Well-groomed nails never go out of style — of that we are sure. And while we spend hours of our lives polishing and primping our fingers to perfection, there a lot of subtle and secret ways we are sabotaging the quality of your talons. Stylish caught up with celebrity manicurist and nail polish maven Deborah Lippmann who dished all about the six most common ways you could be secretly ruining the quality of your nails without realizing it.
6 Secret Mistakes That Could Be Sabotaging Your Nails
Well-groomed nails never go out of style — of that we are sure. And while we spend hours of our lives polishing and primping our fingers to perfection, there a lot of subtle and secret ways we are sabotaging the quality of your talons. Stylish caught up with celebrity manicurist and nail polish maven Deborah Lippmann who dished all about the six most common ways you could be secretly ruining the quality of your nails without realizing it.
Well-groomed nails never go out of style — of that we are sure. And while we spend hours of our lives polishing and primping our fingers to perfection, there a lot of subtle and secret ways we are sabotaging the quality of your talons. Stylish caught up with celebrity manicurist and nail polish maven Deborah Lippmann who dished all about the six most common ways you could be secretly ruining the quality of your nails without realizing it.
Turns out one of the most simple ways you could be damaging your nails is by doing housework. More specifically: not protecting your hands while you do said cleaning, which according to Lippmann can dry out your hands and nails (because of the cleaning solutions) and can contribute to chipping polish faster. “Try wearing gloves when working around the house, like when washing dishes or scrubbing the bathroom,” says Lippmann. "Try to keep nails clear of anything oily or greasy, it can cause nail color to wear away quickly and become dull."
We also know that smoking can cause staining of your nails, but it can also cause the fingers and cuticles to become dried out, too. The only real way to get rid of these side effects is to quit the habit, which your doctor will surely be onboard with. “New nail growth will replace any yellowing,” says Lippmann.
Turns out, not all filing methods are created equal. It may seem like a mindless activity, but shaping nails can weaken and break them if done improperly. According to Lippmann, the incorrect method is when you saw back and forth on the tip of the nail. Instead, she suggests that you “gently run the file across the nail in one direction.” Beginning at the outside edge, pull towards the center and repeat. Pro tip: your nails are thinner and have the tendency to peel or break: instead of holding the file flush to the nail, tilt it so that it is underneath. This allows you to see exactly what you are doing to prevent getting overzealous.
Sure, sure, they may seem handy for things like opening cans. But this is a recipe for chips — in both your nails and your polish! And if you do break one, don’t gnaw at the uneven edge. According to Lippmann, this practice can harm your cuticles and surrounding skin by sending trauma down to the base. Instead, keep a nail file in your bag or at your desk to deal with unevenness and curb your urge to pick.
“There’s a common misconception that nails need to be naked in order to “breathe” and recover, but that’s simply not the case,” says Lippmann. Using a base coat, like All About That Base CC Base Coat, so that nails can be protected without going totally bare will help with post-polish recovery. Plus, nowadays base coats and treatments contain vitamins and minerals that strengthen and improve nail health, according to the manicurist.
We all know that hydrating is the key to soft skin — down to our hands. But one of the greatest hindrances to nail health is extreme dryness of the cuticle — which is often made worse by frequent handwashing in the winter to avoid getting sick. Of course, one would never advocate for less handwashing and Lippmann has a simple fix. “Keep a hand lotion that hydrates and protects at every sink in your home, at your office desk and in your purse. Out of sight means out of mind, so having lotion handy makes application second nature,” says Lippmann. After all, it wouldn’t occur to most women to wash their face and not apply moisturizer after — just adopt the same mentality about your hands.
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