Thursday 27 September 2012

Cuticle Oil......Not Just For Cuticles

I've been seeing a lot of clients in the last couple of weeks with very dry nails, cuticles and skin.  As summer turns to autumn, there is much less humidity in the air, and it seems we can feel the air sucking the moisture out of our skin and nails.  You're not imagining it.

I preach very few things in the studio, but the one thing I do talk about is the use of cuticle oil.  Use it faithfully, every night before bedtime.  Don't worry about applying it during the day because you'll just wash it off and waste product.  If you are wearing any kind of artificial nail product on your nails (acrylic, gel, or gel polishes like Shellac) this is especially crucial, and here's why.

As your nail grows out past the nail bed, it is exposed to the air and starts to dry out.   As it dries out, it curls.  If you have especially curvy nails - in the industry this is called a "C Curve" - this will be even more pronounced.    If you never wear any kind of enhancement product, you won't even really notice this.

If you do though, the product that is on top of your nails does its' best to keep up with this curling of the natural nails if you keep the underside (the natural nail) hydrated as it grows out.  This is what the cuticle oil is for.  If you don't use it, you may get what is called product separation, where the product starts to separate as the nail curls away from it.  This is not the product doing this - it has nothing to do with the product or incorrect application.  This is your natural nail curling away because it is dehydrated.  If you apply cuticle oil underneath your nails on a daily basis at bedtime, you can really minimize the dehydration and dramatically reduce or eliminate this separation of nail and product.
 
CND's  Solar Oil is for sale in the studio; it is inexpensive and I recommend you purchase one at your first visit.  When you go to your stylist to have your hair coloured, you want to preserve your investment for as long as you can.  Think of Solar Oil as the perfect conditioner for your nails.
 

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