With the country under lockdown, we are coming to realise that we’ll have to tackle our beauty basics ourselves — something that is challenging when most of us rely on salons for everything. Misha Chakraborty of Mishka’s Luxury Beauty Studio shares tips to take care of your nails at home while practising self-isolation.

Scrub: Keeping your nails clean and dirt-free should be of utmost priority. Scrubbing your nails will not only remove dirt but will also exfoliate by removing dead skin cells. Gently scrub with a toothbrush along with any cleanser/scrub of your choice. But remember not to be too harsh on them.

Maintain the length: Trimming your nails is as important as any other nail-care step. Taking your time every two-three weeks to maintain the length will ensure strong and healthy nails in the long run. Keeping the nails short would look neat and be easier to manage on a day-to-day basis.

UV protection: It might feel weird that our nails too require UV protection but few know that nails are made of keratin or protein, just like the rest of our skin. So too much of exposure to the sun will lead to burn or discolouration of your nails and further, it can damage your cuticles. However, most of the polishes in the market contain SPF and we can easily protect our nails by applying a base coat. Not to forget, putting on a base before the polish can actually help the colour appear more opaque with just one coat.

Moisturising is key: If you can take your face moisturising as the most important step of your beauty routine then why won’t you do it for your nails too? Using some cuticle oil twice a day can help in achieving healthier, prettier nails. If you don’t have cuticle oil, you can use any nutrient-rich oil to hydrate your nails. Doing this step will ensure your nails are strong and don’t break easily.

Wear gloves during chores: Now that most of us are left to do our own chores, avoid doing dishes, washing clothes or anything that includes soaking your bare hands, without wearing gloves.

Stop biting your nails: Avoiding this habit might be the most difficult step for some of you but it is very important to start taking precautions from now. Our fingernails carry a lot of germs and bacteria that can enter the body through our mouth and can cause infection. On top of it, it destroys the shape of your nails.

Eating with hands: I know it is hard for us Indians to avoid eating with our hands but this is the only way to avoid stained nails caused by our Indian spices. Try to use cutlery as much as possible and if you have to use your fingers for some reason, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.

Soak your nails in a bowl of warm water and add some shampoo and lemon juice in that Courtesy: Misha Chakraborty

DIY manicure/pedicure

1. Remove previously applied nail polish with any nail paint remover.

2. Soak your nails in a bowl of warm water and add some shampoo and lemon juice in that. Remember that the water shouldn’t be too hot. Keep it for 5-8

3. Now dry your nails off and trim it according to your ideal shape. If necessary, file them too (only if you have a nail filer) but it’s totally optional since you are doing this at home.

For feet: Use bath salt or foot scrub to exfoliate the dead skin cells using a pumice stone. If you don’t have any of these scrubs, you can easily make one using brown sugar, honey and lemon juice.

4. Now push the cuticles along the nail bed. This step is important to remove the thick skin around the nail and to create a clean and dry nail plate for your nail paint. Use a toothpick or any wooden stick that is angular in shape to gently push the skin along the bottom of your nails. Be careful and do not push too hard or else it will damage the cuticles.

5. Massage cuticle oil or any nutrient-rich oil on the nails to hydrate the skin around it.

6. Use a thin layer of base coat/ transparent polish on each nail to prevent it from staining and chipping (optional). Now apply any nail paint of your choice with two thin coats. That’s it and you have your mani-pedi done in the comfort of your home.minutes. Let the warm water soften the cuticles.