How Often Should You Change Your Nail Polish

We dote on our nails, picking out the perfect smoothen color and spending a pretty penny to continue them looking cute. So why do we also demolition their looks (and health) with bad habits?

We turned to ii of the top nail experts in the beauty industry, Katie Jane Hughes, global color ambassador for Butter London, and Jin Before long Choi, celebrity manicurist and founder of JINsoon Smash Polish, to become their take on the poor practices that lead to less-than-pretty easily.

1. The bad habit: Biting

Kids and teens aren't the only ones who struggle with onychophagia — as well known equally habitual nail biting. Plenty of well-groomed grown-ups are susceptible. Biting obviously makes hands unsightly in the short run, but it can also take longer-term effects, reveals Choi: "If you bite your nails, over time they will exist become plain-featured with bumps and ridges." Plus, it's unsanitary. "At that place's dirt under your nails," explains Hughes. "Then by biting your nails, you're effectively eating the dirt" and the bacteria that comes with information technology.

How to break it: Always keep your nails painted. The shine acts as a mild form of aversion therapy, since it tastes bad and visually camouflages the "edible" office of the nail. Investing time and money in professional manicures (fifty-fifty if your nails are really short from biting), may enhance the outcome. "You'll eventually trick yourself into leaving them alone," says Hughes. If you tend to bite at night, consider a mouth-guard that'southward custom-fitted by your dentist. Over time, you lot'll intermission the habit of using your teeth to release stress.

2. The bad addiction: Picking at your smooth

Unless y'all're wearing a peel-off polish marketed to 'tweens, peeling and picking at your past-its-prime manicure is a large no-no. "A lot of people start picking when their polish starts chipping instead of removing it with nail smooth remover," says Choi. "This habit can remove the actual top layer of your nail bed, which sets the stage for weakened nails."

How to break it: Choi's ingeniously unproblematic solution: Carry pre-moistened nail polish remover packets in your purse for quick removal when you become the urge to pick or pare. "They're gentle on nails and you can keep them on your person at all times." Also, to prevent the problem in the offset place, maintain your mani as long as possible with a quality acme coat.

Instant Nail Polish Remover Wipes, $5, Sephora

3. The bad habit: Attacking your cuticles

Poor, unwanted cuticles. So many of us selection at them, gnaw at them, cut them and otherwise disrespect their sovereignty. "Cuticles should be left alone because the more you pick at them, the harder information technology is to end," says Hughes. "The habit leaves your cuticles looking ragged and dry out," says Choi, and also leaves you vulnerable to infection. Equally ominous: Recent reports suggesting that damage to cuticle beds causes ridging over time.

How to interruption information technology: Try topical solutions — using a production to clean upward your cuticles instead of scissors, hands or teeth. Hughes advises a cuticle remover to remove offensive dead skin without damaging the good for you boom bed and cuticle you need.

4. The bad addiction: Gel habit

Although gels last for a long time, taking them off can exist murder on your nails. "The thing I like to the lowest degree near gel manicures is the removal procedure," explains Hughes. "Removing gels weakens the nail bed as information technology's near sensitive when wet. The manicurist volition nigh likely scrub at your smash with a metal tool to remove the gel smoothen, which can damage the smash bed very hands. Likewise, the UV lite used for gels is not healthy for your nails." Choi agrees: "Removing gel smooth as well requires the employ of acetone nail polish remover, keeping it on nails for about 15 minutes, which is an additional source of smash dehydration. It tin make the smash brittle and prone to deterioration and breakage."

How to pause it: Choi advises alternate between gel manicures and traditional, smooth-based manis as well as moisturizing nails with cuticle oil, specially while sporting gel lacquer. Or, better yet, get the plump, shiny finish you want with one of the new gel-stop polishes. We like Nails Inc. Gel Event. They were designed merely for this reason — to requite you the look of gels without the damage.

Nails Inc. Gel Outcome Shine, $xv, Sephora

5. The bad addiction: Wearing polish for weeks

"This has nearly the same effect as using gel: information technology's going to dry out out your nails," advises Choi. "When y'all remove blast shine that's been left on too long, you'll ofttimes see white spots, which means your nails are too dry out."

How to break information technology: Choi advises removing your nail polish when it starts chipping. Same goes for pedicures, which should be removed after two to three weeks. Give your nails a run a risk to breathe!

6. The bad habit: Living on coffee and cocktails

If eyes are the windows to the soul, then nails just might exist windows to your refrigerator. "Your nails are a barometer of your health," says Choi. "Eating junk nutrient causes such things as ridges and thin, weak nails." Adds Hughes: "The better your nutrition, the ameliorate your nails, skin and hair."

How to pause it: Eat to best support your overall health, including dark, leafy greens and plenty of calcium and magnesium, and drink plenty of water. As well, incorporate gelatin-rich foods into your diet, suggests Hughes. These include chicken soup and, yes, Jell-O. In the concurrently, "utilise a great nail strengthener to give your nails the vitamins they really need," she advises.

7. The bad habit: Using your nails as tools

Peeling off labels, scraping off gunk, unfastening a central band ... "We've all been there," says Hughes, but she notes that these actions "can easily interruption your nails."

How to break it: Slow. Down. "I suggest taking the fourth dimension to open up cans, jars, boxes, etc., with scissors or a tool," says Hughes. "You will save your manicure if you do!"

viii. The bad addiction: Cleaning sans gloves

Applying cleaning products with blank hands is a major mistake. "Nails bully in water, which leads to chipped nails and weakened nail beds," cautions Hughes. "Washing detergent can really dry out out every single role of your hands and reduce the life our your nail polish," adds Choi.

How to break it: "Splurge a chip and go a prissy pair of cleaning gloves that you don't heed wearing," recommends Choi. "Proceed gloves available and skid them on whenever you clean the house or do the dishes."

Casabella Waterblock Gloves, $7, Amazon

9. The bad habit: Skipping SPF

"Our hands historic period the quickest because we tend to neglect them the virtually," says Choi. This ways wrinkles, crepiness and discoloration. "Eventually, you'll go historic period spots," cautions Hughes.

How to pause information technology: In the forenoon, treat your easily to the aforementioned sun protection you do your face. And both experts advise carrying portable manus foam with SPF everywhere you become for touch-ups. "It volition dramatically change the way your hands look," says Hughes.

ten. The bad habit: Going without balm

Dry, cracked hands are never pretty ... or good for you. "A overnice manicure is pointless when your hands are dry," Hughes advises. "You don't want your hands like crocodile peel," adds Choi. No, no nosotros do not.

How to break information technology: Conduct mitt cream with you and use it often. "The best thing you can practice for your hands is to constantly apply moisturizer" to create a protective bulwark against irritants and dehydration, counsels Choi. "It's very piece of cake to do, so why non start right away?"

This article was originally published May half-dozen, 2014 on TODAY.com.