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.