Are Your Nails In Dire Need Of Help? Keep Them Healthy And Beautiful With These Tips!

To flatten the curve and stop the spread of COVID-19, non-essential businesses have been put to a pause, including nail salons, hair salons and other beauty clinics. It was definitely a difficult decision for business owners to make, but as we know, these are the precautions the community has to take in order to be one in the fight against this global pandemic.

In the weeks that have passed, a lot of the people have resorted to doing their own DIY projects at home, channeling their inner Martha Stewart by experimenting with new food recipes, decluttering a la Marie Kondo, or simply taking matters into their own hands. Case in point: DIY hair color and yes, DIY mani pedis!

Trying out new trends while at home is a fun way to kill time, but at the same time, our end goal is to keep our bodies healthy while in quarantine, and yes—that includes our nails! This may just be the time to put a pause on the nail polish and allow our nails to breathe. We may miss the nail salon and our trusty nail technician friends, but we say use this time to master the art of taking care of your own nails as well!

Ahead, a few useful ways to keep them healthy, beautiful and strong. Read ahead!

Moisturize.

When rubbing lotion or moisturizer onto your hands, make sure you work it into the cuticles and nails, too. Regular hand washing or use of sanitizer, especially during these times, can dry out the skin and nail bed quickly. So try to moisturize after every wash, if possible. 

Buff instead of color.

It may not be as fancy or eye-catching as color, but a bit of buffing every now and then can go a long way. Take the time to trim, file, and buff your nails properly and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how great they can look, despite being au naturel. Here’s a tip: Never saw back and forth with a file because that can weaken your nails. Always file from the outside edge of the nail inward. 

Pay attention to your diet.

Yes, diet is very important to maintaining healthy nails. Protein is crucial, as are omega-3 fatty acids. Eating foods with vitamin B reduces brittleness; zinc gets rid of white spots; iron prevents ridges from forming; calcium keeps them strong; vitamins A and C prevents dullness and drying. 

Read the labels on your polish.

Just as with makeup and skincare, not all nail polish brands are created equal, so make sure you’re buying or using a good product. We urge you to steer clear of polishes containing toxic chemicals like dibutyl phthalate, formaldehyde, and toluene, as these toxins can contribute to brittleness, splitting, and cracking.  

Give your nails a break from polish.

Although nail polish looks really nice, your nails need to breathe every once in a while. Constant use of polish, even non-toxic polish, can eventually weaken the nail. We suggest that after wearing a nail polish for a week or so, remove it with an acetone-free polish remover, and then let your nails be polish-free for a week.