Basic Nail Care

Hello World,

I hope that things are going good for you all. This self-quarantine must be very boring but it also has a positive that we have lots of time for self-care. There have been lots of precautionary measures circulated these days through social media platforms. In today's post, I would like to state some verified facts/ precautionary measures related to nails. Also, I'll be sharing a basic nail care tutorial step by step at the end.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Long nails are known to be a hotbed for germs. We are well aware of how coronavirus is spreading like a wildfire, so it becomes our responsibility to balance our vanity and safety. Experts say that it's best to keep our nails short during these trying times.
2. Do not cut your nails too short, leave at least 1-2 mm of the free edge (by doing this the hyponychium shall not be harmed). 
3. Include brown rice, oats, bananas, kiwis, grapes and leafy/green vegetables in your diet. These would make nails super strong.

 Basic nail care tutorial. The steps are follows as:

1.  I am aware that due to lockdown, we can't buy or refill beauty items. So I would keep this tutorial with respect to the things that we usually have at our home. For basic nail care, we would need: nail paint remover/dip and twist nail paint remover bottle, cotton balls, nail file as per your preference, nail cutter, baby cream/hand cream and a top coat/transparent nail paint/nail hardener. I'll put the links or places from where the products have been bought at the end of the tutorial.
   
   

   

   
   

2. The first and very important step is to clean our hands, for which we can use any alcohol-based sanitizer (alcohol percentage should be at least 60%). The one I am using contains 90% alcohol. Dispense onto your palms and rub to your hands and fingertips until dry.
   

   

   
   

3. Next, clean your nails using nail remover of your choice. Take a small amount of it in a cotton ball and rub it onto your nails. The easiest way of doing this step is to dip and twist your fingers in the nail paint remover sponge bottle. There are plenty available in the market but you can make one at home too. Take an empty jar/bottle, put a clean soft sponge inside it and then pour your favourite nail paint remover into it. Trust me it lasts long, it becomes so easy to remove the stubborn nail paints. Also, this step is important even if you don't have any paint on your nails.






4. Next, we have to push back cuticles so that our nails appear longer. It's not good to cut cuticles as it makes easier for the germs or bacteria to get inside. Pushing back of cuticles should be done using a cuticle pusher but it can also be done using an orange candy's wooden stick or a nail filer which does not has a sharp edge. After this you can use cuticle oil or vaseline or a nail cream as it nourishes the nails from deep within, resulting in strong nails.
   

   

   
   

5. Next step is to cut and give shape to nails. Be it any shape-round, square or coffin, just make sure that your nails are not too long (3 mm free edge max). My nails are short so I have skipped the cutting part and directly went to smoothing the edges. I can do a tutorial if you guys want to know how to cut or give different shapes to nails.
   

   

   
   

6. The second last step is to moisturize the hands. You can use any baby cream or hand cream. Just take a good amount of it and give a little massage to your hand and fingertips.
   

   

   
   

7. At last, apply transparent nail polish or if you have a nail hardener you can apply that. 

   

   
   

8.  That's it.
   
   
   

Links for the product used/suggested:

• Basic manicure tools: https://www.nykaa.com/cala-basic-beauty-tools-manicure-set/p/591945?ptype=product&productId=591945&skuId=591945&categoryId=12
• Baby cream: https://www.nykaa.com/biotique-bio-milk-nurturing-baby-moisture-cream/p/14643?ptype=product&productId=14643&skuId=14643&pps=20
• Hand cream: Bath & Body Works (Store purchase)
• Cotton balls: Big Bazaar (Store purchase)
• Nail paint remover: https://www.nykaa.com/blue-heaven-dip-twist-nail-paint-remover/p/113615 or https://www.nykaa.com/nykaa-dual-tone-nail-enamel-remover/p/68138?ptype=product&productId=68138&skuId=68138&categoryId=260
• Top coat: Miniso (Store purchase)
• Nail hardener: https://www.nykaa.com/nykaa-nail-care-rock-hard-nail-hardener/p/286412?eq=mobile
• Cuticle oil: https://www.nykaa.com/vaadi-herbal-nail-cuticle-oil-with-jojoba-oil/p/13415 or https://www.thebodyshop.in/almond-nail-cuticle-oil.html
• Nail cream: https://www.nykaa.com/vaseline-intensive-care-healthy-hand-stronger-nails-hand-cream/p/556722

P.s. This is basic nail care. There is an advanced version too, where more steps and products are needed. Let me know your views in the comment section.

Thank you

Take care and Be safe.

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