How to Make Your Manicure Last Longer

It's annoying spending 30 minutes or more giving yourself a great manicure, just to have your nails look chipped a day or two later. What a lot of women don't realize is that these chips can often be avoided by properly prepping and protecting the nails during your home manicure. Some other factors will affect how your nails chip, such as the quality of the products you use and how much of a beating your hands take every day. Give yourself a hand! Try out these 6 tips and make your manicure last longer.

Make Your Manicure Last Longer

Clean Nalls

A great manicure starts with clean nails. Dirt and oil on the surface of the nail can affect how well your base coat and nail polish stick. Before you start a manicure, thoroughly wash hands and nails with soap and warm water. If you've got one, use a nail brush to gently buff the nails as you clean. Let nails air-dry; using a towel can leave small traces of lint on your nails.

Make Your Manicure Last Longer

Shape Nails

Jagged nails or harsh edges are often where chips in your manicure begin. Shape nails with a file or emery board to round out edges. Always file nails going in the same direction - using a back-and-forth motion causes nails to split and splinter. I always file my nails going inward toward the thumb on either hand. Feel free to file your nails in the opposite direction if it's more comfortable for you, but be consistent to help avoid unnecessary damage.

Make Your Manicure Last Longer

Smooth Nails

Once the edges of your nails are smooth, the next step is to make sure the surface of your nail is smooth too. Having bumps and ridges along the nail will cause some sections to become more saturated with nail polish than others, making some spots more likely to chip. Adding base coat will help to fill in some of the ridges, but buffing your nails can also go a long way.

Try out a buffing block, available at any drugstore or beauty supply. These blocks have several sides, some grainy and some smooth. Use a grainy side to smooth out the nails. This should be done vertically from the base to the tip of each nail, also avoiding a back-and-forth motion. Use a smooth section of your buffing block to buff the surface of the nail smooth and help wipe away any dead skin and grit from the grainy side of the block.

Make Your Manicure Last Longer

Use Base Coat

Base coat adheres to the surface of the nail, and makes a nice smooth surface for your nail polish to hold onto. Forgoing base coat can not only cause your home manicure to chip or peel, but can also make you vulnerable to nail polish stains. Apply 1-2 coats of base coat to ensure nails are evenly coated before applying your nail polish. Since base coat is typically clear, holding your hands up to a light source is the easiest way to make sure you have an even layer of base coat on.

Make Your Manicure Last Longer

Use Top Coat

Top coat is also an essential component to a great manicure. This acts as a barrier between your nails and anything they happen to bump against. Top coat "locks in" your base and top coat, acting as a protective layer and a final opportunity to smooth out the surface of the nail. This should be applied in smooth strokes once all coats of polish are dry. Like with your base coat, you may require more than one layer of top coat to fully protect the nail; wiggling your fingertips while they're held up to light should show you whether or not you have a seamless coat of top coat on.

Make Your Manicure Last Longer

Wrap Your Top Coat

Just applying top coat to the edge of the nail isn't enough, make sure you're also wrapping it around the edge of the nail. If your nails stop before the fingertip, this step isn't really necessary. Since chips in your manicure will often begin at the tip of the nail, wrapping top coat around the nail helps to give a little extra cushion against bumps and nicks that could otherwise cause your polish to chip. Wrapping your top coat entails applying it to the top edge of the nail, and down onto the underside. Apply two coats to ensure even coverage.

Just taking a little extra care while painting your nails can ensure you get a great manicure every time. Your home manicure should last for between 5 and 10 days, depending on how much you do with your hands on a daily basis. With these tips, you'll be able to make your manicure last longer than ever.