If you’ve been wanting to post your #ManicureMonday photos but can’t seem to get the same results as your favourite nail influencers, this is what you need to know

“I’ve just gotten off a long shoot, and I had to hold my hand out ramrod straight for two hours,” shares Mumbai-based hand model Monika Mathew. “It’s not all about skincare and nail maintenance, although that is also important. I have to stretch and exercise so my arms are prepped,” she says. Mathew, whose hands you can spot in ad campaigns for Maggi, Cadbury, Lakmé and Nykaa, was scouted on Instagram. “I posted a photo of myself on my handle, and an agent noticed my long fingers,” she says. Nina Taylor, a London-based hand model (whose CV includes Dior, Tiffany and Co and Graff,) found her niche profession the digital route too—albeit in a more traditional manner. “I got into it when I was still studying, and my cousin suggested I should try it. She felt I had long straight fingers and elegant deep nail beds, which are found to be photogenic. At a time where “googling” something was not the norm, I managed to find some recommended agency phone numbers and came across the top agency for hands by pure chance,” says Taylor. We spoke to Taylor, Mathew and Betina Goldstein (an Instagram-favourite nail artist who showcases her coolest designs on her own tips) on how you can take care of your nails and hands the same way that those who are paid for it, do.

1. You’ll have to exfoliate

“While moisturising is important, scrubbing off all the dead skin cells is paramount,” says Mathew, who likes a DIY recipe of sugar, honey and coconut oil. “I will exfoliate a couple of times a week as this offers an instant brightening and youthful look to the skin. This is also crucial for any hand cream to be effective, as you could potentially waste up to 60 per cent of product if you don’t [exfoliate],” confirms Taylor. Goldstein doesn’t differentiate between regular skincare and nail care, choosing to use leftover face and body scrub on her hands just as well. “I use Chanel Sublimage Les Grains de Vanille to exfoliate my face, and before washing it off I use the extra product that is left on my fingers to exfoliate my hands, massaging it into my cuticles in a circular motion. I alternate between that and Herbivore Coco-Rose Body Polish as a hand exfoliator once or twice a week.”

2. Moisturising is really important

Dry hands show wear (like fine lines, age spots, cracks and wrinkles) far easier than supple, moisturised hands. “I like to do a mix of oil and cream,” says Goldstein. “Augustinus Bader Body Cream is in my opinion the holy grail of moisturisers. I combine that with either Tata Harper Revitalising Body Oil and Chanel Rose Body Oil. I also keep Burt’s Bees Hand Salve and Supergoop! Hand Screen with 40 SPF in my car to reapply throughout the day. Another great oil I keep in my kit is The Ordinary 100% Organic Moroccan Argan Oil.” For Taylor, moisturising is non-negotiable—she’ll reapply a hand lotion or cream upto 30 times a day. “I always promote the idea of an entire regime that involves cuticle work, exfoliation, massage techniques, sheet glove masks and detox treatments. However, moisturising is the most important. Texture, ingredients and delivery system are crucial to how this regimen fits in with my daily lifestyle,” she says.

3. Leave your cuticles alone

The cuticle is a thin layer of dead tissue over the nail bed to form a seal between the nail plate prevent pathogens from infecting the matrix area. Cutting them could cause bleeding, as well as leave the skin and nail bed prone to infections and swelling. “I’d rather file and work on my cuticles by myself because my hands are imperative to my job. I just push them back so they don’t grow too much,” says Mathew. “I can’t risk a bleeding cuticle or jagged hangnail.” Goldstein agrees, “I don’t ever go to a place or have anyone else give me manicure other than myself, but I always recommend to only cut what is absolutely necessary. If your cuticles are well hydrated, it’s likely you won’t need a lot of cutting. I like to gently push back my cuticles, then go in with a soft buffer block and buff them out. Cleanse the nail area and go in with sharp cuticle nipper and gently cut only what is necessary.” Goldstein, who keeps her nails short and rounded, suggests using a non-alcohol based cleanser to prevent drying out the cuticles in the first place.

4. Leave gel and acrylics for special occasions
Where gel polish and acrylic extensions excel in efficiency, they can lack in safety. Both methods contain chemical compounds to adhere to the nail that can cause allergies and another skin issues, and the acetone and buffing required to take it off can hamper nail growth and cause breakage. “I only work with and use regular varnish: no gel, no acrylic, no dip,” says Goldstein. “The only time I will use a gel is when using stones or embellishments. I normally adhere them with a non wipe gel top coat on top of regular nail polish, which secures the embellishments, but I’m able to remove the manicure by simply using the oil based nail polish remover and don’t need to soak or use a drill to remove.”