How to Prolong the Life of Your Pedicure?
Having a freshly painted toenail makes you feel fabulous from head to toe but finding just one damaged paint job to wrecks that feeling. So here are some helpful tips for making your pedicure go further.
Bring Your Own Nail Polish
It’s always a great idea to bring your personal nail polish before heading to your favorite nail salon. Why? Because in the salon, you won’t know how long nail polish bottles have been placed in their shelves or drawers. Old nail polish nick more quickly and does not apply as smoothly. Some nail salons even put in a few drops of acetone or thinning component to lengthen the volume of pigment and get more usage from them. One good advantage of using your own polish is, you can fix it at home easily because you have it. However, if you choose to go with something through the salon’s collection, ask to see the newest releases and selections to make sure they’re really new.
Say No to “fast-drying” formulations
Polishes marked as “fast-drying” may seem like a blessing, but they frequently dry before entirely sticking with nails, and that can cause them to nick quickly. If you’re in your house and can’t take the typical 20-minute drying time, try sinking your freshly-painted toes in a dish of ice water for 3-5 minutes. The cold water helps make the nail polish to set more quickly.
Fill up your top coat
Topcoats make a protecting wall to help seal in your nail color, but they can chip too, making the nail polish underneath exposed. For the best safety, use a clear top coating every other day. For additional coverage, coat along the border of nails, as this is where nicks typically transpire.
Avoid Closed-toed Shoes
To avoid smudging your pedicure, try not wearing closed-toed footwear if at all possible for 10 to 12 hours after a pedicure. If you are doing your pedicure at home and know you will be heading somewhere shortly after, take a cue from the nail salon: slip on open-toed sandals before painting. That way you will not risk chipping wet color when you go to wear your footwear. In case you need to go closed-toe, do this with tights or socks-that buffer can go a long way toward avoiding rubbing that leads to damaging and flaking.
Moisturize Your Nails Frequently
Cuticle oil maintains both the skin around the toenails and the nails themselves hydrated and healthier. Because polish does not cling well to brittle, dried-out nails, keeping them well-moisturized means much less damaging.
