10 Tips For Nice And Neat Nails

As a RI Dolls dancer, you should always pay special attention to your appearance. It’s important that you look clean and put-together, while also being sexy. Getting a new haircut or facial is a good start, but don’t forget your finger nails. Having well-manicured finger nails will be noticed by your customers and could be little extra something to give you a bump in your tips. Unfortunately, not all women know how to properly care for their nails. Keep reading to learn 10 tips to keep your nails looking nice and neat:

1. Don’t Use Acetone-Based Nail Polish Remover

The most common type of nail polish remover has acetone in it, which is a colorless, volatile, flammable organic compound. It’s actually a ketone found naturally in the human body. But synthesized, it’s a very popular solvent used as paint thinner and nail polish remover. Many studies have been done on acetone nail polish, and every one of them shows that it strips nails and makes them very brittle.

2. Take Biotin Daily

Biotin is a member of the vitamin B family. Researchers have found that when people take 2.5 milligrams of Biotin a day, they had an increase in nail thickness and no longer experienced splitting and/or breaking fingernails.

3. Never Cut Your Cuticles

Contrary to popular belief, you should never cut your cuticles. In fact, don’t touch them at all! Your cuticle is your finger’s natural fungus and bacteria barrier. When you cut it, you’re opening the door for infection to set in. Your cuticle will become red and swollen. Even just pushing them back, which is a common procedure for both professional and DIY manicurists, can create an opening for bacteria.

4. Moisturize Your Nail Bed

Moisturizing your nail bed probably won’t make your nails grow any faster, but it will prevent nails from breaking and make your cuticles look really nice. In most cases, nails break due to lack of moisture. When you put oil around the cuticle, you are moisturizing your entire nail. When you make this part of your regular routine, you’ll notice your nails won’t chip, crack, or split.

5. Skip The Nail Hardeners

It may seem like a good idea to put nail hardening polish on your fingernails to make them stronger, but it actually does the opposite. Fingernails aren’t supposed to be hard. When they’re hard, it means they are brittle and they will break easily. Flexible nails are healthy nails. This way, they can bend a little without breaking.

6. Use A Fine File Or Emery Board

Throw out all those old orange emery boards you have laying around the house. They are way too rough for your delicate fingernails. If you use rough nail files, you are creating small cracks and fissures in your nails that will eventually tear, peel, and break. So stick with fine, smooth file. Also, don’t saw back and forth when filing your nails. Only go in one direction, file slowly, and file your nails evenly to reduce the risk of breakage.

7. Limit Your Professional Manicures

Most women love to be pampered, especially getting manicures and pedicures at a lovely salon. But a recent study at Mt. Sinai shows that ladies who received professional manicures on a regular basis actually had drier and more brittle nails than woman who never splurge on manicures, or only do it a couple times a year. The main reason professional manicures are bad for nails is that all the items used contain harsh chemicals. Also, women who receive frequent manicures usually end up with chronic nail bed infections. The signs of a nail bed infection is puffy and red areas around the base of your nail.

8. Be Mindful Of Your Shampoo

Most women never think about their shampoo in terms of how it may affect their nails. But think about it. Your nails come into just as much contact with your shampoo as your hair does. If you have oily hair, you need to pay specially attention to what your shampoo is doing to your nails. Shampoo made for oily hair often has detergents in it that strips the hair of lipids and other natural oils. It will also strip these natural oils from your nails, leaving them very dry and brittle.

9. Don’t Overdo Hand Washing

You constantly hear about how important it is to wash your hands to stop the transfer of germs and bacteria. But washing your hands too frequently will strip your nails of essential oils and cause them to become dry and brittle. If you must wash your hands frequently, make sure you moisturize your hands every day, and always give your nails and cuticles a little extra moisturizer.

10. Get Tips Instead Of Full Extensions

If you love the looks of fake nails and you insist on having them, then choose nail tips instead of full extensions. While any type of fake nail is bad news for your nails due to the high risk of fungal and bacterial infections that can cause permanent damage, tips are a little less evil. This is because your entire nail isn’t covered with plastic.