Winter is Coming!
Hey Girls,
The winter months are not easy on the nails. Cold, brittle climates combined with heating indoors takes a toll on the nails and cuticles. Here are some tips on how to take care of your nails during the winter months and the best nail care products you can use.
Why Nails Hate Winter Two words:
"Moisture Loss, leaving them dehydrated.” Dried-out nails are more likely to break, split, and chip. Compounding the harsh climate conditions are stressors such as hot showers (water draws moisture from nails as it evaporates from skin) and drying products, like polish removers with acetone, alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and dish-washing liquid.
During the winter months, you might be showering with water that is hotter than you are normally used to. While a nice, hot shower might seem very pleasant when it's freezing cold outside, the truth is hot water can actually dry your nails out and make them brittle. I know this sounds hard if you love to take very hot showers, but it will be better for your nails and cuticles in the long run (as well as your hair, as it is also made of cuticles). The same goes for when you are washing your hands through-out the day, keep the water temperature lukewarm.
Lemon for nails! Yes, citrus helps keep your claws happy. It also makes your nails stain free. Soak your finger-tips in a bowl of lukewarm water and gently rub the lemon wedges on your nails. Follow it up with a moisturizer.
Intense hydration is the name of the game. Nails are made up of flattened dead cells containing keratin, but moisturizers can make them flexible, supple, and less likely to split and break. So apply after every hand washing, get in the habit of massage your nails with cream too. Just massage the cream into the cuticles to help stimulate healthy nail growth. At night, rub on cuticle oil ( olive oil also works). Recommend soaking nails in lukewarm water for no more than 10 minutes, then coating them with cuticle oil and slipping on cotton gloves for at least an hour.
I cannot stress the importance of filing every day. During the winter, the dry air is more likely to cause small tears in a growing nail, but keeping them filed daily with an Emory board is just the trick to keeping the ends hard and tough. Girls, if you paint your nails during the winter, make sure you pick a nail polish brand by a renowned cosmetic line. Avoid cheap brand nail polish, as they may contain lead. Also go for at least one day with unpainted nails so that your fingernails and cuticles can 'breathe'.
Also use unscented lotions when moisturizing your hands and nails. As pleasant as scented lotions smell, the truth is any perfume based lotion will dry your hands out. Stick to the basics, and you will have strong, healthy nails year round! So it is simple but these are effective way to take care of nails in winter.
