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When you go out with friends, do you often feel jealous of their long, well-shaped and healthy looking nails? Well although we’d all like to achieve the same great look, it does take some effort to achieve. But it is possible by following these simple steps.
1. Protect your nails from harsh chemicals – unless you have a dedicated housekeeper or cleaner who does all your housework for you, your nails will be exposed to all sorts of chemicals and grime on a daily basis just cleaning up your home, or even doing the washing up. To protect your nails from these harsh chemicals which can cause dry and brittle nails, always wear cotton lined rubber gloves.
2. Use a hand lotion – there are a wide range of hand creams and lotions available and to achieve really healthy looking hands and nails, you really need to use them at least twice a day. Try to choose one specifically designed for re-hydrating and softening your hands for the best results.
3. Trim your nails regularly – as your nails all grow at slightly different rates and in differing shapes, it’s important to trim your nails regularly – ideally once a week to keep them a consistent length.
4. Strengthen your nails – there are a wide range of nail polishes and treatments that offer strengthening properties to help reduce your nails from chipping and breaking. Choose one that works for you and remember to use it once a week. Alternatively, dip your nails into natural olive oil for two minutes a week – this will help strengthen the nails naturally.
5. Buff nails – the process of using a buffer on your nails actually stimulates blood circulation which can encourage nail growth.
6. Applying nail polish – there is some debate about the use of nail polish in relation to healthy nails. Some cheaper brands of nail varnish do contain chemicals that can affect the health of your nails, causing brittleness and breaking. However the more high quality polishes can actually help to protect your nails from the elements and improve their strength.
By following these top tips, you should be able to achieve naturally healthy looking nails in just a couple of weeks.
Author Bio:
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Victoria Arpels is the founder of Next Step Beauty, the leading provider of nail technician courses with accredited training centres across the UK. Victoria is a fully certified professional holding BA (Hons) and assessor (CertEd). She is a regular contributor to a number of industry publications as well as our own Next Step Blog.
