Take Care of Your Natural Nails with These Easy Steps

From summer to fall, your nails are a major avenue of self expression. Whether you want to go bright and bold or subtle and chic , your nails tell a story about who you are.

But while it’s easy to jazz up your nails with acrylic and gel manicures , what about investing in your natural nails? A healthy set of nails can save you not only money and time, but leave you proud knowing you grew and maintained them yourself. If your natural nails have ridges or dents, or don’t seem to be growing past a certain length, some simple TLC can totally revitalize their health and give you a natural French tips look.

How To Revive Your Natural Nails

Your fingernails, which are composed of laminated layers of a protein called keratin, should be smooth and grooveless, uniform in color, and free of spots or discoloration. While fingernails can develop white lines or spots due to injury, those should eventually grow out with the nail. Beyond that, any major changes in color and shape, thinning or thickening, swelling or bleeding should be addressed by a dermatologist.

However, if you know there’s nothing dire going on and are simply looking to revitalize your nails, here are some easy yet effective tips:

Maintain Nail Hygiene

From regularly cutting your nails to wearing gloves when washing with harsh cleaning products, keeping your fingernails dry, clean and protected can prevent bacteria from growing and limit exposure to anything that may strip out natural oils, leaving your nails prone to breakage, splitting and cracking.

Collagen

A source of protein known to transform your hair, skin and nails, adding 1-2 tablespoons of collagen powder per day to your morning coffee or tea can make all the difference. Not only will your skin elasticity and hair growth benefit, but the strength of your nail can double! One study in a group of women showed faster nail growth and fewer broken or chipped nails after only 4 weeks of daily collagen supplements.

Moisturize Your Cuticles

When you’re putting lotion all over your body, don’t skip over your cuticles! They are nature’s way of protecting your nails from infection and neglecting them can lead to inflammation and infection. Therefore, it’s important to keep your cuticles moisturized and healthy. As a bonus, oils like castor oil, jojoba oil or coconut oil are a totally natural and chemical-free way to keep your nail beds revitalized.

Biotin

Another transformative supplement in women’s health, biotin is known to help those with brittle nails increase their nail firmness, hardness and thickness. Whether through capsules or gummies, studies show that taking around 2.5 mg of biotin daily can make all the difference.

Keep Your Nails Short At First

While long nails are all the rave, it shouldn’t be at the expense of your nail health. In the beginning of your nail journey, maintain a shorter length until your nails are strong enough to not break while long. You’ll get to a longer length eventually and will be able to maintain it for much longer.

Nail Hardeners

There are plenty of nail hardeners on the market that can help strengthen nails and promote accelerated growth. And if you’re painting your nails, it’s also worth using natural base coats and top coats that can act as a barrier, protect the strength of your nail and prevent chipping.

A Healthy Diet

You’re probably sick of hearing it, but you are what you eat. Getting enough daily protein, Vitamin E and fish oil, and eating a diet full of colorful vegetables, fruits and whole grains will lead to a complete transformation in your nails (and the rest of your body, too!)

Beyond implementing these tips, avoid biting your nails and picking at your cuticles, and opt for an acetone-free formula when using nail polish remover. And if you do cave and return to the salon, make sure they don’t remove your cuticles and properly sterilize all tools to keep your nails underneath happy and healthy.

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