How many times have you been told you need to let your nails “breathe” before? A million times right. If you’ve been told that then you’ve probably been subject to a nail myth or two. I know I have. Ever since I can remember I’ve heard a million things about nails and what’s good and bad for them. I always thought they couldn’t all be true, right? So, when I started Lauren B. I began to work in the labs, with the top chemist, and best dermatologist and I started to pick their brains and dug a bit deeper and discovered some of the most popular nail myths….now revealed.
1. Myth: Water hastens the polish drying process. In order for the polish to properly dry the solvent in the formula needs to evaporate, by putting your nails in water it actually slows the process. 2. Myth: Cutting your cuticles has no affects on your nails. Cuticles are very important to the nail! It is the only thing keeping bacteria and infection out. When cut cuticles, you leave yourself exposed. Also cutting cuticles leads to scar tissue, which basically means your cuticles grown back thicker than before. 3. Myth: It doesn’t matter what type of file you use or how you file. Many files are very harsh on the nail resulting in the nail splitting in order to avoid this from happening it is best that you stay away from metal files and also filing from the outer edges to the center without heavy force. Try to file nail in the same direction consistently, going back and forth will make the nail split easier. 4. Myth: White spots reflect calcium deficiencies. White spots are usually the result of a bad manicure or when we hit our nails against something. They can appear up to 6 weeks after the occurrence. 5. Myth: Your nails need time to breathe. Oxygen has no affect on the nail bed because once the nail grows out it is considered to be dead cells. Although it is a good idea to give our nails a break from polish, or dark colors there is no need for them to breathe. 6. Myth: Eating gelatin will strengthen weak nails. Eating gelatin has no affect on your nails. Many believe that because nails are made of a protein called keratin and because gelatin is also a protein that it has some affect on nail strength but there is no evidence that supports that theory…PLUS you would need to eat a ton of it to allow absorption. Only a good diet and proper nail care will truly affect the strength of your nails. 7. Myth: Store nail polish in fridge so it lasts longer. It is makes no difference whether it is in the fridge or not. However do make sure that you are storing polish in a neutral environment (not too hot or to cool. Make sure you screw on the cap securely and cleaning any excess polish from the top neck of the bottle, this will help prolong the use of the polish. And remember; always shake well before each use! How many of these myths fooled you?