5 Ways To Make Brittle Nails Look Good Without Nail Polish!
While some people have always had soft and weak nails, there are other who have completely wrecked their talons by relentlessly getting one gel manicure after another or not giving their polish a break. No matter what the reason, leaving your nails bare when they are yellow and peeling and brittle is cringe-worthy and it’s but natural to feel tempted to cover them up with a swipe of colour. However, give your digits the break that they deserve and keep them looking polished (sans nail polish, of course) with these 5 kickass tips:
1. Add Protein
You are what you eat. As clichéd as that sounds, it is, in fact, the truth. To really strengthen your nails, make sure you up your protein intake. Add more soya, tofu, eggs, chicken, and meat to your diet. It’s the only way to give your brittle and weak nails a shot of life.
2. Brighten Them
Constant application of nail polish stains the nail bed yellow, and then because they look that sickly colour, you refuse to keep your nail bare. Sound familiar? It’s a vicious cycle that only ends in weak, brittle, peeling yellow nails. Let go of that bottle of polish. Make a paste of baking soda and lemon juice. Apply the paste on your nail beds and let it sit for a few minutes. Scrub your nail beds with a toothbrush, making sure to go under each nail as well.
3. Keep It Short
…and rounded. The sharper your tips, the more prone they will be to breakage! Keep your nails short if they are weak and avoid using a nail cutter on them, as it puts undue pressure on the nail bed. Use a nail file to shorten them instead. Avoid going back and forth like a chainsaw and file in one direction.
Etude House Play Nail Ceramic Nail File (Rs 2,903)
4. Invest In Your Tools
First things first, throw out your metal nail file (or hold on to it for times when you run out of pepper spray! LOL!) and buy a ceramic nail file. It is a tad bit expensive, but it’s something you can hold on to for years. Next up, get yourself a four-sided nail buffer. Pronto! Each surface is marked according to the order it has to be used in. So you blindly follow the instructions, not more than once in two weeks, for healthy, shiny nails.
Seasoul Dead Sea Mineral Cuticle Oil Conditioner (Rs 350)
5. Invest In Products
Now, in an ideal world I would soak my fingers in a small bowl of deliciously warm olive oil. However, as a girl juggling work and makeup school, that thought is ridiculous. So instead, invest in a cuticle oil and cover the entire nail and cuticle area with it before you go to bed. Allow your nails to soak in the goodness overnight.
