Nail Care!

Until about 6-8 months ago, I really didn't pay much attention to nail care. I clipped my nails when they got too long or got in my way, I used lotion when my hands were dry, and that was about it. Since I've gotten so into nail polish and I've started my own blog, I understand nail care has to be an essential part of my life! One, I want my hands and nails to look nice for my readers and two, I've spent a lot of money on polish and I want to showcase it the best way I can! I decided to do a post on what I do once a month to keep my nails and hands in the best shape I can. I use my hands A LOT! I spend 85-90% of my workday typing on a keyboard, I clean house, I cook, I do laundry, and I take care of 6 animals and 2 boys. My hands go through a lot in any given day!! Plus, I have psoriasis that usually flares in the spring and fall when my allergies are at their worst. It makes little tiny blisters all over my fingers that then dry up and flake off. Without a lot of moisturization, my fingers will crack and bleed and it takes forever to get them to heal! So I started doing this routine about once a month to keep my hands and nails looking good. It takes about 30 minutes and the difference is AMAZING!!

These are my before pictures...you can see on my ring finger where the blisters have peeled some of the skin away. Also, on my right hand my pointer and middle finger nails are peeling...not very attractive!

The first thing I do is get a large bowl and pour some baking soda into it. I used a lot. It's cheap :-) !! Then, I fill the bowl with enough hydrogen peroxide to cover my nails when I put my hands into the bowl.

I put my hands into the baking soda and peroxide mixture and soak them for 5 minutes. This removes any stains I've gotten from polishing so much! I swirl the baking soda around with my fingers while I'm soaking and rub it onto my nail beds.

Here's what my nails look like after the baking soda/peroxide soak:

Then, I use a 4 sided buffer to buff my nails. This is what they look like after buffing (not pretty at all!!)

After the buffing, I get warm water in a bowl and add about 1/4 cup of coconut oil to it. I let my hands soak for about 15 minutes.

After I'm done soaking in the warm water and coconut oil, I use brown sugar to exfoliate my hands while I'm rinsing them in the sink.

After I'm done rinsing I put on some lotion and voila! Here's what my nails look like after:

I try to do this once a month because I feel like it makes such a difference in the health of my nails and hands. On a daily basis I use cuticle balm and/or oil and I use lotion like it's air. What are your nail care routines??