10 useful tricks to make your manicure last longer

If you’ve been giving yourself manicures at home as part of your self-care routine, you’ve probably faced the irritating obstacle of your nail polish chipping after just a few days.

After putting in the work of cutting your cuticles, filing your nails and picking the perfect colour to paint your nails, the worst thing that could happen is for them to chip and flake off after less than a week!

If you’re fed up with this problem, we have handy hacks to help make your manicure last just as long as the salon.

Clean your nails first 

Wipe your nails with nail polish remover before you start your manicure even if you don’t have any nail varnish on them. This will help to remove any excess oils which could prevent nail polish from sticking to your nail correctly. Some nail experts even say to use white vinegar to give your nails a clean.

Keep them short

When filing your nails, always go in one direction to prevent weakening or breaking the nails. Having shorter nails will result in less chipping as you are less likely to knock them off things that could make your nail polish flake off.

Don’t soak the nails

Some people believe soaking nails before nail polish application is a good idea but it often causes your nails to expand before you start painting. Once they shrink back down to their regular size, your nail varnish is more likely to chip and peel.

Base coat

Always make sure to use a good base coat before applying any colour to your nail. A good base coat will help the colour to grip to your nail and keep it intact for longer.

Don’t use too many coats

Applying layer after layer of nail polish will result in it peeling and chipping a lot faster. Try and stick to three swipes per layer of nail polish and no more than two to three layers of polish, depending on how sheer it is. 

Clear topcoat

Like a basecoat, a topcoat is just as important to protecting your manicure from the outside elements. It creates a barrier between anything you may hit your nails off- keyboard, phone screen, steering wheel- so it won’t chip as easily.

Allow to dry with no heat

Don’t use heated fans or your hairdryer to make your manicure dry faster. Instead, allow it to air-dry or dry with a cool setting on your fan properly in between layers and after you’re finished.

Use gloves

When washing up or cleaning around your home, make sure to use gloves to prevent your beautiful manicure from chipping. Don’t allow your nails to sit in very hot water, ie. bath, as the heat can weaken your nails and make the polish lift.

Reapply topcoat

Every two or so days, reapply your top coat to keep the colour underneath protected. This can help extend your manicures life by an extra few days, and is a nice self-care top-up in between your full routine.

Use cuticle oil

A step that is often skipped during at-home manicures, applying cuticle oil is crucial in keeping your nails healthy and making your manicure last longer. The vitamins help to nourish and moisturise your nails which helps prevent cracking and breaking. Coconut oil is a great alternative if you don’t feel like splashing out on an expensive nail oil.