5 Reasons Nail Care is Self Care

When is the last time you had your nails done? I mean in a salon or at home. Any old manicure.

When I was teaching spinning I always had my nails done. When I decided that I wanted to go back to dressmaking I stopped going to the nail salon just to save a little money each month and I’ve never been good at doing my own manicures. Now, I have very thin nails and so they never would grow very long by themselves. I also have a condition called hyperhydrosis. All that means is that my hands and feet sweat excessively and that affects my cuticles so my hands have been a mess for 4 years now!

It’s embarrassing when I meet people and I try to hide my hands.

When I stopped taking care of my hands I also let a lot of other things go. Skin care and diet in particular. So here I am working on getting back to where I was a few years ago. I have started investing in better skin care products which is making a huge difference in my complexion. I started 75 Soft earlier this week which is helping me get back to exersizing and eating in a way that is good for my body. All that was left was to get my happy fingers back.

Being in the salon brought back all the good feelings about taking care of my hands and I wanted to tell you all the things I remembered.

1. So many of us are attached to our phones. It can be difficult to not answer texts and emails right away, expecially if you are working on growing a business. The salon for me is a phone free zone. I put it in my purse and I don’t remove it until everything is fully finished. Taking a phone out of a back is the easiest way to ruin your new nails so putting it fully away is the perfect time to create the phone free bubble.
2. Having someone take care of you is the most wonderful feeling. As women, so often we are the ones who are focused on how everyone else is and taking an hour to feel pampered every 3 to 4 weeks for a nail refresh or once a week for a lovely manicure is an amazing feeling.
3. Being in the moment is delightful. When you are in that chair at the salon or even at home in your comfortable chair doing your own nails you can’t do anything else. It could be a time when you zone out or even meditate. Those moments of stillness can be the best times for inspiration and new ideas.
4. As I said before, having my nails done improves my self confidence. I don’t love feeling like I need to hide parts of myself and when I have my nails done my cuticles heal and my hands look a million times better which means I am feeling fine about meeting people and shaking hands. I also love seeing that flash of color while I’m working.
5. As you probably know, my work space is in my house so I am home a lot. That’s a fine thing because I love being home but sometimes it is nice to get out of the house and nail appointments and hair appointments are a great excuse to do that.

So there you have it! I am in no way saying that a salon is a must but I do think taking time regularly to take care of your hands and nails is an important thing that I have been ignoring for far too long.