Tips for a Healthy Manicure

They often say you can tell a lot of things about a person by simply looking into their eyes when addressing them. While the eyes will always remain the windows of the soul, they also say that a woman gives something away of her true nature by means of her hands. Manicure is essential from this perspective to create a wonderful first impression, and that doesn’t necessarily mean the French type.

However, as we also know, manicures can be quite dangerous procedures, especially if not done properly at home or in those cases when the salon where we get them doesn’t follow certain basic hygiene rules. In order to prevent this, AllWomenStalk has come up with a set of easy steps every woman getting a manicure should follow in order to have great looking nails while also, most importantly, paying the utmost attention to their health.

The first one is, of course, common sense: hands and nails must be clean when getting a mani. We should not start the procedure if we have blisters or sores that might only get worse and risk infection as we operate with the cutting tools. Granted these two are seen to, we must also make sure the tools we’re using (or that are being used at our salon, depending on the case) are clean and have been sterilized beforehand. If we’re not fans of salon manicures, we must remember never to share our tools with someone else – and that includes nail polish.

Speaking of which, the women’s e-zine also points out to the importance of changing the polish at regular intervals and not wait for it to clump before buying another one. Not only does old polish make it very hard for us to get the manicure we want, but it is also a perfect place for bacteria to grow, which can damage the nail. Also on the same note, if we’re in the habit of wearing nail polish, we must ensure we give our nails regular “breathers,” by going au naturel for at least a week every once in a while. Otherwise, they will become yellowish and bristle.

The e-zine also advises against acrylic nails. They may be easier to maintain that a normal mani, but they end up by damaging the natural nail so they’re not a viable choice in the long run. The same goes for drilling, the procedure where a hole is made in the nail to insert small decorations, while fun and certainly stylish-looking, this only leads to an increased risk of infection.