by Joani Schreiber

Created on: August 29, 2008

Keeping your manicure fresh is easy! You spend time sitting in a salon so that you may enjoy a professional, clean look to your hands and nails, but a manicure should do far more than just cosmetic improvement! A good manicurist will make sure that the health of your nails and the surrounding skin is in tact. It is beneficial for you to continue caring for your nails and hands long after you leave the salon. Here are a few tips to help prolong that wonderful feel and look.

* Keep cuticles soft and help them slough with a good oil that contains vitamin B and/or aloe.
Vitamin B contains Biotin which is a natural extract. Biotin is the closest thing to your
body's chemical make up therefore, your body will absorb and use it as opposed to other oils
that just lay on top of your skin.

* Get a good base coat. After 17 years in the business I have found that Orly Bonder works
great. It is a "rubberized" base coat which makes it easy for it to contract and expand
with the natural nail. Remember, your nails are porous therefore they DO contract and
expand!

* Apply a top coat daily. This will protect your polish from chipping and peeling. If you
use a good top coat, you can do this an hour before going to sleep and you will not have
sheet marks in the morning! Again, I have found the best top coat to be Out The Door.
It dries quickly and even the worst "painter" can't mess it up!

* Moisturize! Keep your hands soft and supple with a good hand cream that contains biotin
as well.

* Wear cotton lined rubber gloves when doing housework, gardening and those "bucket full of
water" jobs. The cotton will help absorb moisture that your hands naturally produce.

* Do not use your nails as a tool! At the free edge of the nail, cells compress and become
brittle causing breakage much more readily than you can imagine. Take the time to get out
the screw driver. Your nails will thank you by remaining healthy.

* The main source of nourishment for your nails comes from inside your body! Take your
vitamins, preferably Biotin, and watch them flourish!

Sometimes we get a crack or break before we get the chance to get back to the salon. If that occurs, there are several ways to give it a quick fix. Take a small piece of toilet tissue or the outer layer of a tea bag. Place a small drop of liquid glue on the crack or split then place the paper on top. Voila! You've just saved your nail for one more day!

The most important thing about keeping your manicure clean and fresh is to remember that your hands are used almost as much as your feet. Treat them kindly and they will do the same. Dry your hands thoroughly, cream them often and take your vitamins!

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