December 31, 2009

Cold Outside? Top Hand and Nail Tips for Winter!

Ahhhhh lovely Connecticut. It's currently pouring snow outside and quite cold. I don't know if any of you readers are lucky enough to live somewhere warm, but for the rest of you, here's a post about how to keep your hands and nails in good shape during the long cold winter!!

Tip #1 WEAR GLOVES!
This tip is probably the most important. You MUST wear gloves/mittens/glittens (lol) when you go outside during the winter. Even if it "doesn't look cold out" or "I'm only going out for a minute". All of the hand cream in the world will not help you if you don't wear gloves! To help you remember to wear gloves, keep them in a highly visible area right by the door. If there isn't somewhere to keep them near the door, put a pair of gloves in your purse. I don't know many women who leave the house without their purse, so you should always have a pair of gloves! Find a stylish pair on Zappos!

Tip #2 HAND CREAM!!!
This one seems obvious, but I have a few tips within a tip here. First, before you put on the aforementioned gloves, put on a nice layer of hand cream. Then, put on your gloves and leave them on until you reach your destination. When you remove the gloves- taaa daaa! Moisturized hands! Second, keep various hand creams near you all day. Many stores (such as Bed, Bath, and Beyond) sell small or travel-sized hand creams. Buy several and keep them in your purse, car, at your desk at work, next to your computer at home, near wherever you watch TV at home, and next to all the sinks in your home. This brings me to my next tip!

Tip #3 MOISTURIZING HAND SOAP!
I know the temptation these days is to use anti-bacterial hand soap. However, most of them are very drying, and doctors say regular soap and warm water with vigorous washing gets rid of germs the same as anti-bacterial soap. My favorite moisturizing hand soap comes from The Body Shop. This time of year, I love their Merry Cranberry hand soap. A little later in the winter, I'll probably be washing with Satsuma hand soap. See both of these products in a cute sink-side set, including hand cream, here. If you're looking for something a bit cheaper, try Softsoap Milk Protein and Honey hand soap (available at drugstores and supermarkets).

Tip #4 WEAR NAIL POLISH
Ha! Like I have to talk you into this one! Seriously though, nail polish locks moisture into your nails. In the winter, this is even more important. Moisturized nails are healthy nails. If you don't have time to fix chipped polish, try wearing just a base coat on your nails. I'm currently loving Sally Hansen Nail Quencher Hydrating Base Coat. As an added bonus, this base coat has completely prevented any staining from dark or heavily pigmented polishes.

Tip #5 CUTICLE OIL
You know how you start using heavier face creams in the winter? Same thing with your nails. If you don't usually use a cuticle oil, you should definitely try one during the winter. Nothing moisturizes like an oil. My favorite cuticle oil is Creative Nail Design's Solar Oil. It smooths cuticles, smells like almond cookies, and also dries your polish quicker! Buy it at 8ty8beauty. Nubar also has a variety of oils that I have yet to try, but you can bet I'll be ordering one or two very soon! Look for a review on this oil soon.

Hope these tips help, especially on a snowy day like today!
Happy New Year's Eve! Stay tuned for my New Year's Eve manicure later today!!!

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