Nails are an endless amount of effort to keep looking nice, preventing them from chipping, and so on. Plenty of women and girls know this struggle. With this in mind, there are ways to prevent them from chipping! Nobody likes getting a gel manicure or a regular polish and then it chips the next day. What’s the point? Here are 12 tips to keep your nails from chipping!
When you want to prevent your nails from chipping, it is worthwhile to think about the type of polish you get. I went to the nail salon recently and got ‘Dazzle Dry’, it is a vegan nail polish that dries instantly, similar to a gel, but without the UV drying light process. There are a lot of polishes like this out there because many of us want the gel look and the long-lasting nail color, but without the $30 price and without the harmful UV exposure. Dazzle Dry has a website, you could order color from them and consider doing the nails yourself! I have had this polish on for 10 days, and there hasn’t been any chipping. Totally worth the extra money! Other popular name brands like Essie and OPI are known to be long-lasting good quality polishes.
Everyone’s immediate instinct when they pick up a nail polish bottle is to shake it, when in fact, that is the best way to easily chip your nails. Don’t shake! You can roll the bottle in your palms as an alternative to evenly distribute the nail polish.
One of the easiest ways to prevent your nails from chipping is to use light strokes of polish, as opposed to coating thick layers of the color on to your nail. This will also make for a quicker drying process. If you do your nails yourself, this may be easier to ensure than having them done at a salon.
This tip may seem obvious, but rushing your dry time could be the reason for chipping. Don’t do anything intense with your nails until several hours later, and stay away from the shower. Don’t try to open up a sealed box, or even open a can of soda. I like to wait a long time in the salon just to prevent them from not being completely dry when I walk out. It may get boring, but it is certainly better than having to go back!
One of the easiest ways to prevent your nails from chipping is by applying two top coats. Top coats will ensure that your nail color remains intact, by acting as a ‘finisher’ and holding the nail coats together. It sounds like a complicated process, but I’m pretty sure we all have an idea of a top coat in a general sense.
Likewise, with a top coat, a base coat acts to prepare your nail polish to stay in place. Plus, it is a great way to have your nails look shiny and glossy! Base coats are relatively inexpensive, and they are totally worth it!
Wearing gloves to do household chores is a good idea anyway, but an even better idea if you have just gotten your nails done. Many of us go to the salon and then come home and realize we still have work to do. Not to worry! Just throw on some gloves and protect your manicure from getting chipped or smudged.
Moisturizing your cuticles can help soften the area before you put your polish on. Most nail salons offer cuticle oil or something similar. Don’t underestimate the importance of nail preparation prior to applying the colored polish. These steps are necessary (and I know time-consuming), but they ensure long-lasting color.
With all of the preparation that goes into a manicure, sometimes we may forget that our nails could be wet or damp when it comes time to apply the polish. This is one of the more important steps to prevent them from chipping, each coat needs to dry. It is easy for nails to chip if there are excessive polish and various liquids built upon them. Most salons will have you wash your hands before getting them painted, which is a good idea, just make sure they are dry.
Some drugstores will sell a nail strengthener, and I believe the brand Sally Hansen makes one. Buying a nail strengthener will actually strengthen the nail enamel, making it easier for the nail polish to adhere to your nail. It may sound like a bogus purchase, but people have had some luck with this.
Most of the time, when it comes to nail polish, if we go to the salon we don’t know how long the polish has been sitting on the shelf. Consider updating your polishes even in your household every 2-3 years, as that is the longest recommended use of nail polish in general. Nail polishes that are 4 or 5 years old just aren’t good quality, and you’ll notice it right away when the color doesn’t last on your nail.
Still, this may seem obvious, but one of the best ways to avoid chipping is to just be careful. Don’t pick at your polish, or at least try not to. Getting a manicure can be super fun and relaxing, and nobody likes spending money to get a manicure and then seeing it chip the next day.
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