Abby’s Corner | Nail Polish Tips For Blind/VI Women
Bonjour!
I hope this week has been a pleasant one and you’re ready to enjoy the weekend. Earlier in the week, I was asked how a totally blind or partially sighted person could be taught to do their own nails. So I put together a list of helpful tips, some of which could be beneficial to anyone:
- Patience – and a steady hand is my number one tip for anyone wanting to learn how to polish their own nails. Practice and preparation with helpful tools make the process a little easier.
- Tools – tray, task lamp, polish remover, cotton swabs, petroleum jelly, nail polish. Using a tray to contain spills as well a surface for painting nails keeps workspace tidy. Keep polish remover on hand for accidents.
- Petroleum jelly – applied with cotton swabs on the outer edges and base of nails. This prevents polish from adhering to skin, once it’s dry simply wipe off.
- Nail protectors – stencils that protect the skin from polish. I found these on Amazon: DancingNail
- Elmer’s glue – use Elmer’s around the nail bed. Let it dry for a few minutes. Polish nails, let dry and then peel off the Elmer’s.
- White vinegar – wiping nails with white vinegar before painting provides a smooth application and longevity of polish.
- Refrigerate polish – 15 minutes prior to use. Helps the polish to go on smoother and you’ll feel it if any gets on your skin.
- Toe separators or cotton balls – Can be used to keep fingers separated.
- Application – paint nails in three even brush strokes beginning in the center of the nail then the two sides.
- Nail wraps – Jamberry
Keeping in mind the nail salon may not be an option for many reasons, with lots of practice and the desire to learn, you too can become adept at painting your nails. Do you have any tips to share? We’d love to hear them.
Au revoir! ~Abby
Image Description:
The header and additional image are two different photos of six generic bottles of nail color in a range of colors from light to dark pink, red, white and yellow.