Hello friends!
As I mentioned, fingernail care is SO important to me. Seems that the older I get, the more I realize that taking care of yourself really needs to be a priority. And for me, "wellness" includes a variety of factors such as proper nutrition, exercise, natural solutions to healthcare (is, essential oils!) and getting enough quality sleep. One other item for me, is nail care. Your hands make a statement...they can show you've been working in the garden or in a factory, they can show you've been under stress, and they can show that you care about yourself when you take time to care for your nails. Truth be told, I'm not a nail care professional. I'm not licensed as an nail tech or anything like that. I've never been to beauty school or taken any classes to that effect. I just have an new-found appreciation for nail care - so I'm sharing my research here.
Healthy Nails:
A fingernail is produced by living skin cells in the finger. A fingernail consists of several parts including the nail plate (the visible part of the nail), the nail bed (the skin beneath the nail plate), the cuticle (the tissue that overlaps the plate and rims the base of the nail), the nail folds (the skin folds that frame and support the nail on three sides), the lunula (the whitish half-moon at the base of the nail) and the matrix (the hidden part of the nail unit under the cuticle).
Healthy fingernails are smooth,
without pits or grooves. They are uniform in color and consistency and are free of
spots or discoloration. Sometimes fingernails develop harmless vertical ridges
that run from the cuticle to the tip of the nail. Vertical ridges tend to
become more prominent with age. Fingernails can also develop white lines or spots due to
injury, but these eventually grow out with the nail. Buffing regularly helps
with blood circulation and often minimizes this problem.
To keep your fingernails looking
their best, follow these simple guidelines.
Please, don't use your nails as tools. Seriously.
Keep your fingernails dry and clean.
Wear cotton-lined rubber gloves when washing dishes, cleaning or using harsh
chemicals, and avoid long soaks in the tub. (Before applying nail wraps wraps, make
sure your nails are healthy and you follow the application method provided by
Jamberry on the back of each package.)
Trim and file your fingernails
regularly. Use a sharp manicure scissors or clippers. Trim your nails straight
across, then round the tips in a gentle curve.
Moisturize your hands in the morning
and before sleeping. Keep a non-greasy
hand lotion by your bed, your desk and your sink. When you use hand lotion, rub
the lotion into your fingernails and cuticles, too. Don’t bother with
petroleum-based products. Petroleum products do NOT work with human chemistry
so they don't absorb into our pores. We recommend you use all the Jamberry hand
care products because our products are free of petroleum. If
you don't already have cuticle oil you should absolutely get some Jamberry cuticle oil
or good quality cuticle oil.
Dermatologists recommend that you
always take care to moisturize the nail bed and the cuticle. While there is
little in the way of medical data showing that moisturizing the nail bed will
help nails grow, it will make cuticles softer, look better and help protect
nails from breaking due to a lack of moisture.
Protecting your nails with Jamberry wraps:
It is important to remember that everyone is different. While the majority of customers can wear nails wraps with no issues, there will be some people that are not able to wear the wraps due to their body chemistry – just as there are some individuals who cannot wear gel nails or polish. However, most of those who experience nail damage after wearing and removing our wraps can prevent this damage by simply following the removal method provided by Jamberry on each package of wraps and/or by keeping hydrated (both inside and out).
Utilizing the appropriate removal processes – especially the gentle process using warm oil and NEVER simply peeling off nail wraps - is super important. The wraps have been applied using hot glue and have a very strong bond with the nail plate. If you have not used a strengthening or smoothing base coat before application, this is especially important.
