Help! My Nails Are Damaged
When it comes to first impressions, nothing makes a worse statement than unkempt nails and scruffy shoes. You could always get a new pair of shoes, but your nails are here to stay. Manicures and pedicures allow you to change your beauty look according to your mood, your outfit, the season, or the occasion — without breaking the bank. However, if your nails are brittle, damaged, or weak, veer away from the nail polish temporarily and restore your nail health with these tips from Los Angeles-based celebrity nail artist Stephanie Stone. “If your nails are splitting, bending, ripping, or sensitive at all, you know your nails need a little TLC,” she says.
Avoid almost all products on your nails.
Even nail polish remover or peeling stickers off your nails can be damaging on your nails, so keep them trim and clean while they’re healing.
Rejuvenate your nails with proper grooming tools.
Stone recommends applying Butter London Horse Power Nail Fertilizer ($19), a nail rejuvenator, every day for up to two weeks. “It will keep your nails shiny and you’ll be able to notice the difference in your nail health very quickly,” she says. She also gives Dr. Hauschka Neem Nail & Cuticle Oil ($39) to celebrity clients who are struggling with brittle nails because it comes in an easy-to-carry pen format. “Applying it to your nails throughout the day is a small thing you can do that makes a big difference to speed up the process,” she says.
Eat foods rich in biotin, protein, zinc, magnesium, and antioxidants.
You probably already do that, but now you have more incentive to eat fish, almonds, eggs, oysters, spinach, and blueberries. “Don’t forget to drink lots of water.” Stone adds. You can also take a daily biotin supplement, like Nature’s Bounty Hair, Skin & Nails Gummies ($8).
Give yourself a hand massage.
“It not only moisturizes your hands and nails, but it also forces you to relax since your hands are tied up,” Stone advises. She first rolls H. Gillerman Organics Muscle Remedy ($48) on each finger and the back of the hands for relaxation. She then rubs John Masters Organics Cacao And Cupuacu Hand And Body Butter ($32) into hands and nail beds as a light hand massage. Lastly, while there is still a generous amount of the butter on hands, she puts on fuzzy gloves for 30 minutes.
When your nails are healthy again, opt for 5-free non-toxic nail polish.
Luckily, most nail brands are 5-free, which means they don’t have formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate, formaldehyde resin, camphor, or toluene. “Don’t waste your time with anything else,” Stone says. “At this point, nail polish can be made to have a great formula without all the chemicals, so any brand that isn’t 5-free really has no excuse.” Some of her favorite 5-free brands are Jenna Hipp, RGB Cosmetics, Jin Soon, Deborah Lippmann, NCLA, and Chanel.
Avoiding buffing, even if your nail technician insists on it.
Yes, it makes your nails super shiny, but it also removes layers of healthy nail bed that you need to keep them strong. Stone says buffing should only be used if you have a snag on your nail.
Follow these five basic nail care tips.
Give your nails a weeklong break from lacquer at least once a month.
Never pick off your polish or gels because this is also peeling off layers of your nail that you need.
Never use your nails as tools.
Keep your hands and cuticles moisturized to avoid hangnails and splitting nails.
Never file your nails in a sawing motion. You want to file and lift in order to not split the tips of your nails. Think ”side to center.”
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What Are Your Nails Trying to Tell You?
