I had a random thought earlier today that I was going to blog about. Of course, this was 8 or 10 hours ago and I just now remembered it and was near a computer!
OK, random thought / weird question of the day. For the women only (although I believe that’s about 90-95% of my readership!):
I only paint my toenails in the summer, when I wear sandals. I see no need to do it in the winter, so the nails get a “break” for a few months. They seem really clean and white in the winter and for a little while at the beginning of sandal season. Then, after a few times of cleaning and repainting, they start to get really yellow. Is it the kind of nail remover I am using (yes, I’m cheap, I use the walmart Equate brand)? Is it the type of nail polish I’m using (Avon, I love the color Amanda!)? Is it just my really bad nails? Any ideas why they get so yellowish?
I’m working today….Well, sitting here waiting on programs to run, so I thought I’d do a little surching on this for an educated answer. This one sounds really good, but not sure exactly how true it is. It also gives good advise on a “proper” manicure or pedicure.
Dark polish has a very heavy pigment, therefore the yellowing of the nails. Basecoat is the best answer for you, I would even apply two coats. Before you do this however, purchase a 3 or 4 way buffer at your local beauty supply, follow the directions on the package and that should help eliminate some of the yellowing. This is usually juts a surface discoloration. Remember to always wear a basecoat and a top coat. Below are some simple instructions to follow at home! Hope this helped!
There are so many wonderful products on the market today to help you keep your nails beautiful! If you are a do it yourselfer, I would suggest starting with weekly manicures and pedicures once a months, especially in the summer months. The following instructions apply to both manicures and pedicures:
Start by soaking your nails in a warm sudsy (Mild soap) water.
After soaking for 5 to 10 minutes, apply a good cuticle cream. There are tons out there and they are all about equal. follow directions on the bottle. After you are done with your cuticles, (By the way NEVER EVER cut cuticles, they are there for a reason…to protect your nailbed, you can gently push them back with a cotton coated orangewood stick) file your nails in nice shape never filing into the sides of your nails, a nice shape to try is square on the sides and oval on the top, remember that your nails are three-dimensional. You can also at this point use a three way buffer, found at local beauty supply stores, follow directions. (If you are doing a pedicure, you can use a pumice stone or cream at this time. be sure to rinse your feet off before applying polish!) Then apply a nice cream, I like the ones with aloe and vitamin e in them, but you can use whatever you enjoy. Wipe your nails so that no film from the lotion is on them. Then apply a basecoat and two coats of polish, waiting a few minutes between each coat. Then apply a top coat. After your topcoat apply a good nail dryer. On that I love and have used for years is ‘Solar Oil’ by creative Nail Design. It is a vitamin e oil with almond oil and jojoba oil, it smells wonderful and works great and has many uses. Apply it on top of your topcoat as you would polish and in 10 minutes or so your nails will be dry to the touch, be careful not to whack them as you can still dent the polish. You can use the solar once or twice a day by applying to your cuticle area and massaging in, this helps promote nail growth. Remember not to use your nails as tools! i.e.; pushing, pulling scraping etc. And remember to always use gloves while doing heavy tasks such as gardening and housework. Our nails should have a regime just as our facial skin!I hope this helps. Good Luck!
Wow, thanks Amanda! Unfortunately (ducking head in shame), I don’t think I want to put this kind of time and effort into it! Do you do all of this? Do you do HALF of this? I guess I could try a basecoat, at least. I have some cuticle cream, but rarely use it. Nails are not an issue with me, as mine won’t grow, they are so thin and brittle. And, I don’t really have the interest or stamina to put this kind of work into them! I want to slap some polish on there, let them dry 5 minutes, then throw on my flip flops and go!
What do you do? Do you do all this stuff?! 🙂
Well, I was going to post as soon as I read this that I think a basecoat would help with the yellowing thing, or at least that’s what I’ve heard b/c the polish tends to make nails that way. But mine is a short answer and you got more good info! I don’t tend to do all these steps either, I am the same as you, I want to put it on and be done with it! But I have started using basecoat a couple of summers ago to try to keep the polish from discoloring nails so badly.
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