Hands & Nails

My advice would be to go and get a manicure - a gel/shellac one is best. This will give you a head start to continue looking after your nails. Then buy two or three pretty polishes and make the effort to do them yourself, with just an occasional trip back to the manicurist.

Can they fix cuticles grannyactivist? I was always ashamed to go with my peasant hands lol. I would quite like that though, would be a treat for me, something different.

Try to push the cuticles back when they are soft after soaking in water. I just give them a push with the towel most days.

Definitely treat yourself to a pedicure and manicure. The nail technicians will deal brilliantly with the cuticles. They won't mind if your nails are a mess, after all that's what they are there for! You'll be amazed at the difference.

My local nail bar charges £25 for a pedicure and £10 for a manicure, £20 for gel/ shellac polish ( the best as it doesn't chip). This is London though I think it's cheaper elsewhere. I think beauty salons may be about the same. Sometimes big department stores have a nail bar too. I would definitely recommend a regular visit. There is an app called Treatwell which will find local salons for various beauty treatments and they often send out £10 off vouchers. Good luck!

Yes, Rubysong , that's what I do , then rub in some vaseline , daily . Cheap and cheerful ! Quite fancy a professional manicure , though !

I'd never had a pedi before and only once had a manicure until D took her level 2 qualification and I became her guinea pig. I love the feel of my hands and feet afterwards.
You may find that a mobile technician is more economic.
Certainly don't worry about the state of your nails. D says any decent nail tech will relish the challenge

PS if you happen to be in travelling distance.........
pm me

Nothing makes me feel more pampered than a pedicure and at this time of year it's important to me to have my feet looking at least half decent because I like to wear sandals. I choose the 'luxury' pedicure which gives me a better massage.
Manicure I can do myself. I used to have very disfigured nails with big spaces under them. I used Nail Envy on them and the spaces magically disappeared. Flaky nails I treat with Nailtique products which also work well. Two GDs (13 and 25) bite their nails. Nothing seems to stop them.

Go and have a manicure. That'll start the ball rolling. If you get gels on your nails you'll have to go back to have them removed and more applied. Get some cuticle oil to rub in every day and your nails will look wonderful in no time.

Get your toes done too. it' a real ego boost to have a splash of colour on fingers and toes IMHO.

Currently sporting a pastel purple on my nails and the same on the toes but with glitter.

Good luck!

While we're on the subject of nails, does anybody recommend a good nail polish remover? I have just spent nearly 20 minutes removing ordinary nail polish (not gel) from my toe nails prior to a visit to the chiropodist, and bending over for this length of time was uncomfortable!