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Whether your schedule is hectic or you’re just trying to save a few dollars, here’s one nail hack that will keep your hands looking beautiful without draining your wallet: request a nail polish change without the full manicure experience the next time you’re at the nail salon. This one small change will save you $2-$5, depending on your nail salon; that’s over $100 in savings each year!
“To save money, it’s perfectly fine to get a polish change every week as long as you get a manicure every other week,” says Rebecca Daly, manager and nail technician at Frenchies Modern Nail Care in Denver, CO. “During dry seasons especially, you can use a sugar scrub to maintain your nails. If you have overactive cuticle growth, or you have issues with cracking, you need to see a professional. These can cause cracks and lead to a bacterial infection, which leads to bigger issues than just being painful.”
Another important reason to get weekly or bi-weekly manicures? Nail technicians can treat your hands in a way that will encourage healthier growth, says Autumn Munter, lead nail technician at Frenchies Modern Nail Care. “By pushing back the cuticles, we are stimulating nail growth by working around the matrix,” Munter says. “In other words, the more you stimulate the nail matrix with a regularly scheduled manicure, the healthier your nails will grow.”
Of course, the efficacy of your weekly manicure all depends on the skill of your technician, says celebrity nail tech Elle, a nail expert with more than 22 years of experience who works on the nails of celebs like Jennifer Lopez, Lena Dunham, Blake Lively, Heidi Klum and Michelle Williams. “Weekly manicures are only necessary and highly suggested if your manicurist knows what he or she is doing. Otherwise, you could be destroying your nails by seeing someone weekly who isn’t trained well in cuticle cutting and proper sterilization of tools or who doesn’t use high-quality polishes,” Elle says.
To ensure that you’re getting your money’s worth no matter how often you get a manicure, Elle suggests researching your manicurist the way you would your doctor. “If you’ve found a manicurist who you trust and is educated, by all means, go for weekly manicures,” Elle says. “A weekly regimen of nail pampering will change the health of your nails and cuticles drastically. Manicures can help with proper nail growth, faster nail growth, as well as increased nail flexibility and strength.”
If you aren’t able to see your regular manicurist, or are unsure if you’re going to a reputable establishment, Elle agrees that it’s fine to go for a simple polish change at a more affordable price–and that you shouldn’t be afraid to bring your own polish and nail tools when in doubt. “You will get the new, refreshed polish color you want without risking the health of your nails and cuticles,” Elle says. “You can also utilize nail treatments to extend the length of your manicure and maintain nail strength and overall health between manicures with products, such as Dermelect Cosmeceuticals’ REVITAL-OIL Nail & Cuticle Treatment and REJUVENAIL Fortifying Nail & Cuticle Treatment, which both use Keratin Protein Peptide to strengthen and restore nails and cuticles.”
For more beauty tips, check out the one thing you should never do when shaving your legs and the best drugstore mascaras.
[Photo: Jessie Webster]
