[[ Paint job got destroyed.................Paint job got cleaned off! ]]
1. Remove your old nail polish, preferably with an acetone free polish remover. Acetone can be drying and damaging to the skin and nails...it's also capable of melting plastic - 'nuff said.
2. File your nails down to ONE LENGTH. It looks neater and cleaner than having nine talons and a stump. Just give up, you have been defeated - one of your nine talons will more than likely break or snag before your stump catches up to them.
3. Apply either cuticle oil or olive oil all over your nails. These both help to soften the cuticle and strengthen the nails. I usually leave them for about twenty minutes before pushing back my cuticles with an orange stick. You can trim them, but that can lead to cuts and infections so I usually avoid it.
[[ DIY hand scrub! ]]
4. Mix olive oil and coarse sugar together until you get a 'scrub' consistency. Work it over your hands like an exfoliator to buff away dead skin cells and leave you with smooth, fresh, soft skin. Rise away with warm water and a little soap. Some folk say coarse sugar is too rough for your nails, so if you have weak nails a softer scrub might be better.
5. Dampen a towel in hot water. Cover your hands in your favourite hand cream or moisturiser and slide them inside them towel. The heat and moisture will help your skin to absorb the cream and a little extra moisture from the hot, damp towel.
6. Once your cream has soaked in as much as it can do, rub the rest it or blot it away with tissue. Now you can apply your nail polish or nail treatment. Finished!
It's so relaxing and you end up with lovely, soft, smooth hands and healthier nails - what more could you want?!
Emoticon