Having soft and beautiful hands is a desirable goal for anyone who loves their nails. It can be hard to prioritise the steps to get beautiful nails, but there are simple, effective ways to work it into your routine. For one, don’t overlook daily nail care, as it can lead to painful, dry and cracked nails.
We’ve assembled essential nail care tips to avoid dry and cracked nail beds to ensure you have healthy, sparkling nails. Since bacteria can get trapped under the cuticles and cause infections, nail care is more than just for looks. By prioritising your nail care and self-care, you’ll feel more radiant and confident.
Want to fortify your nail plate and have healthier nails by minimising daily damage? Check out these tips and use gel nail polish to keep your nails beautiful longer.
Nail Care For The Perfect Manicure
Massage and Moisturise Your Cuticles
The cuticle is one of the most valuable parts of the structure of your nails. It protects the area where the living cells of your nail grow and extend into dead ones to create your nail. But if not properly maintained, it can grow too long and fray into hangnails or prevent polish from adequately adhering to the nail’s surface. Hangnails are ridiculously painful and look gross, so cuticle care using cuticle oils is essential.
At the beginning of an at-home manicure, soften your cuticles in warm water and use a wooden stick or cuticle pusher to move them back towards your knuckles. If excess skin is sticking up, use a cuticle cutter or small scissors to trim it. Applying different cuticle oils after the polish application ensures that your cuticles will be moisturised and protected from daily wear on your nails.
At Semilac, we offer high-quality cuticle oils for adequately moisturised cuticles, leading to a well-groomed appearance and long-lasting manicures. Our Lemon and Coconut Cuticle Oils are some of our favourite affordable options that smell great and soften the cuticles wonderfully for healthier skin and nails.
Use A Cleaner For Beautiful Nails
As the final step of nail prep, before applying polish, wipe each nail with a cotton pad soaked with nail cleaner to remove any dust or grease from the nail plate. A clean and dry nail is crucial for laying smooth, even layers of polish. After the final layer of a gel manicure has been cured, a bit of sticky residue may be left on the nail. Using the Semilac Nail Cleaner before and after the polish application process ensures your manicure looks cleaner and lasts longer without any stickiness.
Consider Using A Nail Conditioner
A common misconception when using classic nail polish at home is that a base coat is optional. While you are free to do as you please, utilising a designated base coat is highly recommended to keep your nails looking healthy after polish removal. It also helps preserve your look for longer.
If you use a standard base coat but still struggle with rapidly chipping polish and brittle nails, consider trying our top-of-the-line nail conditioners as your base coat instead. Our first-rate formulas are designed to provide many benefits for smoothing out imperfections and promoting greater resistance to chipping. The Semilac Nail Power Therapy 5in1 Crystal Strong Nail Conditioner is a fantastic option for those struggling with weaker nails. It contains Vitamin E and Dario fruit extract to promote nail strength and is a pleasant rosy pink shade for a polished look.
Remove Your Polish Safely
When your nail polish begins to chip, you may want to pick it off, especially if you have a habit of picking at your skin and nails. Gel polish tends to lift off the nails when it is nearing time to remove the manicure, and it may be tempting to peel it off for quick removal once you lose a cohesive look. Whatever the case may be, you run the risk of damaging your nails when you pick or peel off nail polish.
To remove standard nail polish, you just need to soak a cotton pad or ball with acetone and wipe the nails until all of the polish is gone. Removing gel polish is a little more time consuming and requires a few extra steps. We recommend watching our tutorial video to learn how to remove Semilac gel polish like a pro. Our high-quality acetone and remover liquids are your best companions for safely and efficiently removing Semilac gel and hybrid gel polishes.
Show Your Natural Nails Some Love
Wearing nail polish is a great way to protect and promote the integrity of your nails. However, not using polish for two to three weeks between applications is also a good practice to prevent discolouration of your nail plate.
After safely removing nail polish, your nails may be weaker and drier. That is normal, as they have been exposed to harsh drying chemicals. Professionals of the nail world always recommend applying nail oil to your nails after polish removal to prep your natural nails and have them stay beautiful between manicures.
Nail oil is beneficial for encouraging healthy and robust nail and cuticle growth. At Semilac, we recommend our collection of high-quality nail oil formulas designed to keep your nails looking and feeling incredible. Our Pink, Orange, and Violet Flower Essence nail oils contain many naturally-derived nutrients for long-lasting hydration. Our Nourishing, Regenerative, and Moisturising Nail Oils are incredibly healing for those with especially weak or damaged nails.
Incorporating these nail oils into your nightly routine will yield fabulous results in as little as two weeks of consistent use. We hope this article helps you understand the importance of adequate and routine nail care. Feel free to reach out to us with questions, and keep these tips in mind the next time you’re pampering yourself with beautiful nails.
