How to Take Care of Acrylic Nails

Acrylic nails are not only pleasing to the eyes, but they also make your manicure last for weeks. Aside from its longevity, acrylic nails provide you with long and elegant nails. And there’s no denying that we all love beautiful nails, every single day!

Since acrylic nails are artificial nail extensions that are placed over the natural nail, it will hide short and weak nails.

However, a lot of people have mistakenly thought that it is maintenance-free. Contrary to popular belief, acrylic can develop a myriad of problems. Thus, these artificial nails actually do need some tender loving care.

Proper care of your acrylics will not only keep them looking great, but it will save you from possible health problems too. Not only that, but you should also care for your actual nails. Taking care of both your natural nails and acrylic will prevent potential deterioration, injury, and nail infections.

Below are helpful tips on how to take care of acrylic nails.

Treat your acrylics gently

When it comes to acrylics aftercare management, the first thing to remember is to treat them gently. Akin to your natural nail, especially for long nails, it should not be used to as a tool. Avoid—at all cost—using your nails to open cans or pry things open, lift anything heavy, breakthrough tapes, etc.

You really have to take this advice seriously. This is because doing so not only increases your risk of breaking the acrylic, it can also damage the underlying nail. A separated acrylic nail can be immensely painful.

Furthermore, when doing tasks that have the potential to damage your nails (i.e. gardening, washing dishes), put on some gloves. Wearing gloves will protect your nails from suffering an accident, or from being damaged by some chemicals.

Keep them dry

Another very important rule to remember when it comes to taking care of your acrylic nails is to keep them dry.

Avoid exposing your acrylic nails to water because not only that it can damage your acrylic, it may lead to lifting and nail fungus too. Overexposure to water can cause the acrylic glue to loosen and come undone. When it happens, it may result in bacteria getting in, which can ultimately lead to fungal infection.

So make sure that when you wash your hands (or whenever it gets wet), completely dry it. You should also avoid being rough with your nails when washing your hands.

When doing some chores, use waterproof gloves to reduce the amount of water getting in your nails.

Do not use acetone

Of course, when you have a long and tidy shape of a nail, you definitely would love the idea of trying different nail polishes. Yet, before you remove your current nail polish, see first if you are using an acetone-free polish remover.

You really need to take note of this and be really careful when choosing a polish remover. You should avoid products with acetone because it will cause your acrylic nails to deteriorate. Acetone will also leave pits and make your nails soft.

Aside from acetone, avoid anything that has the potential of damaging the acrylic. You should say no to high heat and chemicals such as turpentine and Goo-Gone. When removing sticky residue, rubbing alcohol and WD-40 should be fine.

Keep the skin around your nail healthy

It matters to keep the skin around your nails healthy too. Keeping this area clean and healthy is as important as caring to the nails themselves.

You can do this by daily moisturizing your hands. You should also watch for signs of dryness, redness, and most especially – peeling of the skin around your nails. These signs can indicate possible infection, so make sure to be attentive.

Follow a good personal hygiene

Washing your hands regularly with antibacterial soap (but make sure not to overdo it), will reduce the risk of developing an infection.

You can run an alcohol swab under your nails before bedtime to ensure that they are clean, and free from debris and bacteria.

Avoid DIY in case of any damage

In case of accidental chipping or splitting of your acrylics, don’t try to repair it. Repairing the damaged acrylic by yourself can do more harm than good.

Damage acrylic nails can increase the risk of infection, so make sure you go to your nail technician immediately.