Doors, Drawers and Automobiles

Do you know what I hate?  Breaking nails.  Actually having the choice to take down nail length is a good feeling, otherwise cursing and wishing I could take back those 5 seconds takes over my whole being.

We can give all the moisturizing love we want to our nails, but if we don't modify simple everyday tasks, nail breaks will happen ... frequently.  Trust me, I am the master of breaking nails for no good reason.  Hopefully, this post will make you think twice about how you approach door handles, zippers, and countless other stupid tasks that have resulted in broken nails. And if you don't believe me ask any of these lovely ladies how they open a drawer ....
ANOTHER Bottle of Polish?!
Nail Bamboo
Nails Beautiqued
Manicure Addict
Acetone and Old Lacquer
Them Pretty Colors
My Simple Little Pleasures

Am I seriously telling you how to open a drawer ... YEP.

Let's consider the following situations in picture form:

Do you see this stupid red door?  I hate it.  It's red because it's evil like the devil.  Actually this is the door from this post.

This is the improper way of opening/closing the hinge.  As you may imagine, one slip and the thumb nail is a gonner.  This is exactly what happened in this previous post. 

Also look at this sexy polish here.

A better way to handle this situation is shown here.  Tuck in the thumb and use the side of your fingers to slide the hinge.


BUT! Then you still have to pull the door open or shut.  Don't use the hinge to do this either.  This should be done like so ....

Manipulate the door open/closed by grabbing a hold of it from the top of the stall. GENIUS!

I can't tell you how many times my hands have slipped with this drawer.  Instead of lightly gripping it like shown ...

... grip that baby firmly!  No slippage, guaranteed!







 Want to see more of this polish? Go here.

How about knobs?!

Not like this.

Like this!

Then there are those knobs with buttons for locks.  My thumb nails can't function around them.  I use my knuckle.

I'll probably have a bone growth there eventually ... better than a broken nail though.


Is there anything strange that you do to avoid breaking a nail?



P.S. The title of this post was inspired by the hilarious movie... Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.  John Candy is AWESOME.

Look mom I can see through my nails!

Do you know what happens to my nails after getting water logged?  Aside from getting fat ... they get invisible.

I see London, I see France ... I can see down your underpan.... wait no ... my nails get clear and I can see right through them.  

Sorry for the yellow nails.  I'm waiting for something ;) and until then enjoy my jaundiced finger nails in all their glory.

So after an hour or two of shoving my face full of wet crabs my nails got pretty see through.

That's the natural response nails have when they are submerged in moisture for long periods of time.  They are actually not too bad this time.  After a long hot shower or bath they get much worse.

I think the thumb was the worst.  Had I left my thumb soak any longer all of the white part would have disappeared.

This scenario gives me an opportunity to make a good point ...

... at this stage your nails are soft, pliable, weak, and more likely to tear.

*PLEASE BE CAREFUL*

Avoid filing, using your nails as tools, and polishing.

If you are thinking to yourself ... "wait a minute, we want the nail to be flexible, this is perfect!"  Unfortunately, the nail is a bit too soft at this stage.  Imagine wet paper.  Nail hardness is NOT balanced with flexibility, therefore the nails are not as strong as they could be.  Be gentle to avoid tearing.  I avoid all filing until ...

... they are back to this stage.
 
Don't worry though, they will always go back to the original solid color once they dry up.  It's now safe to file.  Other cautionary measures for your nails are discussed here. 

I think I had base coat on at this point so they are a bit more shiny too.  *still yellow as hell :(

Sometimes I just get holes in my nails ... weird.  But again, it always goes back after it dries up.   

Because nails behave this way I seriously dislike "wet manicures", which involve soaking the hands in soapy water at the start.  You will see this in some nail salons and YouTube video's all the time.  I hate it (I know those are strong words) and find it to be dated and very (old) textbook.  There are other, better methods out there.  Although soaking has some advantages, like making pushing back cuticles or removing the true cuticle easier, it introduces an inherent weakness to the nail during the manicure process that I just would like to avoid, hence prefer a "dry manicure".  I know some people actually prefer filing after soaking, but unless you have extremely thick nails that are difficult to file, I would avoid it.  Those who have extremely thick nails would benefit from lower grit strength files to take down length.



If you visit a salon and they don't know what a dry manicure is ... run.  I'm just saying ... why would a normal consumer know what that is and a professional not? 

Do you notice your nails get clear?  Do you prefer to soak your nails at the start of your mani?

Do my nails look fat?

I posted previously that nails can and will absorb water ... this post is just a proof of concept.

That previous post can be found here and describes how a nail in such a state ought to be treated carefully (i.e. avoid filing, using your nails as tools, or polish application).

Now on to pictures!

Here is my nail in a normal dry state.

Here is the same nail after a long hot shower.

Indeed, it looks like she had a large dinner and has to unbutton her jeans.


That is all.





P.S. The fatness is most obvious when you have a pronounce C-curve for sure. If you're not sure what that is come visit here! *hugs to all <3

Other rules to live by

Big Nail No No's

Just a round up of nail NO NO's, some already mentioned, but will be re-mentioned because they are important.

1. Soaking nails in water for long periods of time.

When your nails are submerged in water for long periods of time they tend to absorb a lot of it.  This causes the nail beds to soften and swell up a bit.  If you have any curving in your nails, you will notice after a long shower, they will become wider and un-curve a bit.  Your nails are at their weakest at this point so treat them kindly and do not do #2, attempt to file or apply polish!  Eventually your nail will dry up and harden.  However, as they dry, if you do not seal in some moisture, your nails can become very dry and hard and even become brittle.  Furthermore, as you can imagine, iterations of this wet/dry cycle can cause further peeling and breaking since the nail plate layers have weakened and can become separated.

Moreover, adding very hot water to this whole cycle makes things even worse.  So, what does this mean ... No dishes!....that's what men are for.  If one of those is not around, buy a nice pair of rubber gloves.  Same goes for heavy duty house work.  Gloves are your friend.  This does not mean "don't wash your hands."  What this does mean is, keep your hands clean with soap and water as needed and moisturize immediately after.

Proof of concept (via pictures) can be found here.

2. Nails are not tools .... anymore.

Yes, a nails job was once to provide aid and help with everyday tasks in the jungles or where ever we came from (again a bio expert I am not).  But, we have since evolved and developed tools to replace nails.  Long nails further developed (ca. Ming Dynasty) as a symbol of  wealth, attesting to a lack of manual labor.  I have found that using nails as tools is the easiest way to promote peeling, chipping and breaks.  Avoid at all costs!

Example: The following tutorial shows how to peel an orange (or other fruit with a rind) without using nails!

a. Get yourself an orange and hold it in one hand.
(I believe I am showing a tangerine.)

b. Get yourself a spoon and hold it in the other. (maybe not so butch like)

 c. Bring them together.









 

d. Pierce the fruit with the spoon.











  

e. Separate the rind away from the fruit, working back and forth in a sawing motion.

f. Eventually the rind will become loose and you can easily grab it and pull it off the fruit.  Don't forget to also handle the core with the spoon.

Yay, nails saved!














Or you could just get a knife and cut it up.
 
By the way, teeth should no longer be used as tools either, at least only for things like opening soda cans, because after all a girls gotta eat.  A spoon (or knife or fork) is also great for opening a soda can.  Try it, and tell me if it works for you.

3. Using too rough of a file (low grit). Discussed in greater detail here.
4. Don't cut the wrong "cuticle". Discussed in greater detail here.
5. Don't ignore nutrition or illness. Nail treatments are not a substitute for underlying medical conditions.
6. Don't avoid moisturizing your nails.

If you have any you want to add, please comment and I will add them.