Beginner's Guide to Nail Care

Whether you're one to get your nails done at the salon, or someone who prefers to do it yourself at home, it is important to keep up maintenance on your nails when you're not able to make it out or when you're in between visits. It's not always necessary to spend money in order to get the best outcome for your nail care, so today we're going teach you some tricks on how to DIY it. 

First things first, start with clean nails.

Before getting into trimming, filing and shaping, you should remove your old nail polish. The easiest method I've found for this is to take a small piece of paper towel, and soak it with remover. It makes the scrubbing process so much quicker and easier. A cleaner method than pouring the bottle of remover over the paper towel is to use a pump dispenser bottle. These can help to prevent over-pouring! Be sure to wash your hands after taking your polish off, to remove the chemicals, and help prep your nails for the nail polish to stick.

Next up in the nail care to-do list: trimming, filing, and shaping

This step is usually easiest after a shower, when your nails are softened by the water. If your nails aren't quite soft enough, a part of this process can be to soak them. This will help soften the cuticles, which you can then exfoliate and push back with a cuticle softener or soft wash cloth. You want to keep the cuticles under control, but not remove them completely. Your cuticles help keep your nails protected from bacteria and infections. 

Next, you want to shape your nails in the way that works best for you. In a previous article, we discussed What Your Nail Shape Says About You. Basically, you should pick a shape that fits best into your life style and works with the nails you have! There are plenty of cute ways that you can shape your natural nails, and if you're doing it yourself it might be most practical to pick one that prevents breakage. Start by cutting them into the general shape you want, then proceed to file them into having a smooth edge. You should file in only one direction, starting from one side and going to the center. From the center, you then file to the other side. This helps to prevent weakness, splintering, or snagging.  

Moisturize and paint!

Like with our skin, moisturizing our nails is an important step in keeping them healthy. You should use your favorite hand cream. And now here's the part that sounds a little contradictory - remove the lotion or oil residue from your nails by wiping each nail off, one by one, before you paint them. Without this removal, the nail polish won't adhere to the nails as well.

To start the painting process, the foundation is to apply one thin layer of base coat nail polish. Next up: pick your favorite color! If you need an idea for a new shade, 5 Halal Nail Polish Shades That Will Spice Up Your Summer has your answers. The best way to apply the polish is to start with the brush at the center of the the nail, then drag this polish out from each side towards the tip of the nail. To keep Mersi breathable nail polish permeable, we recommend only using two coats (either one base/top coat and one color, or two coats of color).

If you're not worried about breathability, now would be the time to add a second coat of color with the base coat! Multiple thin layers is the key to success in longevity and opacity of the polish. Thin layers is also a key in quick drying time and it helps to prevent smudging and blobbing. Top it off with either a matte or clear top coat to help seal in the color and make it last longer!

Tips and tricks to keep your nails healthy

Take a break from nail polish every once in a while. Sometimes, your nails just need to breathe completely. You give your face a chance to breathe from makeup, and the same necessity applies to your nails!

In the times you're not wearing nail polish, but still want stronger, smoother, and silkier looking nails, you can apply our Deep Nail Nutrition. The formula contains a complex that helps seal down Keratin cells, keeping your nails healthy and happy. 

Additionally, check out our article on How to get your Feet Ready for Sandal Season for some more tips on keeping your nails primed and ready for the summer!