The quest for nails that rate a perfect 10 is seldom a smooth one. We canvassed local experts – Carol Tobias, owner of Beauty Supplies Etc., and manicurists Connie Wiley of Select Salon, Christy Cummings of Avalon Rejuvenation Center and Donna Arey of The Salon at The Mansion – to compile these tips for common problems:
* Tearing. Keep nails short, no more than 1/8 to 1/4 inch past fingertips, and use another ”tool” whenever you need to pick, peel or pry. Filing nails in too far from the sides also can weaken them and lead to tearing. Leave sides straight and shape tips to echo the contour of the nail’s base – squarish or oval, rather than pointed.
* Brittleness. Avoid polishes containing formaldehyde (sometimes listed as formalin), which can be drying. Acetone-based polish removers also can strip nails of moisture, especially when used more often than once a week. Choose an acetone-free remover, or try a product such as Cutex Salon Formula With Protein or Revlon Extra Gentle Nail Enamel Remover With Calcium. Aveda’s Miraculous Beauty Replenisher oil massaged into cuticles and nails daily and before immersion in water also can help replenish and protect dry, brittle nails.
* Splitting. Files that are too coarse can tear nail edges and contribute to splitting and peeling. Avoid sandpaper-like nail files in favor of newer, finer-grained files and buffers that shape nails more gently and efficiently. Most are washable and, pros say, last longer than old-style emery boards.
![By LEA SKENE (Associated Press) BALTIMORE (AP) — Salvage crews at the site of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore are turning their focus to the thousands of tons of debris sitting atop the Dali, a massive cargo ship that veered off course and caused the deadly catastrophe last month. An estimated 3,000 […]](https://www.dailypress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Maryland_Bridge_Collapse_91849_8e50d8.jpg?w=525 "By LEA SKENE (Associated Press) BALTIMORE (AP) — Salvage crews at the site of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore are turning their focus to the thousands of tons of debris sitting atop the Dali, a massive cargo ship that veered off course and caused the deadly catastrophe last month. An estimated 3,000 […]")
