nails
Part of keeping your nails looking perfect is making sure that you’re protecting them. One simple tip that often makes a huge difference for perfect nails is protecting your hands and nails from too much moisture.
The biggest culprit? Washing the dishes. That constant contact with water can overload nails with water, making them soft, vulnerable to breaking, and to peeling nail polish. The simplest solution is just to wear dish gloves - and over time, the skin around your hands will thank you!
Another tip for this is to use a hand cream frequently - they’re perfect for preventing cuticle peeling and splitting for strong, healthy and chip-free nails.
5. Choose High Performance Polish
Another important part of your at-home manicure kit for perfect nails will be the quality of nail polish you choose. Londontown is one of our favourite long-wearing nail polish brands for the quality of their polishes! Opaque, creamy shades are perfect in just two coats, while the sheer colours are delicate - yet not invisible - and last on nails without chipping.
Perfect Nails from Home: The Bottom Line
Having perfect nails starts with doing more than just painting two coats of polish on your nails. Nails should be primed with a quality base coat, then the two coats of colour locked in with a high-shine top coat for a gel-like finish. Don’t forget to take care of your cuticles; this helps to strengthen nails and boost growth.
Those with weaker nails will benefit from a dedicated nail strengthener to support healthy nails and prevent chipping. Choosing a high-performance nail polish to use will also go a long way to getting perfect nails!
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