Have you struggled to take care of your nails for years? In this article, we’ll be digging into this problem and exploring how you can protect and care for your nails.
While nail care and manicures are incredibly popular, most people don’t take any steps to actually protect and care for their nails. You might be thinking at this point, “I visit my nail salon every week and use the best products to take care of them, I’m doing all that I can!” but believe it or not, this could actually be where your weakness lies.
We’re going to be going further into nailcare and explaining some of the best things that you can do to take care of your nails, make them stronger, and ultimately, make them healthier.
#1 – Cut Back on the Treatments
It’s great to take some time away from your stressful life and pamper yourself by getting a manicure and having salon staff tend to your every need, but this shouldn’t be a frequent part of your life. There’s no doubting that it can be tempting to take an hour out of your day every so often to walk into a salon and pay for the best treatments that you can afford, but it could actually be doing more harm than good.
Keep in mind that salon equipment is kept clean with cleaning chemicals and that you’ll likely have some products that contain chemicals in them too – exposure every once in a while is completely fine, but not every week!
#2 – Keep Your Nails Moisturised
This is something that most people aren’t actually aware of – you moisturize the rest of your body so why should your nails be exempt from this?
One of the best ways that you can moisturise your nails is to soak them in warm water for a few minutes (this softens them and makes them better absorb the moisturiser), and simply apply a small dab of moisturiser to each nail.
Commonly used moisturisers for nails are coconut oil, almond oil, or even just your body moisturiser. This takes only a few minutes to do and after a week or so, you’ll begin seeing how impactful this can be.
#3 – Stop Trimming Your Cuticles
While it’s understandable why you’d want to remove your cuticles, you shouldn’t do this under any circumstances. Your cuticles aren’t just there to help support your nails but are also used to prevent bacteria from getting under your skin and wreaking havoc.
This thin layer of skin at the base of your nails simply acts as a barrier due to how vulnerable your nails are – removing this barrier puts both you and your nails at risk of an infection.
An alternative solution to slicing away your cuticles is to push them back. This way they aren’t as visible, and you can reap the same benefits. There are plenty of kits available for doing this and you’ll likely find a cheaply priced one at a local pharmacy.
#4 – Take Care of Your Body
Another contributing factor to the healthiness of your nails is your diet. If you aren’t getting an appropriate amount of protein, the necessary vitamins, and nutrients that your body requires, your nails aren’t able to thrive.
The main thing that has been claimed to improve nail health is protein – eggs, milk, nuts, etc. – and while there hasn’t been any extensive studying here, it’s definitely worth giving a shot.
If you take a few minutes now to consider your diet and ask yourself, “Am I really eating the healthiest that I can?”, be honest and determine if there is room for improvement.
#5 – Keep Them Clean!
It should go without saying, but you need to keep your nails clean. Without overdoing it (yes, you can actually overclean your nails and this will dry them out), you should clean your nails once a day to remove any lingering dirt that is stuck under them.
Even if you haven’t done a lot of work that day or you’ve been snuggled up in bed, dirt and bacteria can still make its way under your nails.
#6 – Always Apply a Base Coat
Busy mornings can be hectic, and you’ve likely done this in the past – you’re not alone, we’ve all been there – but, skipping your base coat is the worst thing that you can do. A base coat is used to keep the nail polish separate from your nail whilst maintaining the same style and look.
When you don’t apply a base coat to your nails they are left vulnerable. This gives the toxins and other harmful components of your nail polish the chance to absorb into your nails which will do a lot of damage.
#7 – Get a Massage
That’s right – this is one of the few legitimate reasons that you can use to take a day away from the stress and go for a massage. Massages help to improve the blood circulation in your body and so, when you get a hand massage, the blood flow in your hands is increased.
Thus, your nails will be taking in more of the vitamins, nutrients, and calcium that has been absorbed into your bloodstream.
#8 – Know When to Cut Your Nails
You might feel tempted to never cut your nails, especially if your goal is to grow them out. However, it’s just as important to cut your nails when you’re growing them out.
Every couple of weeks, trim your nails (even just a millimetre or so) and carefully file them. Not only will this cut away the most exposed part of your nail, but it will help you to shape them to your own preference.
#9 – Take a Break from Nail Polish
Another thing that many people aren’t aware of is that their nails need to breathe every once in a while, and if you are constantly applying nail polish (among other treatments) to your nails, you’re not allowing them to do so.
If you don’t have any major plans during the week aside from heading into work or studying, then give your nails a break. Let them absorb the air around you to strengthen them and maintain their natural shine.
#10 – Buy Some Thick Rubber Gloves!
Lastly, invest in a few pairs of rubber gloves. Whether you’re preparing dinner, cleaning up, or you’re exercising your green thumb in your garden, rubber gloves can go a long way.
As we previously mentioned, there’s always going to be dirt finding its way under your nails and when you’re actively getting on with your day, this amount of dirt increases. Wearing gloves protects your nails from dirt and also makes it less likely that they’ll snap.
Thin latex gloves aren’t any good for nail protection – the chances are that if you want to protect and care for your nails, they’ll be a bit longer than usual and with latex gloves, they’ll quickly tear.
To Conclude…
By taking just some of these tips into consideration and applying them to your everyday beauty routine, you can greatly improve the health of your nails and prevent them from unnecessarily breaking. None of the things that we’ve suggested in this article are difficult to follow through with – just a few minutes of your day for a lifetime of happy nails, no excuses!
