Nail buffing

You may have seen and heard of all the hype surrounding nail buffers, you no longer need to wear nail polish to have shiny looking nails buffing your nails instead is supposed to be easier and cheaper. So no more splashing out on expensive nail polish? Could it be true can we really say goodbye to all the different types of nail polish meant to shine and nourish nails? Well I have used them and know of many other people who became fans too so what's the verdict?

What are nail buffers?
Nail buffers usually have four sides and look like a rectangle block that has sandpaper on it, they can also look like a nail file but with different textures on each side. The first side has an emery board surface used to shape the nails, it is hard and grainy. The second side has medium grit so you can file over the nail surface to remove ridges, stains and surface irregularities so that you have a completely ridge free nail. The third side has a fine grain grit to buff the nail so it has a smooth surface and the last and fourth side has a fine grit to to buff the nail until it has a nice smooth glossy shine.

The sides are usually numbered One, Two, Three and Four so you can also follow the steps in order easily. After you use all four sides of the buffer you will have pink soft shiny nails, it looks like you are wearing nail polish but in fact the buffer helps the natural oils in the nail shine through making it look like you just had expensive nail treatment. Nail buffers are also cheap and to be honest a £1 buffer is the same as a £10 buffer the only reason you pay more is because of branding and packaging by a well known brand. I have used nail buffers in the past as they last up to four weeks give or take, it depends on how fast your nails grow and how much you use your hands, such as washing the dishes, manual labour etc.

Nail buffing causes weak nails, use with caution
I know many people who became fans of nail buffing and didn't realise the most obvious downfall of using them, using them too much and too aggressively will make your nail thinner, duh! I have an aunt who complained recently that her husband bought her a pampering gift set for their anniversary and she got a fantastic nail buffer but now her nails keep breaking. I asked her how often she used it and she said every Sunday, I laughed and said that it was a no brainer that buffing down the nail would make them thinner and less likely to break. After months of nail buffing she stopped, it took a further three months before her nails were strong again.

If you like the look that you get when you buff your nails but want them to remain strong and long then I would suggest using nail oils, just like cuticle oil it will make your nails look shiny but also make them harden and strong. I would only use nail buffers on short nails and people who use their hands a lot such as cooks, waitresses and other hands on jobs.

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