Below are some tips from our readers who generously shared their secrets with us. From recycling your old nail polish, caring your nails in winter time to how to stop nail biting habit.
Below are some tips from our readers who generously shared their secrets with us. If you'd like to participate, just send us an email with your name, city and state, and your tip to info@esthersnc.com. Thank you!
The newest secret - A great way to recycle your nail polish
I make paper jewelry and use nail polish to coat the paper beads. It gives them a nice glossy appearance. Soon, I will try nail art on the beads for interesting effects.
Linda Camp
Taking care of your nails during winter
My tip for the winter time is to have a bottle of lotion suitable for nails and put a drop of lotion on each finger tip including nail and rub in! It keeps the cuticles soft and the nails glossy and sharp! you can do this over colored nails or natural.
Miriam Stringfield
Ferndale WA
In the winter I always cut my nails a little shorter than I keep them the rest of the year. My reason for this is that I wear gloves a lot in the winter. If I keep my nails long they get caught when I am putting my gloves on and I am breaking my nails all of the time.
Elizabeth Cowen
During the winter, my nails and hands get so dry. I use lots of lotion and hand cream and make sure to massage it into my cuticles. It keeps them soft and supple and strengthens my nails as well. I wouldn't be without my hand cream, that's for sure! Lora
http://fortheloveofbabies.tripod.com
My way of taking care of my nails during winter is to give them a good manicure every two weeks. This involves soaking them in warm water and allowing the cuticles to get soft. Then I push the cuticles back and buff my nails to a shine. I will either paint them a color or leave them clear. In between manicures I use a cuticle lotion or oil to keep my nails and cuticles from getting dry. It has worked out well for me!
Anjee Wren
Englewood, CO
The best thing that I have found for my nails during the winter is drinking lots of fluids (I don't know if that helps my nails but I do increase my water intake during the winter) and moisturizer. I have found a wonderful hand lotion that is made with soy oil that keeps my hands smelling wonderful (I love the coconut lime verbena) and it lasts. The other thing I do is when warming my candle (must be a pure soy candle), I dip my fingers in it and rub the oils in. It works great on hang nails & also dry feet. I also try to cut back on how many times I change my nailpolish. I find the remover tends to dry my hands out also. I would think that the chemicals cannot be good for your nails.
Dawn Busch
Holley, NY
And... we asked Christina Jones, the writer of eBeautyDaily, to give her answer as well. Here's her tips.
As you may have noticed, your nails need extra attention in the cold weather to prevent chips and breaks due to brittleness. Switch to a base coat for brittle nails, and keep your nails polished (1 coat of base coat, 2 coats of color and a top coat). Don ’t skimp on the moisturizers either - use oil regularly on your cuticles - this has tremendous benefit for your nails. Try a 10 minute hot olive oil soak when you remove your polish - no more often than once a week, as all polish removers are harsh and drying. At night, I often take a dab of my night cream and apply that to my nails as well for an extra boost. Take a little care, and add a little extra moisture through the cold, winter months, and you will enter the spring with fantastic, strong nails.
Break the nail biting habit
I used to bite my nails when I was younger & then would get upset when I saw the other girls that had long nails. So, since colored polish doesn't really look good on nubs, I would use clear nail polish & polish my nails every day when I got home from school. Nail polish tastes bad but, add to it the remover.... horrible! So, I would spend the time to take the polish off and then re-polish. It took 2 weeks of constant polishing but it worked. By that time my nails had started growing in & I was receiving compliments from family & friends so I started using colored polish & haven't bitten my nails since.
Dawn Busch
Holley, NY
Use Tabasco sauce. A few times tasting that and you will not put your fingers near your mouth again!
Kim Meyne
Portage, IN
keep a strongly scented lotion on your hands, the smell will be enough NOT to bite them.
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Schedule yourself for a manicure at a swanky nail shop 4 weeks in advance (try and pay in advance too, or buy a gift certificate). You'll be too embarrassed to go in with chewed up nails, and once you go you'll have pretty nails that you won't want to bite.;
Amber McLeod
Deer Park, WA
Exercise. Ride bike, jump rope, do weight training, or some form of exercise. Exercise helps reduce stress and improves circulation. I've found that the more exercise I do, the less nail biting happens. So you can always tell if I've been doing my exercise by looking at my hands!
Darla Dixon
Snellville, GA
Other tips suggested includes wearing gloves, chewing gums, etc. Like other nervous habits, nail biting is sometimes a symptom of an emotional problem. In these cases, resolving the underlying problem can help to lessen or eliminate the nail-biting habit. (wikipedia.org)