BEAUTY
Myths You Have To Stop Believing About Manicures
By KAILEN SKEWIS
Soaking Your Nails
Soaking your nails in water used to be common practice before a manicure because the warm water would soften the cuticle. While that is true, the practice can actually change the shape of your natural nail plate as it absorbs the water and expands.
Nail Primer Kills Fungus
There are nail primers that are medicated to kill fungus, but most primers, intended for nail prep, do not have the ingredients to kill the fungus entirely or quickly. Medicated nail primer or polish contains amorolfine or ciclopirox, both of which kill nail fungus over time through topical use.
Nail Lamps & Sun Damage
All nail lamps emit UVA rays that can cause sun damage leading to skin aging or melanoma, but the risk is only moderate. If you’re not putting your hands under these lamps every day, then your chances of irreversible sun damage are as low as a walk outside on a sunny day.
Bring Your Own Tools
There is no harm in bringing your own tools, as long as they’re of good quality, but all nail salons have laws and standards they must follow. All of their metal nail tools are heat-sterilized, sanitized with UV light, or disinfected with chemical solutions.
Nail Tips With Gel
To gain length, you usually add a tip, but there is now a new way to accomplish the same effect without the usage of nail tips called nail overlays. The gel is applied to the natural nail bed, and the nail is shaped and buffed, so the overlay technique creates stronger and more uniform nails.