One of my most-missed pre-pandemic rituals is that of the manicure. Like any woman, I enjoy getting a full set with glitter nail polish and a cute little design. However, the pandemic has closed nail salons all across the nation. Times are tough for beauty queens and those who provide essential services for them.

Here are some tips for maintaining a good manicure in these difficult times:

Do Your Own

If you have normal length nails, learning how to do your own manicure can be therapeutic. The patience it takes to do the design embellishment? It can be a calming distraction for those who fidget or bite their nails. It takes extra effort to main a long natural manicure.

Stick-On’s

The main benefit to the stick-on is that is a quick, simple fix for those who may bite their nails out of nervousness. These nails are widely available at local drug stores in many different colors and designs. They provide decent results for 1-2 weeks. The only downside is that the under-nail gets grimy. Otherwise, length is short and good for typing.

Glue-On’s

After a few months of stick-ons, it’s worth it to upgrade to the kind of artificial nail that requires adhesive glue. These produce better results but still pop off from time to time. The main upside is that these brands come with fancier designs, longer, different shapes, multiple accents, and bright colors.

The main difficulty is that the extra handwashing required by coronavirus restrictions causes the nails to come off faster. The reason for this is that the oils in the soap interact with adhesive and wears it away.

If you absolutely must, dip out to the salon for a full set. But beware of scam artists! Many businesses are suffering due to Covid, so many have resorted to inflating prices to make up for the loss. Make sure you are clear about the price up-front. Otherwise you may get an unpleasant surprise.

Hopefully we can all get back to our normal beauty routines soon. Until then, enjoy these alternatives.