Keeping up appearances: howtolookafter yourself during thelockdown
Now that hair salons and beauty parlours have closed to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, Stephanie Bell asksthe experts for their top tips for raising your spirits by maintaining your routine at home
❝ Gel polishes are chemicals and many of those available online will not be safe to use
People who get their gel nails done regularly will be wondering how to maintain them over the next few months at home.
The advice from award-winning nail expert Ingrid Graham from Banbridge, who is a nail technician educator and who runs her own company, Sugar Coating Nails, is to stay clear of nail gels which are readily available online.
Ingrid, who is married to Jonny, an Ulster Rugby coach, with two children, Rory (8) and Hollie (3), also has a handy step-by-step guide on how to remove your gel polish and advises that until nail salons reopen you should only be putting polish on your nails.
“Gel polishes are chemicals and many of those available online will not be safe to use,” she says.
“They can cause all sorts of issues from making the nail lift off, fungal infections and even dermatitis.
“I would challenge people to use this time to grow their nails naturally and beautifully.”
Removing our professionally applied gel polish is the first step. Ingrid advises some basic equipment to achieve this — acetone, make-up remover pads, tinfoil, a nail buffer, an orange stick, a high-grit nail file and cuticle oil.
“Everyone is going to be biting their nails off because they can’t get to their salons but please try not to do this as it is easy to remove them at home,” she urges.
“Firstly buff the nails to take the shine off as this will allow the acetone to penetrate the polish.
“Cut the make-up pad in half and soak in acetone and wrap round the nail, then wrap again with tinfoil.
“Leave this for a couple of minutes and then, using an orange stick, peel off the softened polish.
“Put the pad and foil back on and repeat every few minutes until the gel polish is fully removed.
“The gel polish should come off really easily. Once it has, then lightly buff the nails and apply cuticle oil.
“Cuticle oil will hydrate your nails and will help keep them in good condition and should be applied frequently.”
Ingrid will be posting regular advice on her Instagram page. There, she already practices ‘selfcare Monday’ when she shares details of her own efforts to look after herself.
“Self-care is even more important at the moment and it can involve anything from putting your make-up on, polishing your nails or even just having a relaxing bath or a hot cup of cocoa,” she says.
You can follow Ingrid on Instagram at Ingrid_graham1
‘You can use this time to grow nails naturally and beautifully’