Bella10 Philosophy

BELLA10 PHILOSOPHY

At Bella10, we are all about the natural nails! We know it takes care and time to create a beautiful set of natural nails and smooth, healthy skin and cuticles enhance the overall appearance. Bella10 supports natural nail care through skilled nail technicians, personal nail care and great natural nail care products. We always recommend regular manicures, whither done by a licensed professional or at home, by yourself or with friends. Bella10 does recommend being a knowledgeable consumer when choosing a nail salon, nail technician, nail care product or tool. Bella10 is here to help.

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Monday, October 13, 2008

Keeping Your Polish Fresh

I find it amusing when clients tell me that they keep their polish in the refrigerator. I can't seem to figure out why. Then the answer came to me. The polish has been kept in the dark (prevents the polish from changing color) and the cold air slows down the air molecules. I personally think that there are better ways to keep your polish fresh (and leave room for the milk in the frig). As I've mentioned, keeping polish stored in the dark or out of direct sunlight is very important. Direct sunlight and even indirect sunlight (a bright room) can distort the original color of the polish. I’ve worked in a spa that had bright light coming into the nail room in the morning. This spa had to replace the OPI color Coney Island Cotton Candy about once every 2 months. The color would turn yellow and become very unappealing to the customer. Another thing that I've noticed is that a lot of people do not know how to keep the neck of the bottle clean. By keeping the neck and the inside cap of the bottle clean, you’ll keep your polish fresher, longer. You ask why? Well, when there is a build-up of polish around the neck and inside the cap, it will allow more air into the bottle and thicken the polish quicker.


So, how do you keep the neck and the inside cap of the bottle clean? You can do it the usual way, with a little polish remover on a lint-free paper towel and wipe them off every time you polish your nails. Or you can just add a little caution to how you pull the brush out of the bottle. As you pull the brush out of the bottle, wipe off the excess polish inside the bottle instead of on the top of the bottle. This will reduce the amount of times you need to clean the neck and the inside cap of dried out polish. You’ll also save yourself the headache of trying to open a bottle of polish that won’t open because the cap is stuck on with dried polish.


If the polish is already thick, use polish thinner to thin it out, not polish remover. Polish remover can sometimes break the polish down incorrectly and make it chip faster. You can pick up polish thinner at beauty supply houses like Sally’s. Also, you can get more out of your polish (if you use it a lot) by buying two of the same type of polish (base coats, top coats, color polish). Use one bottle to apply to your nails and use the other to refill the first. Instead of only getting a half bottle out of each bottle (one bottle out of two), you’ll get 1 ½ bottles out of the two. It is important to note, don’t use a third bottle because the original polish has broken down too much with thinning that the original polish will chip faster than a fresh bottle.


Hope this helps your polish stay fresher, longer.




To learn more about natural nail care, read
The Secret to Beautiful Natural Nails
available for purchase as a download at
or to purchase the Hardcover or Paperback version, go to

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Chipped Polish

Why do most women, even after a great manicure in their favorite nail salon, have problems with their polish chipping.


There are several reasons that polish chips or peels.


Let's take a look at application first.

Peeling is usually because there is too much oil on the natural nail between the nail itself and the base coat of polish. It is very important to clean the natural nail of any and all oils, creams and lotions, paying special attention to the tip and cuticle area. This is a very important step if you want your polish to stay. Polish itself, should also be kept out of the cuticle area. Applying a base coat (because it is more flexible and adheres better to the natural nail), two coats of the color polish and then a good topcoat (which adds shine and protects the color from wear) is important. When applying the base coat and the top coat, it is always a good idea to apply the polish around the tip of the nail where you file the nail.

The polish itself. . .
 
It is always a good idea to use fresh polish and not polish that is too old or thinned out improperly. This type of polish will usually breakdown quicker than a fresher polish. To keep your polish fresher, longer, keep the neck of the bottle and the inside cap free of polish as this allows air into the bottle and thus thickens it more quickly.

Water
Stay out of water for long periods of time 24 hours after having your nails done. The reason is that your nails are made of the same types of cells as your skin, they have just dried out and flattened out as they grow out from your cuticle area. Also, your skin swells as it absorbs the water that you are in. It doesn't take too long for this to happen. So if your skin swells when it is in water, so do your nails. If your polish has not fully set (which it takes a full 24 hours to completely set) and you are in water long enough for your nails to start swelling, your polish is going to swell with it. When your nails contract again, your polish won't. You have increased your risk of your polish chipping just by taking a quick swim in the pool, or soak in a hot tub.

Maintenance
 
Yes, I said maintenance. We can't apply polish to our nails and expect it to just magically stay there without any wear and tear. If your polish can chip by having your nails swell while the polish is drying, imagine that your polish has completely dried. Polish is plastic and while it is slightly flexible, it is not invunerable. Your nails, through wear, are continually expanding and contracting when it is in water. Eventually, the polish will disengage from the nail where it keeps expanding and contracting. Like water under a shingle. So all you have to touch is a towel and the polish chips off where it loosened. The trick is to keep applying polish down the nail and around the tip of the nail (where you would file) starting the day after your manicure.It really isn't difficult to maintain your polish if you follow the above procedures. 

For more info on natural nail care and to get the latest book


"The Secret to Beautiful Natural Nails"