Nails, pregnancy, babies & my Gelish Solution

Today we are going to talk about nails. The bane of my life!

I kinda only went & disappeared from Blogosphere again last week. Life got in the way. It does that with kids involved!! Antibiotics, surgery for 4th born and Hand, foot & mouth disease for 3rd born softened my cough – that’s for sure. But we are disease free again!!

And this brings me to more beautiful things.

“You can tell a lot from a person’s nails. When a life starts to unravel, they’re among the first to go.”
― Ian McEwan

Mine went a LONG time ago. And it’s no wonder. There is only so much baby-growing, floor-scrubbing, bum-wiping, sand-pit digging that keratin can take. So are my nails a good indicator of my life currently? Unraveling, unruly, broken but they rally every so often – in true fighting style – yes!

Now that 4th born is 5 months old (like eeeeekkkkkk where did that go?) I am long past the benefits of pregnancy on your nails. Did you know faster nail growth kicks in during pregnancy?! Horaaah!! This is is the giving part.However lest we get too excited, this is sometimes accompanied by brittleness, groove formation, or a separation of the nail from the end of the nail bed called onycholysis. Some lucky ladies experience a thinner nail due to the fast growth during these months.

It can take up to 6 months post-bub’s arrival for your nails to restore themselves to their former glory. Or in my case, you make no progress because your environment and lifestyle is stacked against you!

So how to restore nails during and post pregnancy?

Nail goals. These are SO OBVIOUSLY not my nails! But I do love this colour for the more wintery months.

I have resigned myself to short nails…….but that doesn’t mean they can’t look nice or withstand the trials and tribulations of being a busy woman. I need low maintenance concrete basically.

And with that I took myself off to Cliona Sweeney in Beautique Nails & Beauty in Kopper Hair Salon for a treat. Cliona’s Facebook page here has loads of nail inspo’. Having won Best Facebook page & Best Education Centre in the Readers Choice Beauty Awards, she featured on Xposé twice last month. Once showcasing the new Kung Fu collaboration – which, never mind me, but my girls would be so impressed with! But over my dead body are they getting Gelish.

Having recoiled in horror (nah, she was very polite & complimentary about the fact that I even had nails – but I was looking at the same sight as she was so deep down inside she MUST have been appalled) she suggested a really simple top tip for pregnancy and new mums regarding nail care.

I am putting this photo up in SHAME. But I am surely not alone in my plight?

Cuticle Oil!

Yes, every-night. Leave it on the bedside locker. It really couldn’t be easier. it won’t help your already grown nail but the new nail yet to emerge will be stronger and healthier & it only takes 30 seconds. Even the busiest of Mum’s can manage that.

And so like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, my nails were reborn into a thing of beauty! Thanks Cliona.

This is the stuff of miracles! 

5 days, 1 bike ride, 3 weights sessions, 1 weekend, about 50 nappy changes & 30 bottles washed later, I am glad to say my Gelish nails are holding tough & I love them!

I will have the most amazing prize to give away next week on my Facebook page. Hint: It involves Beautique Nails & Beauty, Gelish Nails and the best of things come in pairs!!

So keep a look out for it.

Your’s, admiring my nails as I type,

Cli xx