My Nail Care Routine

I'm back from a week away and back to blogging so I thought that I would do a quick post tonight to share my nail care routine with you all. I love painting my nails but pure acetone and polish remover takes it toll on them after a while so I use a few products to keep my nails looking and feeling great. Here is what I use and why.

The most important product for me, and the one that gets the most use is the Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover. I've had this bottle for years now and because you only need a tiny bit, you get a lot of product for your money. I use this and the scraping tool on my cuticles about once a week and it keeps them nicely under control. Another saviour for my cuticles is Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter. I've been using this for about a month now and seriously can't live without it anymore. It keeps my cuticles so hydrated and it smells amazing too. I apply this about 4-5 times per day and use a generous amount before bed.

If I want to give my nails a bit of extra TLC, I also use a nail oil. I only ever used to use nail oils but now I love to use a combination of oils and butter. My 2 favourites are Bliss Kiss Simply Pure Hydrating Oil and Danglefoot Polish Hand Blended Cuticle Oil. I love both of these oils so much and switch between the two. I mainly use oil once I have removed a manicure and want to give my nails a pick me up before reapplying polish. I let my naked nails soak in oil for 5-10 minutes and it does them the world of good.

I very lightly buff and smooth my nails once a week using a buffing block. You can pick buffing blocks up from most shops including the poundshops and places like Primark. I've never found one to be much better than another, but I do like the little Models Own one that I've pictured as it's quite compact. It's so important not to over buff your nails as it can really weaken them, but if you suffer with ridges like me then a light buffing once a week will keep your nails looking lovely and smooth. I also keep my nails filed down to a manageable length using a standard emery board. I've read many articles about how glass files are best, but for me, an emery board does the trick just as well, and they're much cheaper. I have a big stash of them in my nail tool box and always carry one in my handbag. I will just say that it's so so so important that you only file your nails in one direction otherwise they are at risk of splitting and you will do more harm than good.

I also swear by a good hand cream, and can't live without them. I have one in every room in my house, as well as on my desk at work and one in my handbag. Applying a hand cream after you wash your hands really does make the world of difference. I tend to buy special nail and cuticle hand creams, but my favourite at the minute is Soap & Glory Hand Food. This smells so beautiful and sinks in so quickly without leaving a greasy residue. I have this small travel size in my handbag, and a full size bottle on my desk at work and can't get enough of it.

As well as the products I have pictured and talked about above, I also use Duri Rejuvacote as a base coat and for days when I don't have any coloured polish on. I was suffering quite badly with weak peeling nails before I started using Duri and now I swear by it. It really has worked wonders for me. I haven't posted a link to this because I would recommend shopping around for it on places like eBay and ordering it in from America. The shipping is higher but you will save yourself money in the long run.

I have linked all of the products that I have mentioned so that you can easily find them for yourself and I honestly can't recommend them all enough.

Do you have a nail care routine? Am I missing anything important from mine? Let me know in the comments.

Sam x

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