We asked our Head Of Training, Charli Jepson, to tell us about the importance of looking after your natural nails:
So, we all love to look our best and make the most of what we have! Whether that’s our skin our hair or even our on-fleek brows, many times my daughter has swayed down the stairs in her teen years looking nothing short of the character from angry birds! And though you may giggle, you may have done the same thing too, I know I have! Yet, at least we tried! Heaven knows we groom it all but do we really look after our nails and hands like we should? I’ve never swanned around the house after spending an hour moisturising my hands and exfoliating them to almost a newborn baby softness saying “Feel my hands now, feel them!" Yet, I have demanded the entire family “FEEL MY FACE ITS SO SOFT” too many times to count! So, why do we not seem to care the same about our hands that we do other parts of our body? Let’s face it, we put them through it from the moment we wake up until we go to bed; you’re probably using them now holding your phone or iPad to read this blog! They are an essential part of our day, yet somewhat left behind in the self-care department!
There’s a saying ‘Don’t do to your nails what you wouldn’t do to your face’, but do we listen? Many times, I’ve sat watching something scary, nervous about something and started to pick at my nails. Hey, I admit it, I have even ripped them off with my teeth without a second thought to the damage I’m causing, though deep down I know THIS ISN’T GOING TO BE GOOD! So, I dedicate this blog to the hands that are helping me type it and I’m making it my mission to take better care of them for 2023! I should probably consider weight loss but hey, double deckers still exist so it’s probably easier to start with the hands!
The argument could be “Well, no one looks at my hands”: I DO! I’m a nail technician, of course I’m looking at your hands! And if you have chipped varnish and bitten nails, I’m loooooking! I’m thinking of ways to fix them and make them better, clean cuticle, Vampire Food Gel Polish over a nice layer of Dolly Builder Gel, oh you bet in my mind I’m fixing them! So, how can we look after our hands more? Here are a few tips to have immaculate hands for 2023!
Keep your hands clean and dry!
The more your natural nail absorbs water and holds it, the dryer they get! Crazy, eh? But in fact, I like to tell my students to get a perfect piece of paper and wet it then let it naturally dry it will never dry the same again! Our nails will absorb water and lose moisture, so if you do wet them, be sure to dry them and moisturise them to keep them soft and feeling their best!
Don’t peel off nail enhancements!
I know we all know this, but do we hand on heart (excuse the pun) always adhere to this absolute rule? My advice is, when wearing any enhancement, book a slot out of your own diary to take them off in a couple of weeks or infill them. We schedule our clients in, so making the time to do this for ourselves reminds them to either soak off the gel polish or infill their nails with no excuses about time! It’s in the diary so no excuses. If you don’t do your own nails, your therapist will absolutely schedule this service for you for around £10 depending on what they’re removing. Trust me it’s worth every penny.
Oil, oil, oil!
Cuticle oil is a MUST. We wouldn’t not condition our hair between appointments so taking 20 seconds to apply some oil really isn’t that difficult. For all my sins, this is a natural habit for me now that I just do after my makeup. It’s helped keep my skin lovely and my nails grow healthy and strong.
Wear gloves when cleaning
Again, would you put your face in bleach and glass cleaner? Not a chance, but again we subject our hands to this daily without a second thought. Get a cute pair of marigolds and ensure you use them when doing your daily chores.
Whether you’re a nail tech or someone that just loves wearing nails we all know how to look after our hands there is nothing here that you yourself don’t know so let’s do it! I hope this blog makes you run to your drawer and pull out that oil or hand cream that’s a good start. Life is not perfect, but your hands and nails can be.