Do you have healthy fingernails? Is the skin around your nails in good shape, or are you forever cutting off hangnails and trimming your cuticles? Maybe you always keep them cut short because they break off or start to peel whenever they get too long. Or perhaps you remedy that by continuing a regular date with your nail technician, so your acrylics are always looking fabulous. If any of that sounds familiar, then you may be surprised (and quite pleased!) to learn that growing healthy, strong fingernails is a lot easier to do than you think!

Long, healthy, and beautiful fingernails are something that so many of us want, but so often the ordinary things we do with our hands every day are the very things that are preventing our nails from thriving. But...all is not lost! There are plenty of easy and quick things you can do every day that will help to transform your nails from brittle, weak, and broken, too long, healthy and beautiful.

To support healthy fingernails, it is helpful to know a little about what they actually are. Nails are made up of laminated layers of a protein called keratin, and just like your hair (which is also made of keratin), they can become weak and brittle when they aren’t cared for properly. Caring for your cuticles and the skin around your nails is also important, because when this skin becomes dry it is at risk of cracking and peeling, and when that happens there is an increased chance of skin infection.

When fingernails are healthy, they are smooth and strong; they have no pits or ridges, they are uniform in colour, and have no spots or discolouration. When your cuticles and the skin around your nails are healthy, they are soft, moisturised, and free of cracks, tears, and hangnails.

So how can you care for your nails and cuticles to ensure they don’t become weak and brittle, and how can you help them repair and grow healthy to become strong and nourished again? A great place to start is to buy a good quality natural cuticle oil, and reading our tips below because having fabulous nails really is a lot easier than you might think!

Do’s and Don’ts of Nail and Cuticle Care:

●    Do take regular breaks from wearing nail polish. Whether you visit a salon or do it yourself, your nails will benefit from taking a break from being coated in polish.

●    Don’t have acrylic nails applied all the time - they are quite damaging to your nail health! If you do like to get, them done for special occasions, always ensure that you go back to your nail technician to have them removed safely.

●    Do use a nail brush to clean under and around your nails, rather than anything sharp or pointy. Any cracks, splits, or cuts in your skin create an opportunity for bacteria to get in, and this could result in bacterial or fungal infections, either in the surrounding skin or in the nail bed itself.

●    Don’t ever cut your cuticles. Always soften them with cuticle oil and push them back. This way they sit neat and healthy at the bottom of your nails and nurture and protect your growing nails as they are meant to do

●    Do use a good quality, natural cuticle oil to keep nails, cuticles, and the surrounding skin moisturised and healthy.

●    Don’t bite your nails, your cuticles, or the skin surrounding them. This will more than likely split the skin, or pull the nail away from the nail bed, both of which increase the chance of infections.

●    Do wear gloves when doing dishes and cleaning, or for any jobs that expose your hands to water and detergents. Exposure to water for extended periods or exposure to cleaning detergents and both weaken your nails and strip them of their natural moisture.

●    Don’t saw back and forth with a nail file as this causes your nails to become weak, which can result in peeling and breakage. Aways file from side to centre in one direction. Filing this way also gives greater control so you can achieve that perfect shape you are looking for.

●    Don’t ever peel off your nail polish or your acrylic nails. Doing so removes the top layer of your nail along with your acrylic or polish, and your nails will end up soft, weak, and broken. Always use the correct solution to remove them.

As mentioned above, an effortless way for you to look after your nails is to use cuticle oil. A good quality, natural cuticle oil will help to prevent the loss of your nails natural moisture, as well as being smoothing and soothing to both the nail itself and the cuticle and skin that surrounds it. Our cuticle oil is both good quality and natural, and it supports your nails and skin to maintain moisture and strength, along with having natural anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties.

Jojoba oil is fantastic for nails and has natural anti-fungal properties. It also works to repair your nails collagen matrix naturally. Grapeseed oil has astringent properties and contains linoleic acid, which supports healing and is another excellent natural anti-inflammatory. Avocado oil works to heal nails that have become dry and brittle, and apricot kernel oil nourishes and supports the nails and cuticles by keeping them naturally hydrated.

So now that you know just how easy (and affordable) it is to grow the best nails you’ve ever had, will you swap your regular salon manicures to our natural cuticle oil? If you do, you’ll find that there is the added bonus of being able to do or buy something else to treat yourself because you’ll be saving so much money!