Nail and Hand Care

Comprehensive home care advice for your nails and hands, or new Nail Enhancements, will be provided as part of your Consultation and thereafter is only a phone call away whenever you 
need it. 

The exceptional product range used at The Nail Lounge is available for purchase when you next visit, enabling you to give your hands and nails the best care at home -  Homecare Price List 

Natural Nail Care:

Hand and nail care should be an integral part of every woman’s beauty regime.  In many ways your hands mirror and chronicle your life experience.  More than any other area of the body, hands are exposed to all sorts of damage; abuse them and they will eventually give away your age.

Protection and correction is the key - think of the beauty products you use for your face, do you give the same attention and investment to your hands?  Probably not!  Many women are waking up to the fact that their hands receive as much exposure to damaging UV rays as their face and, additionally, their hands are frequently in water, used as tools, and generally abused throughout the working day.  It doesn’t take much effort to quickly establish a routine to care for your hands and nails between your Salon manicures ……

Your Plan for Healthy Hands

• A daily hand care regime is a must.  Use a good quality hand cream at least daily such as SolarSilk or SolarButter or Nailtiques Cuticle and Hand Conditioner.  For an intensive treatment, apply before bedtime and wear cotton gloves during the night.  Using cheaper options is a false economy; they contain too much water and alcohol to be absorbed effectively.  
• Exfoliate twice weekly – SpaManicure contains essential oils and Dead Sea salt to remove dead skin cells.
• Eat right.  Choose foods that are healthy and as close to natural as possible.
• Drink at least six glasses of pure water a day to keep the skin moisturised inside and out.
• Get the sleep your body needs – usually six to eight hours.
• Exercise.  When faced with repetitive tasks, take time out to stretch and wriggle your finders, wrists, hands and arms to maintain normal range of movement.
• Wear sunscreen – the sun is your skin’s enemy!  Photoageing of the skin is responsible for rough, leathery texture, age spots and brown, pigmented freckles on the backs of the hands.
• Avoid temperature extremes and harsh detergents – use rubber gloves.

Your Plan for Healthy Nails

• Use cuticle oil daily, more frequently if your nails are brittle and flakey.  SolarOil is a conditioning treatment that penetrates deeply and quickly, softening cuticles and promoting strong, flexible natural nails.
• Follow up with daily use of cuticle cream, such as Nailtiques Cuticle and Skin Gel – the most intensive treatments available for sore or dry, rough cuticles.   
• Treat your cuticles very gently as they protect the growth centre of the nail, the matrix.  Never tear the skin or attempt to cut the cuticles yourself.
• Apply a hand cream after washing up as soap makes nails very dry, leading to brittle, peeling nails.
• Avoid cutting or clipping your nails, always use an emery board.  File at a 45-degree angle from under the free edge of the nail.
• Always wear a good Base Coat under polish, ideally one prescribed by your Nail Stylist for your nail type, to prevent yellowing discolouration of the nails.
• Nail Polish acts as a protector to the natural nail, but remember to remove it as soon as it starts to chip – chipped Polish is unsightly and suggests you don’t care about your appearance.  Don’t peel off Nail Polish, as you will also remove the top layer of your nail leading to damage.
• Always ensure your Nail Polish is fresh.  Polish that has been allowed to thicken will not apply thinly or evenly.  Cheap Polishes will go gooey sooner than a salon-quality Enamel.  Good quality Enamel is longer lasting and will give a better finish.
• Always wear a Top Coat over polish; it will prolong the life of your Enamel.  Apply a fresh layer every other day.
• Nail Strengtheners will save vulnerable nails but beware that overuse will lead to brittle nails that easily snap.  Get advice on the right Nail Formula for yournails.
• Use an acetone-free Nail Enamel Remover as acetone is very drying on the nails and overuse will dehydrate them.
• Do not use your nails as tools!
• Break the habit of nail biting, which can damage the nail and the cuticle, leading to a deformed nail shape or uneven nail growth.  Biting nails can also transfer harmful organisms to the nail that lead to infection.
• Have your nails manicured on a regular basis, ideally every 3/4 weeks – it will ensure your hands and nails remain healthy and have a well-groomed appearance.

Broken Nail Emergencies

• The first thing to do with a broken nail is to secure it to prevent further damage until you can get to your Nail Stylist.  If the nail is torn but not completely broken off, try wrapping the fingertip with a plaster – first up and over the tip and then around the nail.  Make sure you keep a bit of slack inside so the nail is not bent.

Tips for Nail Biters

• Devote 10 minutes every day to caring for your nails, as they start to look prettier you will be less inclined to nibble them.
• Consider having nail enhancements for a while so your nails have a chance to grow underneath – even the most determined nail biters have trouble gnawing their way through gel!  A few weeks might be all you need to break the biting habit.
• Having short nails does not mean you cannot wear Enamel; even short nails look better with an application of Enamel.  A dark polish can look stunning!
• Carry an emery board with you at all times so you can instantly smooth away straggly edges that tempt you to bite.
• Regular manicures will help you to become more conscientious or your nails and encourage you to stop biting.

Our hands play an important part in our appearance and can influence our whole personality.   A woman with beautifully manicured hands has more confident body language, and will be more expressive, than a woman whose hands get hidden away!

Nail Enhancement Care:

How to Get the Best from Your Nail Enhancements

We want you to be happy with your nail enhancements, we also want them to be long-lasting and stay looking beautiful.  We've put together some easy to follow steps to help you make this happen.

Getting Used to Your Nail Enhancements

• Make sure you book a regular rebalance appointment.  It's a good idea to book a series of appointments at once, try to book the same day, same time very two to three weeks.
• Don't bite or pick your nail enhancements, this can lead to weakening or breakage and can cause damage and thinning to your natural nails.
• If you notice your nail enhancement lifting, don't pull or pick at it.  But don't ignore it.  Return to the salon as soon as possible; where it will be decided whether a repair is necessary.
• Nail enhancements may take some time getting used to, especially if you've always had short nails.  Gradually you will get into the habit of using your hands in a different way and the nail enhancements will start to feel as natural as your own nails.

Around the House

• Wear rubber gloves when you wash up or clean.  Detergents and solvents can be harmful to the natural nail plate.
• Treat your nails with care, use them as jewels not tools!  Car doors, kitchen cupboards, ring-pulls and switches can all cause breakages.
• When wearing nail enhancements always avoid pulling backwards against the tips of the nails; this could cause injury or breakage.  So don't pull your laundry out of the washing machine with your nails!

What Products Should I Use on My New Enhancements?

• It's important to use SolarOil daily.  Massage it into your nail enhancements.  It will keep them flexible, prolong their life and dramatically reduce the risk of breakage.
• Invest in a hand lotion that will penetrate the skin and your nail enhancements, such as SolarSilk (whipped up SolarOil).
• When removing nail enamel, always use an approved non-acetone remover.
• If you need to remove your nail enhancements you should return to the salon.  We will be able to remove the nail enhancements without damaging your natural nail with a professional product remover and give you a manicure to restore moisture and condition to the natural nails.  Alternatively, we can help you to grow them out over the course of a couple of months.

Let Yourself be Pampered

• Above all, leave the hard work to the professional and let me manicure your nail enhancements.