Nail polish and shaping can be a double-edged sword. On one side, pretty polish and sexy shaping make for beautiful nails. But on the other, frequent polishing, removing, and filing can tear up your nails. Now that the new season's here, it's time to give your nails a fresh start. See five straightforward ways to get them back in shape without much heartache (or money) when you keep reading.
- Switch to acetone-free polish remover. Yes, acetone makes removing polish superlatively easy, but it also strips your nails, removing protective oils, and leaving them dry and brittle. Removing polish less often in general is also a good idea.
- Keep your nails trimmed. Long nails are elegant, but they also break more easily. So sacrificing a little bit of length, especially when your nails are already weak, can save you lots of chips and cracks.
- Keep your nails out of the water. Soaking for long periods of time in hot water is just as bad for your nails as it is for your skin. Both get dried out and become more vulnerable to cracking.
- Take a biotin supplement. This can be especially helpful if you're on a restricted diet that cuts out egg yolks, yeast, or wheat, since that's where most of us get our natural biotin.
- Get rid of stains and whiten nails with lemon juice. Either use a cotton ball to rub juice on top of your nails, or halve a lemon and stick your nails directly into it for a couple of minutes.
