How to Make Your Manicure Last Longer

We’ve all been there. You’ve lavished in the comforts of a beautiful spa and melted into relaxation by the heavenly hand massage. You’ve admired your perfect manicure and glossy coloured nails as you drove home, lifting your fingers off the steering wheel to sneak a peek every now and then. Mmmmm, they’re perfect. But all that happiness is lost when your polish chips in a few days, or in some cases, hours. You just spent a good investment primping your nails and basking in self-care, so having your nail polish chip quickly is frustrating as heck! Can we hear an ‘Amen’?

Most traditional nail polish lasts only a few days – up to four days is the average. But, those of us that use our hands for work, immerse them in water multiple times a day, or do a lot of heavy duty work around the house get far less time out of nail polish. So here we are, to the rescue! Here are a few nourishing tricks to help your manicure last for up to a week! Did you hear that? A week!

Avoid using hand sanitizer: While hand sanitizer kills germs, it also kills your manicure.The alcohol in hand sanitizers eats away at the topcoat and causes your color to fade and dull, and ready to chip. Instead, go for a mild hand soap and lukewarm water. The same holds true for bug spray! Have you ever watched the polish melt away from your perfectly polished toes after hosing yourself down with bug spray? True story.
Wear rubber gloves when doing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom or doing other work around water. Despite what ‘Madge the Manicurist’ from the old Palmolive dish soap commercials says, keeping your hands in hot, sudsy water is a recipe for disaster for your polish. If fashion sense is your barrier, gone are the days of the yellow gloves that remind us of chicken feet. There are some pretty cute rubber gloves available now =).
Keep your nails shorter: When your nails are long, the end of your nail gets in the way and tends to be exposed to trauma more often. We also tend to use longer nails for peeling off stickers, putting keys on those tricky key rings, untying knots, etc.. Everyone always asks “who has nails?” when that nifty body appendage tool is needed. Ever break a short nail? I don’t think so.
Choose softer/more rounded nail shapes: Consider a round or oval nail shape. Nails with square edges chip quicker than curvier edges. If square suits your fancy and round makes you bunch your nose up, try squoval.
Apply a good quality cuticle oil, often: Keep cuticles soft and hydrated to prevent your nails from drying out. Brittle nails chip quickly.
Keep your nails healthy: If nail ridges, weakness or peeling plague you, fix them. Using a great protein booster will help nourish your nails and will keep your manicure lasting longer.
Apply topcoat every two days: Applying a topcoat regularly over your polish helps to fill in weak spots that may be starting to chip. It also helps to keep your manicure glossy and looking fresh.. Make sure to apply topcoat to the end of your nails to seal the area where most daily trauma occurs (do you realize how hard texting is on your nails??). If you only do one thing to make your manicure last, it’s got to be using a good top coat.