The journey to achieving healthy and beautiful nails is long and often times mired with frustration but the end result is worth it all. You must be wondering, now that my nails are finally on track what happens? Well, sweetheart, that’s what I’m here for. Let’s dive straight into what we have for today.
10 Tips to Keep Your Nails Healthy and Beautiful
1. Practice Good Nail Hygiene: Yes, nail hygiene is a thing and yes, it is important. Having good nail hygiene can prevent you from getting infections. Keeping your nails dry and clean prevents bacteria from growing under your fingernails. Repeated or prolonged contact with water can make your nails split so when doing the dishes or mopping your house be sure to wear gloves. Not just any gloves mind you but cotton-lined rubber gloves. This has the added bonus of keeping your nails dry and protecting your skin.
2. Moisturize: I cannot stress the importance of keeping your nails moisturized at all times. It is crucial for nail growth and maintenance. When your hands and nails are moisturized, it prevents breaking, splitting, and thinning so be sure to get a good moisturizer.
3. Apply a protective layer: This is simply talking about nail hardener. If you don’t have acrylics on, apply nail hardener. This helps strengthen the nails.
4. Take Nutritional Supplements: You can never be too healthy and neither can your nails. To maintain and keep them looking healthy and beautiful, I suggest you take nutritional supplements such as biotin to help strengthen your nails and keep them from becoming weak or brittle.
5. Moisturize Cuticles: Your cuticles are the protective layers around your nails so you must take care of them well. If you cut them back too far or push them around too aggressively, you damage them. That, in turn, leaves our nail bed open to infection.
6. Trim your nails: I know it’s the dream to have beautiful long nails and you can but in order to achieve that, you need to trim those nails! Trimming your nails regularly helps you maintain healthy nails and avoid snagging or breaking. Give your nails some additional love and room to grow.
7. Clean nails with a nail brush: let’s face it, ladis, sometimes, no matter how careful we are, particles get under the nails and if not cleaned out can accumulate. This leaves our nails looking dirty and unattractive. You’re at a risk of infection if you clean under your nails using long, pointy tools. The best way to clean your nails is to scrub gently with an old-fashioned nail brush. Your recipe to maintaining beautiful, healthy nails
8. Minimize manicures: This one is heartbreaking, especially for my ladies who love their manicures. I still have good news for you though, you don’t have to completely get rid of them but instead, keep manicures simple to preserve healthy nails. Skip the acrylics once in a while and allow those gorgeous nails to breathe some oxygen and soak in sunlight.
9. Be Gentle on your Nails: Your nails are delicate, so treat them that way. Your nails are not tools for you to use to open that bottle of canned soda. Guard your nails and treat them well in order to maintain them.
10. Prioritize nail health over length: Like the next girl, I love a set of long nails because they are elegant and make my hands look snatched. However, if you’re someone who struggles with hangnails or breakage, long nails are not for you. It can be hard to get used to but after a while, you adapt.
