By the time I reached adulthood, I had stopped wearing nail polish altogether.
No, it’s not because I don’t like it. I mean, who doesn’t like having pretty colors and sparkly glitter on their fingertips? It’s like an extra accessory. Plus, it can really add a little polish (see what I did there?) to any outfit.
No, the real issue here is that I couldn’t find a single nail polish that lasted longer than a day before it started chipping off. Between cheap dollar store polish to expensive bottles sporting high fashion brand names, not a single polish would give me more than a couple days worth of mileage.
All That Gel Polish is Doing a Number on Your Digits
Of course, the only way to get those pretty nails is to keep shelling out the cash for gel polish in a salon — something that a friend of mine introduced me to several years back.
Unfortunately, both my wallet and my nails aren’t fans of the constant gel polish.
Although gel manicures are beautiful and definitely last a long time, they can be pretty harsh on your nails. Regular gel polish use can cause nail brittleness, peeling, thinning, and cracking — plus, soak-off gels mean even more issues from soaking your nails in acetone for so long.
So, what’s a girl to do? Is it just not in the cards for me to have perfectly polished nails?
The Real Reason Your Polish Chips So Quick
Well, come to find out, it’s not the nail polish’s fault. There’s actually a pretty good reason why I can’t keep polish to stay.
Just like how we’ve all got different skin types, we have nail types, too. And as it turns out, our nails follow the same categorizations as our faces — like dry, oily, or combination.
But even if your nails aren’t necessarily oily, there are still oils there. Our nails actually have natural oils that could be ruining your manicure. Oil secretion from your cuticle beds can inhibit even the best polishes from hanging on if you don’t deal with it first.
How to Make Your At-Home Manicure Last Longer
If you want to help your polish last longer, there are a few things you can do — no gel polish required.
First of all, you should always thoroughly clean your bare nail beds. If you’ve ever been to a salon for a manicure, you’ve likely noticed that nail technicians always put polish remover on your nails before painting them — even if you didn’t have any polish on at all. That’s because they want to nix the natural oils before putting on polish. Take a cue from the professionals and clean your nails with acetone polish remover before you begin.
Every so often, take the time to exfoliate your cuticles, too. Start by massaging a cuticle treatment into your cuticles, and gently push them back. It will help get your cuticle off your nail plate, and also helps get rid of dead skin cells. Afterward, apply a cuticle oil to add hydration.
I’m pretty guilty of skipping base coats and top coats. However, putting in these extra couple of steps can really make a difference for your nails. A nourishing base coat can strengthen your nails, but it’ll also fill ridges and lead to a smoother polish application. After you’re done, swipe a good top coat over it all to ensure your polish will last longer, and don’t forget to seal off the bottom edges of your nails, too.
Every couple of days, come back and reapply a top coat. It’ll help freshen it up and increase durability, making that at-home mani last longer.
