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There is nothing that looks so elegant in a woman than well-manicured acrylic nails. But everything changes if they unceremoniously start lifting and falling off. It is outright embarrassing and very annoying at the same time. This begs the question. How then do you stop your acrylic nails from falling off?
You should start by choosing the correct size and shape of acrylic nails for your fingers. Once that is done, ensure that your fingers are thoroughly prepared before application. Use durable nail glue to fix the acrylics in place and give them ample time to stick.
With all the tender loving and care you should give after they are securely fixed; the acrylics should serve you up to three weeks. Maintenance and utmost care are the order of the day with these nails. If you are a handyperson, it might be a good idea to pass these nails off because they won’t last you a day!
Taking care of acrylics can seem so demanding but if you are invested in them, it gets easier by the day. Follow these simple tips to avoid frequent salon trips and still have your acrylics on top condition.
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9 Simple Tips to Maintain Your Acrylic Nails
The major problem with wearing acrylic nails is that they are so demanding, and they call for frequent visits to your nail technician. To minimize these visits, especially if you have a whole lot of other things to do, perhaps you should learn how to baby your nails.
1. Constantly Examine Your Nails
Checking on your nails should be your daily morning habit if you decide to go the acrylic way. Give each nail significant attention to ensure that none of them is coming loose. If you don’t, the embarrassment might rear its ugly head at a very critical time. Apply some nail glue on the ones that are loose to stop them from falling off.
2. Be Gentle
Act like the slay queen that you are and don’t use your acrylic nails to pry or pop bottle tops. Don’t lift anything heavy with them either. Let’s forget the beauty for a moment, breaking your acrylic nails will severely damage your natural nails. This is super painful and there is no fixing them other than waiting to regrow.
3. Attend to the Damaged Nails
Nail glue and buffer should be your best friends. These are the main tools that you will use to quickly correct the nails that are damaged. If a nail pops off, use the nail buffer to prepare your nail beds before sticking them in place with the glue. Ignoring looming damage will not only hurt your natural nails but will cost you more money to have them refilled.
4. Daily Moisturize Your Nails
You can always use cuticle oil or neutral penetrating oil. This will help to prevent hangnails and cracking. It will also keep the skin around the nails soft and supple. Perhaps you should consider the daily use of rapeseed oil, but jojoba oil will also give you stunning results. Take time to gently massage the oil in for maximum penetration and rejuvenation.
5. Don’t Submerge Your Fingernails
Yes, I knew you would ask that! It is okay to regularly wash your hands with water. Holding them underwater for an extended period is what your acrylics don’t like. Activities like swimming and manually washing clothes and utensils should be avoided at all costs. But if you must, wear protective waterproof gloves to avoid water sipping into your acrylic fingers.
6. Cleanse Your Acrylic Nails
Acrylic nails are prone to infections if they are carelessly treated. This can damage your natural nails and even spread to the skin around the nail bed. Make it a point to always thoroughly wash them with antibacterial soap. Swipe your fingers regularly with alcohol pads. This will kill any bacteria causing germs and remove dirt and excess oil on and around your fingers.
7. Topcoat Application
It could be both time and money-consuming visiting your nail tech every other day for added gloss and touch. Consider applying a top coat every two days or so. This will gloss up your acrylics and make them look both fresh and lively. Frequent layering will also prevent cracks and chips on the color gel in the acrylics.
8. Avoid Contact With Acetone
Acrylic nails are known to vigorously react with most chemicals. Especially acetone nail polish remover. If you must change the color of your acrylics, always consult your nail technician on the remover to use. Also, avoid heat and turpentine. These two are known to cause fast deterioration of acrylics.
9. Apply Vitamin E
Vitamin E is very essential for the health of your natural nails. They are known to enhance strength and appearance. Vitamin E is best applied on the nail beds as a protective foundation before sticking the acrylics on. They are also best applied as soon as the acrylics are taken off and your fingers are exposed for a breather.
If you have the acrylics on, apply them once a week on and all around the nails for rejuvenation and hydration.
Do Acrylic Nails Ruin Your Nails?
Frequent wearing of acrylic nails can hurt your natural nails. They can thin, brittle, and parch them. They can also cause serious infections. But this mostly happens if you have an allergic reaction to the adhesives used. Some people can also be reactive to the components in the acrylics.
Some of the major symptoms of acrylic allergy include; redness, swelling around the finger, and puss. According to experts at Mayo Clinic, you should consider the following steps when applying acrylic nails.
· Get Your Fingers Done at a Salon
Always have your nails done at licensed salons. Handpick a licensed technician to do your nails. Most technicians should be certified and licensed by the state board.
· Sterilizer Tools
Always ensure that the tools used to prepare your nails and apply the acrylics are thoroughly sterilized. The technician should also wash and sterilize his own hands and treat them before handling yours.
· Nail Files
Always request your nail technician to use a new nail file on your fingers. If that is inconvenient or too much to ask, consider bringing yours along to the salon.
· Frequent Salon Visits
Frequently visit your nail technician for retouch and maintenance. Minimize your visits to every two weeks so that your acrylic nails can get the best attention.
Conclusion
If you must do your nails at home by yourself, always ensure to follow the recommended procedures. This is for long-lasting acrylics and for the health of your natural nails. Everything needs a break including your nails, rock your natural nails once in a while and let them take a breather for 2-3 months.
Should you notice anything unnatural like an infection, never self-treat. Always consult your dermatologist for diagnosis and prescriptions.
Here you have some tips on how to make your acrylic nails dry faster.
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