Nail Polish

The Nail polish is one of the most recognizable elements in manicure and is what people normally come to expect when having manicures. Women (and even some men) are forever looking for the product that will help them grow long, strong, attractive nails that look good when polished. Nail polish comes in many different formulations, but all are designed to make the nails look attractive by giving color and gloss to the nail.

There are a wide variety of brands and types of polish however they generally must fall into one of three categories. The base coat is one common type of nail polish. It helps prepare the fingernails to accept a colored polish. It also keeps darker nail polish from discoloring the natural nail. It is usually clear and may be worn alone to protect the nails. The base coat can give some gloss to the nail but should only be used alone if you really don’t have enough time to place the colored and top coats on your nails.

The other type of polish is the colored coat. This is the type of polish that has as many brands as the number of people who use it. Nail polish comes in every color imaginable, as well as some colors that don't exist in nature (or should not exist at all). It may be glittery or matte and can help hide fingernail flaws such as ridges, It can even highlight the nail with a glossy finish or a dull black for those gothic types. Additional to making the nail appear nice, nail polish also protects the nails. Some more advanced nail polish will have microscopic holes to let the nail “breathe” while also importing important vitamins and minerals to promote the nail and cuticle health. Note that this coat is normally the thickest because it has to create the color and thus will take a longer time to dry than normal.

The last coat is called the top coat or the clear coat. It is applied over the colored nail polish to finish up the nail polishing process. The purpose of this coat is to protect and harden the polish to make it last longer. It will also helps keep the color from fading and chipping. As an added use, top coat may also be worn alone to provide a neat, manicured look and to protect the nails. It becomes an alternative to buff nails.

There are special types of nail polish for those who use their hands for work. These are called Strengthening Nail Polish. It is a real boon to those who work a great deal with their hands, such as typists or factory workers who still want to keep that manicured look. Breaking or chipping nails is nearly a daily occurrence for those who type a great deal. Strengthening Nail Polish can help keep this problem to a minimum. Basically these polished also have the base, color and top coats however they dry to make much stronger bonds and thus are much more lasting. As a downside their colors are often limited because of their chemical needs.

There are also some nail polishes which are targeted to particular nail problems, such as ridged nails, peeling nails, brittle nails and even nail biters. A nail biting treatment nail polish is usually extremely bitter, in order to help the nail biter break the habit through aversion therapy. People suffering from peeling of brittle nails can also opt for nail polished which are even medicated of provide a built-in moisturizing agent to help combat the problem. Ultimately, there is a nail polish available for nearly every problem or situation.