NailTek

Unfortunately I wasn't blessed with strong, long, healthy nails. For a long time I was a biter (EW, I know!), and found it near impossible to kick the habit. I am a lisenced Manicurist, too... so you can imagine my frustration!

I was reading today about "Beauty Habits to Break" and thought about what really helped me kick the habit of biting/picking at my nails. I thought I would share a few tips that really helped me kick the habit:

1. Keep your nails painted. If your polish chips, FIX IT as soon as you can! If you don't, you will just end up peeling all of your nail polish off... and it's all downhill from there!

2. Carry a nail file with you, or whatever manicuring tools you find that you need most often. If you break a nail or part of it chips, you will be less likely to bite or pick if you can pull out your tools and fix it. I went to Walgreens and picked up a little mani kit, usually they're only a few dollars.

3. Find a hardener/strengthener you like. I swear by the NailTek line. I put one coat on every day, and it keeps my nails looking like a daily fresh manicure! When you're nails look good, you don't want to ruin the paint job. The NailTek line comes in different formulas for different types of problematic nails. One for dry, brittle nails, one for soft, peeling nails, and they even have a maintenence formula for when you're nails get healthy and strong you can continue to keep them healthy and beautiful! It dries quickly too, for those of you thinking painting a top coat on every day is high maintenence. 5 minutes is all it takes and trust me, IT IS WORTH IT!

(The NailTek line can be purchased at Ulta or RiteAid (I believe) and is around $11 a bottle)

Some people use that stuff that tastes bad... but if you're a picker, it won't really help. Plus, the idea of eating anything with gross tasting polish on your nails is definitely less than inviting.

Basically, the best advice I can give you is to be serious about wanting healthy, good looking nails and to TAKE CARE OF THEM. Start to pay attention to your hands and actually work to keep them strong and beautiful. Once a week give yourself a mini manicure with a buffer, cuticle oil and the works to keep you focused on your goal. It isn't something that happens overnight, but once you start to see results you'll never want to look back. These few SIMPLE tricks worked for me. I love my nails now and am not embarassed by them at all! It's a great feeling to conquer a bad habit!