Recipe for Gorgeous Natural Nails!

I would like to thank the academy, oh wait, wrong dream. I was asked by a fellow “Housewife” blogger to give you my review of natural nails. First let me start by confessing a few things. Up until a couple of years ago I was addicted to artificial nails. I tried them all — acrylic, silk, solar, gel, and even once upon a time, Lee Press-On nails.

Oh and just so you know, press-on nails and pantyhose do not mix. I guarantee you will loose either the nails or the hose before it is all over. Your
pantyhose will look like a bobcat tried to climb up your leg, or your
nails will be lost in the hose for you to find as you cross your
legs at dinner only to see a thumb nail stuck to the inside of your
thigh.

The
problem with acrylic nails and most other “enhanced” nail products is
the amount of maintenance in both time and money it takes. I believe that the nail salon became the beauty parlor of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. It
is a great social experience and you come out feeling beautiful and
elegant, but really, in today’s world who has time to spend and hour or
two in the salon?

My other confession is I am a cuticle peeler. I will sit and fidget with my cuticles until they bleed. Isn’t that awful? I swear it’s a sickness. When
I wore fake nails, this did not happen as bad because the nails are too
thick to actually grip anything with them.  And, well, I spent ALL that
money to have them “done”. 

Now I blame my cuticle peeling on several things, one of which is the amount of time my hands spend working. My
hands are constantly in water, dough, cleaning agents, and dirt —
hopefully not all at the same time. Even using those wonderful Playtex
Living Gloves, my hands become dry and my cuticles dryer than anywhere
else.  The other reason I believe my hands and cuticles become dry, cracked, and peeling is age and hormones. I believe as you age you loose many of the natural oils your body once produced and held.

Here is my recipe for natural nails that doesn’t require a lot of money or a lot of time:

First I soak my hands in a mixture of sea salt and warm water; this softens the cuticles. Then I rub a handful of sea salt and olive oil all over my hands up to my wrist then rinse completely.

*TIP – I keep a small jar of this made up next to the sink and do this at least once a day.*

I apply a little bit of cuticle remover to each nail and use an orange stick to push the nails back and gently wash my hands.  I pat my hands dry and rub Nivea Hand SOS all over my hands and forearms, making sure to rub it into the cuticles of each finger.

Let me just take a moment to expel the wonder that is Nivea Hand SOS.

Last summer my hands were dry and cracked and literally would ache. A friend of mine sent me a little gift basket and one of the items in this basket was Nivea Hand SOS. I started using it to ease the dryness and found it was a wonderful agent to add to my manicure. It is creamy without being sticky. I also learned the best way to use it is right before bed. I apply it liberally all over my hands, making sure to massage it into the cuticles and the backs of my hands. Now I have soft supple hands instead of what my mother used to call “plow-hand hands”.

Once I have applied the cream I make sure I have a good emery board to file my nails into shape. I NEVER cut my nails because they are prone to split or break. I make sure they are just to the ends of my finger tips and uniform in shape. I like mine a little square; this also helps prevent breakage. Then I take a buffing block and go over each nail with each side of the buffing block. I finish it off by putting a dab of Nivea Hand SOS on each nail bed and using the final buffing block to buff them to a shine.

Sometimes I feel I need extra shine and will cover with a coat of OPI Natural Nail Strengthener.  This whole procedure takes less than 20 minutes and you have lovely fresh natural nails.

B.K. blogs regularly at The Accidental Housewife.