You want your hands and nails to be wedding ready and to look good on your big day. Whether you’re the bride or the groom your hands (especially your left hand) will be front and centre of it all, especially during the close up shots of the wedding rings.
Whether you go regularly for bi-weekly professional manicures or you barely remember to put on hand lotion before you go to bed at night, you’ll want to make sure that your hands look picture perfect on your wedding day. And that requires intentional preparation weeks ahead of time.Â
We’ve got some tips to help make your hands look healthy and hydrated in advance of your wedding day as well as some suggestions for your nails to look their best in order to show off your new rings. Consider doing some or all of these tips to get your hands and nails wedding ready.
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Glowing, Hydrated Hands
If your hands and nails take a pounding all the time because of your job or household chores, consider wearing gloves to protect them as much as you can.Â
Look for extra moisturizing hand creams that have a thicker consistency and are specially formulated for dry skin. Helpful ingredients include moisturizing oils, shea butter and cocoa butter.
Keep a tube or bottle of lotion nearby at all times so that you can moisturize throughout the day. Water, soap and hand sanitizer are extremely drying so be sure to moisturize as often as possible. Don’t forget to work the lotion well into all parts of your hands such as in-between your fingers and in and around your cuticles. Â
One great tip is to consider putting the heaviest, creamiest formula at night and cover up with special spa gloves that keep the moisture in. This is also important to keep in mind in the winter months because heat and lack of humidity can be extremely drying to hands and nails.Â
Moisture For Your Nails
Nails shouldn’t be neglected either and they need special care over and above the moisturizing lotion. Specifically, nails need cuticle oil to penetrate deeper than what hand lotions can do.Â
If your nails crack, break or chip easily, start by finding a cuticle oil that contains almond oil, jojoba oil, Vitamin E or coconut oil in the list of ingredients.
Create a nail care routine by applying cream or lotion on your hands throughout the day and then apply cuticle oil before you go to bed at night. Don’t forget to really massage the oil into the nail beds and cuticles for the best results.Â
Healthy and Balanced Diet
Another thing to consider is making sure you’re eating healthy foods to balance the topical treatments that you’re committed to using daily. It’s not enough to just apply lotions and cuticle oils externally on your hands and nails, although that is a great start.
It’s not enough to start eating healthy only a few weeks before your wedding – you need to start this program of healthy living at least 6 months in advance of your big day.
Don’t forget to eat enough protein every day if you want to have healthy nails for your wedding. In order to keep your nails strong, try to eat healthy amounts of protein such as chicken, turkey, and seafood. Fish and Greek yogurt can also help prevent brittle nails as well. Additionally, your cuticles and nail beds could benefit from additional amounts of Omega-3 oils which can be found in salmon, flaxseed and Brazil nuts.
Get enough of the B vitamins which are great for keeping your nails strong and less brittle. Foods rich in B vitamins include eggs, barley, broccoli and spinach. Extra vitamin C in your diet from foods such as oranges, mangoes, grapefruit and kale can reduce dry skin. Almonds, avocado and sunflower seeds are high in Vitamin E, which is great for glowing skin and nails.
Buffing, Prepping and Overall Maintenance
Regardless if you’ll be choosing a color or keeping your nails neutral, consider shaping and buffing them nicely to maintain a nice shape and surface. Be careful though – while buffing evens out the surface and smooths out nail ridges, your nails will also be thinner as a result. Buff carefully but don’t over-buff.Â
If you are keeping your nails natural and color free, we suggest applying a clear topcoat on your nails – the extra shine will make your hands look healthy in all your wedding pictures. If you’re shy about using color and typically don’t get your nails done regularly, use a nude or light pink polish color so that your hands look polished and well-kept.
Avoid Being a Nail Picker and Biter
Try your best to break these bad habits a few months before your wedding. If you hate the length of your nails or there’s constantly a hangnail that’s bothering you, schedule weekly manicures to help with both problems. The professionals can help keep your nails and cuticles clean and trimmed properly.
Schedule Regular Manicures
Committing to a regular professional manicures is both a time and money investment. However, if you’re notorious for bad habits, then this suggestion will ensure a set of healthy hands and beautiful nails that will look perfect on your wedding day.
Keep in mind that while we’re suggesting regular manicures, avoid getting gel or shellac manicures before your wedding as the constant removal and application will actually do more harm than good. Save the good gel manicure for your actual wedding day so that you don’t need to worry about your nails chipping during the big day; you’ll have beautiful nails afterwards too if you’re heading out to your honeymoon shortly after.
DIY At Home Nail Care
If your schedule doesn’t allow for regular weekly manicures, consider taking care of your own nails at home. Eeek, right? Don’t worry – a simple care routine is all that you need to ensure beautiful hands and nails for your big day.
The next time you have an appointment at the nail salon, ask your technician to recommend the best file for your nails. You can take care of flakes and chips at home if you have the right nail file and the same nail polish color for emergency touch-ups.
Final Thoughts
Many of us think about the manicure for the day of the wedding, but have not given thought on the health of our hands before that. Now that you’ve taken in some tips and tricks, don’t leave the care of your nails and hands just right before the wedding.
