Nails are important to your overall sense of confidence, especially if you speak and express yourself with your hands as many of us do.

So taking care of the health of your nails to ensure they look their best is as important as taking care of the skin on your face.

The days of acrylics are dwindling with the innovation of new products such as gel polish. Acrylics applied well are perfectly fine, but gels are less damaging to the nail bed in the long term.

The focus on nail health is intensifying, which is encouraging in New Zealand, especially since the industry here is very unregulated. Consumers are becoming savvier about how to identify good nail practices in salons, but there are still horror stories of dirty salons and practices that lead to infection.

There are simple things to look out for and consider when you’re thinking about getting a manicure. Firstly, look around the salon and ask yourself these questions: is it clean and tidy? Is your nail therapist’s appearance pleasing and do their own nails look good? Is the table at which you’re sitting immaculate, including all of the towels, polishes, oils and products around you? And does your technician offer you hand sanitiser and use it on their own hands before getting started?

Another tell-tale sign of bad practice and lack of knowledge is the use of clippers on cuticles. This should never happen. Cuticles should never be cut because this tissue is living and cutting it leaves it open to infection. In many countries this practice is in fact banned, but in New Zealand’s under-regulated industry, it still goes on.

Also make sure that when your nails are being filed to prepare for gels or acrylics that it’s very light and fine. Heavy filing damages the nail bed, which is vital to good nail health. The filing should also be in a circular fashion that follows the round shape of you cuticle- straight up and down filing goes against the natural grain of your nail and causes damage.

Often technicians succumb to these pitfalls due lack of training in nail health. Nail treatments shouldn’t be detrimental to your natural nails. In fact when you apply a quality product, such as nail varnish or gel varnish you can in fact increase their good health.