Lociones, pociones y abrillantadores

¿Cuáles son los beneficios del aceite para cutículas?

Cuticle oil or nail & skin oil is a moisturising product designed to improve the health and appearance of your nails and surrounding skin. It is typically made from a blend of natural oils, such as jojoba, almond, and avocado oil, as well as vitamins and other nourishing ingredients. Here are some of the main benefits of using cuticle oil:

Hidrata y humecta: La principal ventaja del aceite para cutículas es que hidrata y humedece la piel que rodea las uñas. Esto puede ayudar a prevenir la sequedad, el agrietamiento y la descamación, que pueden resultar antiestéticos e incómodos. Al mantener hidratada la piel que rodea las uñas, el aceite para cutículas también ayuda a que crezcan sanas.
Suaviza cutículas: Another benefit of using cuticle oil is that it softens the cuticles, making it easier to remove with a wooden stick or curette. Softening the cuticles can also help to prevent painful splitting or tearing.
Favorece la salud de las uñas: Cuticle oil can help to promote healthy nail growth by moisturising the nail bed epithelium, this will in turn encourage the nail plate to be transported along the nail bed at a normal rate. *If the bed epithelium is damaged or dried out (maybe due to infection or a fungal invasion) then the nail plate growth is slowed, and the nail may start to be forced upwards (we see this in toenails with fungal infections) which can be painful or uncomfortable when wearing closed shoes. Applying your cuticle/nail oil will also make it harder for pathogens like fungi to take hold.
Enhances manicures: Utilizar aceite para cutículas como parte de tu rutina de manicura mejorará la flexibilidad de la uña (importante para evitar que se agriete, se parta o se rompa) y puede ayudar a mejorar su aspecto. Puede darles un brillo saludable y hacer que parezcan más suaves y pulidas. Además, el aceite para cutículas puede ayudar a prolongar la vida de la manicura evitando que se astillen o se descascarillen.
Calma la piel: Finally, cuticle oil can be a soothing and relaxing addition to your self-care routine. Many people find the act of massaging the oil into their skin and nails to be a calming and stress-relieving experience. Additionally, some cuticle oils may contain essential oils that will promote penetration through the nail plate and in and around the nail folds.

Numerosas ventajas de utilizar aceite para cutículas

Using cuticle oil can provide numerous benefits for your nails and skin. By moisturising, softening, and promoting healthy growth, cuticle oil can help you to achieve stronger, healthier, and more beautiful nails, but more important it will extend the durability of your nail coating or nail enhancement.. Additionally, using cuticle oil as part of your self-care routine can be a relaxing and enjoyable experience and combined with a quality lotion containing Allantoïne & Ureum is the perfect finish to your salon service or home-care routine.

El mejor aceite para cutículas

When it comes to choosing the best cuticle oil for your nail and skin care routine, consider a few key factors. Look for cuticle oils that contain natural ingredients like jojoba, almond, or avocado oil, as these are known for their moisturising properties. Avoid products with synthetic preservatives, scents, or colorings to ensure the purity of the oil. Additionally, assess the compatibility of the oil with your specific nail type and skin sensitivities. By selecting a high-quality, natural cuticle oil that aligns with your needs, you can maximise the benefits of this essential nail care product.

Una razón común por la que el esmalte de uñas puede despegarse rápidamente de la lámina ungueal

Paso de agua a través de la lámina ungueal

This image demonstrates how water moves though the nail plate.

The nail plate allows for high rates of transmission of water molecules. Water (aka moisture) migrates quickly through the plate, but as shown, the molecules don’t travel in a straight line. Instead, water molecules meander through the tiny (microscopic) channels that riddle the inside of a nail plate. This results in the plate containing about 15% water content, for a normal nail. Esmalte de uñas can slow the movement of water, but it doesn’t completely stop its slow and steady migration toward the surface.

El esmalte de uñas puede ralentizar la migración del agua

This Image demonstrates how nail polish can slow this migration and raise the moisture content of the nail plate.

The increased amount of water in the nail plate increases the water pressure inside the plate. As water pressure builds up underneath nail polish, it creates a force that can push upward on the underside of the nail polish and cause it to peel away from the surface. Even though the water flow is relatively slow, the pressures that build up can become significant.

Here’s an easy way to visualize this. Imagine a water hose that is trickling very slowly. Holding a thumb over the nozzle will initially block the flow, but this also causes water pressure to increase inside the hose. Eventually, the increased pressure will force the water inside the hose to squirt out between the thumb and nozzle. This happens inside the nail plate and the build-up of pressure can push or lift the nail polish from the surface to cause it to peel.

Paso microscópico en el interior de la lámina ungueal

Esta imagen muestra un conducto típico dentro de la placa ungueal que permite el movimiento de las moléculas de agua. La anchura de esta imagen es aproximadamente una quinta parte del diámetro de un cabello humano.

Other separate passages allow oils to move through the nail plate, as well. However, it is expected there are more water passages than oil passages since larger amounts of water move through the plate at much faster rates than do natural oils. This passageway inside the nail plate is created at a junction where three nail cells meet, but don’t fit together perfectly, however other types exist, e.g. small spaces between two cells. Such passages allow water molecules to migrate through the nail plate.

Mezclar productos para las uñas: ¿qué hay de malo en hacerlo?

Los profesionales de las uñas trabajan con los productos técnicamente más avanzados

Nail Professionals work in a unique and diverse profession and often unintentionally put themselves and their clients at risk. They regularly work with the most technologically advanced products in the beauty industry.

Many nail coatings are based on high-tech substances used to create everything from bone cements to dental implants or contact lenses to bullet proof glass. Nail Professionals also work with finger nails and toe nails that may become diseased or injured.

Cuando se enfrentan a afecciones médicas de las manos y los pies, algunos clientes esperan que su profesional de uñas diagnostique y trate o prescriba un tratamiento para su afección, a pesar de que esto es inapropiado y sólo debe hacerlo un profesional médico cualificado.

When you add to this the fact that many Nail Professionals love to “experiment” and try new things, it becomes easy to see how problems can occur, especially when manufacturer’s instructions are ignored and nail products are used in a manner they were not intended to be used.

¿Qué tiene de malo mezclar productos para las uñas?

Without a deep understanding of chemistry or medicine, this could create significant problems for clients, Nail Professionals and salons. Here are a few examples.

Many products are intended to be used together as a “system” and in very specific ways to ensure safe use and to achieve the intended final result.

Monomer liquids are designed to be used with specific powders. Using the wrong powder or using the incorrect ratio of liquid to powder (too wet) can lead to skin irritation, allergy or even “onycholysis”, a condition where the nail plate detaches from the nail bed. Each of these same issues can occur when the incorrect nail lamp is used to cure a UV gel.

Improper use of salon disinfectants can lead to infections that may result in injury or a lawsuit that could jeopardize a Salon Professional or salon’s livelihood.

¿Qué quiero decir?

When products are improperly mixed or used contrary to directions/instructions, there may be unintended consequences that could cause harm to clients and/or Nail Professionals. Contrary to what some believe, Nail Professionals should NOT use professional products in any fashion they choose. Instead, manufacturer’s instructions should ALWAYS be carefully followed and all warnings heeded. If a Nail Professional disagrees with, or wishes to alter the directions, or doesn’t understand the instructions, then they would be wise to contact the product manufacturer for guidance before proceeding.

Experimentar mezclando productos para las uñas

I greatly admire the curious, inquisitive nature of Nail Professionals who like to “experiment” with their products and realize that it is their ingenuity and creativity that drives them to do this! These are great qualities that anyone can benefit from, IF properly channeled. But, when “experimenting” means disregarding the manufacturer’s directions or warnings, then this is inappropriate and should not be done.

Instead, a Nail Professional’s curiosity would be better directed towards:

a) Learning more about the structure of the natural nail and surrounding skin and how each functions AND

b) Comprender mejor cómo y por qué funcionan los productos para las uñas.

Those who gain a deeper understanding in these areas are much less likely to misuse nail products or encounter any of the problems described above. Avoid focusing solely on how to skillfully apply these products; that’s only half the picture! Gone forever are the days when product application and removal was all that mattered. Nail Professionals need to understand how their professional products work and why they work the way they do.

That’s what the NailKnowledge Base de conocimientos is dedicated to teaching, so please check it out. It’s free, interesting and easy to understand. Best of all… it’s just a mouse click away. I hope you enjoy!

¿Necesitamos realmente todos esos aceites y lociones para nuestras uñas o se trata sólo de una locura de marketing de ventas?

By now you should know how the nail unit works, how our nail plates are produced and most of the advantages and or disadvantages of wearing artificial nail products, especially if you have taken your NailKnowledge Essential Nail Diploma!

We have learnt that choosing the right artificial nail product for the nail plate leads to happy clients in our salons – there is always more than 1 option and all we have to do is choose the product that works the best for our clients.

So, is it just marketing madness or can nail oils, hand & nail lotions make a difference to the day-to-day maintenance and condition of our nail units?

Casi todos los problemas de la unidad ungueal se ven acentuados por la sequedad.

Dry skin shrinks and cracks, dry nail plates can become brittle and start to flake, split and delaminate – but there is more to it than that.

In our daily lives our nail plates are moving all of the time, they move as they grow and they grow 24/7 only stopping if our body experiences some kind of traumatic and or shocking event. After the shock or traumatic event our nail matrix releases all the cells that were on hold at the same time, causing Líneas de Beauy, a continuación, la producción de células de la placa ungueal continúa con normalidad.

During the day our hands come into contact with water on average about 10 times a day – worse still we are advised to wash our hands with soap and water 6-10 times a day, that’s a lot of water in our nail units without all the other times in our daily lives, washing the car, the dog’s, the kid’s, washing up, taking a shower even cleaning our teeth and let’s not forget when we have a moment for ourselves and take a bath.

Water is a very effective solvent, but that also makes it very efficient at getting into all the spaces that still exist between our nail plate cells and also into our skin – in the bath you see your skin swell & ripple, this is because all the skin cells are filled with water but you don’t see what happens to your nails unless you really look at them.

Nuestra las placas de las uñas absorben all of that water and get ‘fatter’ you may well find that your C curve looks much nicer after a bath and a glass of wine, it’s not the wine – but the bath water that does that.

When we no longer have our hands in water it evaporates away – Doug Schoon’s diagrams from Face to Face II are great for showing the action with or without nail coatings. With a nail coating, evaporation is slowed somewhat because the water has to find an opening to evaporate through around the lateral nail folds and under the free edge but in both cases the water will evaporate.

This evaporation causes the nail plate to revert to its original size, you might notice it as shrinkage, but it’s actually reversion – so our nail plates not only move as they grow but they also expand & contract when we have had them in contact with water. If the nail plate is splitting or suffering from delamination this will then get worse.

Oils and lotions that are made to penetrate our skin and nail plates can be used as a sort of ‘defence’. When our nail plates are full of oils like squalene, avocado oil, jojoba oil maybe even extra virgin olive oil, they remain flexible, also making them more able to cope with minor trauma, and there is less room for excess water to penetrate, our nails maintain a good C curve and they help to keep our guardian seals guarding. The same goes for our skin when it is full of lotion with wonderful ingredients, including glycerin, there is less room for water so our skin does not expand excessively causing small wounds and abrasions which may have to become larger, which in turn causes more dryness.

Los aceites y las lociones son esenciales en nuestro mundo moderno para ayudar a mantener unas uñas flexibles y sanas y para conservar la elasticidad de nuestra piel, con la ventaja añadida de mantener el recubrimiento de nuestras uñas en óptimas condiciones.

Elegir el aceite de uñas adecuado

Piénsalo. Nuestras manos trabajan duro. Gastamos mucho dinero en el cuidado de la piel del rostro, pero parece que descuidamos nuestras manos, que están constantemente expuestas a la luz del sol, al viento frío y al agua de fregar, como mínimo.

Skin around the nails become dry and our nails become brittle and split. Fortunately, this is easy to remedy. Use a aceite de uñas!

Oils are easily absorbed into the skin which provides a healthy environment for the nails to grow on. They will restore and protect against future damage and can ward of nasty fungal infections. But which one to choose?

Elige un producto fino a base de aceite. Cada aceite tiene beneficios diferentes, así que puedes adaptar el tratamiento a tus necesidades.

Jojoba Oil – A hero to our nails with molecules that are the right shape to penetrate some way into the nail plate. Containing high levels of vitamin E and B can also help repair the collagen in our skin and offers deep hydration. It absorbs easily too and will result in strong, healthy, moisturised nails and cuticles.

Avocado oil – like jojoba, this natural oil is able to penetrate the upper layers of the nail plate to help provide lubrication between the layers and help prevent brittleness and dryness.

Squalene – alongside the two oils above, this is a very good oil for both nails and skin. Make sure to use the vegetable derived version.

Almond Oil – Packed with nutrients like vitamins E, A and B plus Omega 6 and 9 essential fatty acids, this is a readily available product to help prevent dry skin.

These oils all work wonders on their own but you can give them a real boost by adding a few drops of essential oils. Before using essential oils, be sure you are not sensitive to them and avoid them if you are pregnant. There are many different essential oils on the market but it is best to go for a natural, organic oil rather than a synthetically produced one. The results will be far better.

Una vez más, cada aceite esencial tiene propiedades y beneficios diferentes. Depende en gran medida de las preferencias personales, pero aquí tienes algunos que puedes tener en cuenta.

Tea Tree Essential Oil – A natural anti-fungal treatment and has great deodorising properties meaning it is great for the feet too! It will heal and protect your nails. Some do have a sensitivity to it so do not use it if you have allergies to some chemicals. (Tea Tree can be an irritant so don’t apply undiluted oil directly to the skin)

Lavender Essential Oil – As well as smelling divine, this relaxing oil also promotes the healing of skin. Great if you need to soothe sore skin. Avoid if pregnant.

Clove Essential Oil – This oil calms the skin and is also an antiseptic. Great for verrugas ¡también!

Lemon Essential Oil – The zingy scent will give you a lift and your nails will thank you for the antiseptic and skin toning effects. It will boost your circulation and brighten your nails too.

Estos son sólo algunos de los muchos aceites disponibles. Hay muchos bálsamos y aceites para uñas en el mercado que contienen mezclas de estos ingredientes nutritivos y, ahora que ya sabes qué aceites son eficaces, es fácil hacer los tuyos propios en casa. No olvides consultar los consejos de seguridad y dilución de los aceites esenciales que quieras probar.

Tus uñas pronto estarán fuertes y sanas y listas para ponerse a trabajar, pero te agradecerán un par de guantes de caléndula para fregar los platos.