Chopped garlic helps strengthen nails

/ Courtesy of Fairwaymarket blog

By Rachel Lee

As beauty care goes DIY, savvy shoppers are turning to home manicures, with an array of toolkits now available.

But do you have the skills to do it properly?

Celebrity nail technician Lucy Tucker, who has worked with stars including Kimberly Walsh, has several tricks for those who want to make the most of home nail care.

“One of the biggest complaints I get from clients is dry cuticles and nails,” the Daily Mail quoted the British manicurist as saying.

For those with dry nails, she recommends using oil on the nail surface and also in the diet.

“Fingernails grow about an eighth of an inch per month, and using oil will help with growth even more,” Tucker said. “You can even stop while you’re cooking and rub some into your nails and cuticles.”

For those with weaker nails, the technician suggests using a teaspoon of chopped garlic in the base coat, applied three times a week. The garlic treatment also keeps mosquitoes away in summer, she says.

When it comes to filing, Tucker recommends doing it in one direction with “long light strokes to minimize heat and friction build-up which can split and damage the nail.”

She says the worst hand habit is picking at cuticles.

“So many of my clients admit to doing that,” she said. “It will not only make them sore but may cause an infection, plus they will grow back much thicker.”

Tucker also rejected the popular belief that nail polish remover will revive old nail varnishes and urged the use of nail polish thinner instead.