Easy Tips for Growing Strong Healthy Nails: Part One Cuticles

I am CONSTANTLY being asked how I get my nails to be so long, healthy, and strong. It is really a combination of a few very easy to do things that I will go over in future posts. But for me personally first and foremost it begins and ends with the cuticles. If you have properly maintained and moisturized cuticles I promise you you will have healthier stronger nails. It is also the key to preventing painful hangnails and nail splitting. Having well maintained cuticles is not difficult or expensive to achieve. I really only use a few key products on a regular basis, the brands and types listed are all the ones that I personally use.

Sally Hansen Cuticle Remover Gel $4.99 Target

use once a week during your manicure

The first product I personally use every single week for my manicures is Sally Hansen Cuticle Remover Gel it retails for about $4.99 in most Target stores and about $5.50 in most Rite Aids.  Now this is a relatively new product for me I have been using it since September 2011 but I really do love it. I would say for the very budget conscious  nailista it is not an absolute necessity the same results can be achieved by soaking your nails in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes or so and pushing your cuticles back, which is what I have done all these years. But I find that this product really speeds up and streamlines my manicure. Simply apply a thin ribbon of product along your whole cuticle line with the easy use nozzle tip and wait 10-20 seconds, push your cuticles back, rinse excess product off, and voila instantly cleaner neater looking nails.  By the way I might usually balk at paying five dollars for an extra product like this but it may interest you to know that I have been using the same bottle every week on my fingers and toes since September 2011 and so it has lasted me 8 months and counting. So it is well worth it.Click here to purchase Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle remover

Revlon Cuticle Pusher $2.50 Target
use once a week during your manicure

The next product I use to maintain my cuticles feeds right into this and it is the Revlon Cuticle Pusher. It retails for about $2.50 at most drugstores. There are a HUGEEEEE variety of these on the market some at absolutely astronomical prices ($17.99!!??)  but this one is the one I personally use. I have had it for at least ten years and it does the job very well. (although on a side note I have absolutely no idea what the other side is for.??) But this is what I use to remove the cuticle and dead skin off the nail plate after I have used the cuticle remover gel.Click here to purchase Revlon Cuticle Pusher

To Cut or not to Cut?
Sally Hansen Cuticle scissors $4.50 Target
Use once a week during your manicure or just to trim hangnails

This next product is very controversial and it is the cuticle scissors. Their are also a huge variety of these on the market again at ridiculous prices. ($15.00-$20.00!!???) But I literally use a pair that came in one of those manicure sets and it works GREAT! There is no need to spend that money. The product featured is the Sally Hansen Cuticle scissors and they retail for about $4.50 The old school of nail care used to always advocate cutting your cuticles but the new school is absolutely against this. I have heard all kinds of things from if you start cutting them you will always have to because they will grow like crazy (eh I really don't think it's like shaving your legs but I digress) to you could cut your skin and cause an infection blah blah blah. So you do what you are comfortable doing. I personally use the cuticle gel push back the cuticle and trim them with the scissors, it is what I have always done and it is what I feel comfortable doing. However if you are not comfortable doing that then just use the gel and push them back, or use the gel and push them back and only trim and hangnails and excess skin you have. click here to purchase sally hansen cuticle scissors

THE only cuticle oil you need
use a quarter size drop daily before bed and everytime your nails come into contact with water

And the last product I use regularly to achieve healthy cuticles may surprise some people. Yes it is olive oil. No particular brand just plain old whatever you have in your cupboard olive oil. This is the only product of the four I actually use daily rather then weekly. PLEASEEEEE I implore you all don't waste your money on expensive cuticle gels and creams, I promise you this will work better then any of those. All I do is use a quarter size drop of oil everytime my hands come into contact with water, so after a shower, doing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom, etc and a quarter size drop right before bed. Simply massage it into the cuticle bed all around the nail, it absorbs much more quickly then lotions and moisturizes mucchhhhhhhh better, it is more natural and healthy then alot of lotions containing hard to pronounce chemicals and your skin drinks it up. The most important rule of thumb is a quarter size drop everytime your hands come into contact with water and just before bed. If you follow these few easy tips I promise you you will have healthy cuticles and you will be well on your way to having longer stronger nails with no breaks or hangnails. More tips to cone!!!