Hi everyone! First I'm going to tell you all a story of sadness and woe. (Don't worry, there's a happy ending.) After that I'll get into today's post, which is about taking care of your nails.
Once upon a time there was a young girl (me) who was preparing herself for the Ball of the year that all had waited years to attend (Senior Prom.) Makeup would come as no problem for her, for she had many years of practice in that art. Hair? Hers was fairly short and would not pose a problem in styling. The young girl had a beautiful dress, but nothing too extravagant matched well in contrast with her bold, trend setting shoes. However, after many years of thin, brittle, bendy, flaking, peeling nails she decided acrylics would be a wonderful idea for this occasion that was all anyone in the kingdom (high school) could talk about. This turned out to be a horrendous plan. The artificial plastic hurt her fingers and turned out to be much worse than she had imagined. She did not want to keep these fake nails so, she got them off...along with the top few layers of her natural nail. The only way she could get the horrid acrylic off was to use acetone. I'll get to why this is a bad thing in a bit. She vowed, that night, never again. Never again.
The moral of the story...
Acrylic nails may look nice, but in the end it's just bad for you. Not just your nails. You. When you get them on you're cutting off the oxygen to your nail. Believe it or not, your nails need oxygen just as much as your eyes (don't leave your contacts in) and your hair and skin. If you've ever had Acrylics you'll know that when it comes time to get them taken off (whether you're getting them on again straight after or are just deciding to take a break from the darn things) they soak your nails and fingertips in pure acetone or at least an acetone nail polish remover. Acetone is a very dangerous chemical and is actually used as a paint stripper. Do you really want your fingers soaking in that? Whether you breathe in the fumes it creates or soak any part of your skin in it, it gets into your body and can cause things from just feeling dizzy, or sick for a few hours to miscarriages in women who are expecting. In short...don't use it. Just...don't.
After learning these things and having to nurse my nails after Prom etc. I discovered a few things. Who would've thought that I'm not the only one in the world who had weak nails? Who would've also thought that they make tools and treatment for such things?! Yeah, I probably should've thought of that before...
But I went to a beauty supply store, told them my tale and they showed me some great things for me. At the time my favorite nail strengthener polish was LCD but, that has been discontinued. Fortunately for me, I found one that I like even MORE! I now have a nail treatment that I use 3-4 times a week and a routine I do every 2 weeks. Here's what I do...
Firstly, I remove all my nail polish with a NON-acetone remover. It does take a bit longer but I think that's an okay thing. I then, soak my fingertips in warm water or just take a nice shower. While my nails are still flexible and things I use some nail clippers to trim them to a comfortable length. (As a child I always felt my parents clipped them too short and I hated the way it felt.) I don't worry too much about them looking great at this point, just getting them a little shorter and trimming sharp corners. Next, I take any emery board and file them to a smooth end. Finally, I use my new strengthening polish to make my nails stronger and clean and shiny. I use a treatment called Rock Hard now, and I'm pretty sure that you can get it at any Sally's Beauty Supply store.
Well, that's it for today. Hope you guys are doing awesome! I'll see you next time and keep your eyes peeled for YouTube updates!
Ciao!
Once upon a time there was a young girl (me) who was preparing herself for the Ball of the year that all had waited years to attend (Senior Prom.) Makeup would come as no problem for her, for she had many years of practice in that art. Hair? Hers was fairly short and would not pose a problem in styling. The young girl had a beautiful dress, but nothing too extravagant matched well in contrast with her bold, trend setting shoes. However, after many years of thin, brittle, bendy, flaking, peeling nails she decided acrylics would be a wonderful idea for this occasion that was all anyone in the kingdom (high school) could talk about. This turned out to be a horrendous plan. The artificial plastic hurt her fingers and turned out to be much worse than she had imagined. She did not want to keep these fake nails so, she got them off...along with the top few layers of her natural nail. The only way she could get the horrid acrylic off was to use acetone. I'll get to why this is a bad thing in a bit. She vowed, that night, never again. Never again.
The moral of the story...
Acrylic nails may look nice, but in the end it's just bad for you. Not just your nails. You. When you get them on you're cutting off the oxygen to your nail. Believe it or not, your nails need oxygen just as much as your eyes (don't leave your contacts in) and your hair and skin. If you've ever had Acrylics you'll know that when it comes time to get them taken off (whether you're getting them on again straight after or are just deciding to take a break from the darn things) they soak your nails and fingertips in pure acetone or at least an acetone nail polish remover. Acetone is a very dangerous chemical and is actually used as a paint stripper. Do you really want your fingers soaking in that? Whether you breathe in the fumes it creates or soak any part of your skin in it, it gets into your body and can cause things from just feeling dizzy, or sick for a few hours to miscarriages in women who are expecting. In short...don't use it. Just...don't.
After learning these things and having to nurse my nails after Prom etc. I discovered a few things. Who would've thought that I'm not the only one in the world who had weak nails? Who would've also thought that they make tools and treatment for such things?! Yeah, I probably should've thought of that before...
But I went to a beauty supply store, told them my tale and they showed me some great things for me. At the time my favorite nail strengthener polish was LCD but, that has been discontinued. Fortunately for me, I found one that I like even MORE! I now have a nail treatment that I use 3-4 times a week and a routine I do every 2 weeks. Here's what I do...
Firstly, I remove all my nail polish with a NON-acetone remover. It does take a bit longer but I think that's an okay thing. I then, soak my fingertips in warm water or just take a nice shower. While my nails are still flexible and things I use some nail clippers to trim them to a comfortable length. (As a child I always felt my parents clipped them too short and I hated the way it felt.) I don't worry too much about them looking great at this point, just getting them a little shorter and trimming sharp corners. Next, I take any emery board and file them to a smooth end. Finally, I use my new strengthening polish to make my nails stronger and clean and shiny. I use a treatment called Rock Hard now, and I'm pretty sure that you can get it at any Sally's Beauty Supply store.
Well, that's it for today. Hope you guys are doing awesome! I'll see you next time and keep your eyes peeled for YouTube updates!
Ciao!
No comments:
Post a Comment