Tired of wearing nail polish that won’t stay longer before your next mani-pedi schedule? I definitely know how it feels especially that I am always busy at work and sometimes it takes weeks or even a month before I’m free to pamper my nails. So how do we go about this problem? The solution is to extend the life span through proper application. Here are seven ways or techniques to prevent nail polish from chipping.
1. Go For Quality
Buy or use brands that are of good quality. Well, it doesn’t have to be super expensive because there are cheaper brands with nice coverage. Avoid using fake products. Imitations could be harmful to your health and you’re just wasting money instead of getting a discount. Buy from legit stores only.
2. Wash hands and feet first
This is really necessary and obvious. Wash your hands and feet first before applying nail polish. The oil from moisturizers and other nail products can affect and prevent nail polish from sticking properly. When the polish is completely dry, that’s the time you can put on your favorite hand lotion.
3. Don’t wash with warm water
After applying nail polish and drying them up, don’t wash with warm water or don’t take a shower yet. Hot water tends to expand your nail beds making your nail polish move with it. It will chip off and crack once nail beds return to normal size.
4. Don’t shake it!
Sometimes when the room temperature is low, nail polish inside that small glass bottle becomes stickier than normal. What we usually do is shake it but experts advice not to. You just have to simply roll the bottle between the palms of your hands instead. Shaking it will cause air bubbles on application. Now you know.
5. Apply in layers
This needs a lot of patience. When you apply nail polish, start with the base or first coating. Let it dry before you apply the next coat. To make sure the nail polish has dried up, it will appear glossy shine. Don’t attempt on patting it just to check if it’s dry if you don’t want to create a ‘finger print’ effect on your nail polish. The final coating can be a colorless paint or those with silver and gold glitters for a beautiful finish.
6. Apply in thin layers
Aside from applying in layers, make sure that each coat is applied thinly. Thick layers won’t dry on the nails properly and are vulnerable to cracking. Don’t worry if your first coating is streaky because the second and final coating can cover it up.
7. Seal with love
This is what I call the final touch. In everything we do, as much as possible we want it close to perfection. You don’t put too much effort painting your nails and be wasted because it chip easily. So my advise is to cap off the top. Apply some polish on the top edges of your nails to seal it. Use colorless paint so it won’t look messy.
I hope these tips and application techniques help a lot in extending the lifespan of your mani-pedi. Stay beautiful, girls.
