Beyond their aesthetic appearance, our nails play a fundamental role for our hand health and their quality can be influenced by all kinds of different external and internal factors. This is why it is so important to take care of them, and look for ways to nourish and strengthen them on a daily basis. Doing so will also ensure polishes and nail art will last longer which is another reason to get started!
Avoid Nail Damaging Risks!
Like the hair, the nails are composed of about 90% keratin, a strong protein produced by the Nail Matrix located at the base of the cuticles.
Put through daily stress, our nails are exposed to numerous factors that can make them fragile and more susceptible to damage. Breakage, splitting, yellowing, softening… These are just a few of the signs that can alert you to the degree of fragility of your nails.
Prevention and proactivity is always better than reactivity, so here are some situations to avoid if possible when considering nail health;
- Exposing your nails to chemical products or aggressive solutions (usually found in household cleaners for example) can damage your nails. Protect them with gloves or opt for gentle, natural, non-toxic formulas.
- Over-exposing your nails to humidity can also make them soft and or dry. That is right! It is a common misconception that our nails are waterproof, in fact our nails are porous and water can pass through the fibers, and over exposure to moisture can make our nails extremely fragile and soft which will cause polish to not adhere as strongly as needed for a long-lasting mani.
- Biting your nails is never a good idea! Other than being a bad habit due to hygienic concerns and risk of injury or infection, it also makes nails deformed and can increase damage by splitting, eventually making nails more flimsy and fragile. Better to find other ways to manage stress! In additional to nail biting, using your nails as tools to scratch or open objects is never a good idea!
- Incorrect methods for nail filing. Beware of back and forth motions and ill adapted tools. Giving your nails a beautiful shape while respecting their integrity is about all done with a file made specifically for natural nails with adapted grains and above all in one direction to avoid splitting and weakening them.
- Continuous application of gel and acrylics with acetone removals is notorious for creating weak, brittle and damaged nails. Risks associated with gel and acrylic have been a looming concern, especially recently as the rate of gel and acrylic manicures have risen. Acetone removal is horrible for the nails as it dissolves the natural fat layer of the nails that protects them. Nail fibers and keratin continue to be dissolved and nail health continues to deplete with each gel application and removal process. Additional scraping and drilling done after acetone soaking then furthers the damage to the nails.
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