It may not be top of mind, but prioritizing your nail care in the winter is a non-negotiable. While there’s a lot of focus on keeping your hair and skin hydrated in the cooler months, less attention is paid to the nails. But like everything else, our nails lose a ton of moisture when temperatures start to drop. Not to mention, the shift from the cold outdoors to a heated home or office can cause nail cells to continuously contract and expand, which weakens the cells and leads to breakage. If you’ve noticed your nails are dry, weak, and brittle come winter, here are the winter nail care tips every girl should know.
8 Winter Nail Care Tips Every Girl Should Know
1. Use a Cuticle Oil
If you’re not using cuticle oil yet, it’s time to start. Cuticles can become super dry in the winter months, as many people turn on their central heating, which leads to a drying environment. Apply one drop of cuticle oil to each cuticle before bed to help your cuticles stay moisturized and healthy. It will keep the skin around your nails soft and hydrated, which prevents cracking and splitting, and also helps stimulate nail growth. Keep a cuticle oil on your bedside table as a reminder to put it on each night. Even better, do a deep conditioning treatment at night by mixing a hand cream and cuticle oil and putting on cotton gloves. Keep them on for minimum half an hour or leave them on overnight.
2. Reduce Your Contact with Water
Too much contact with water can weaken your nail structure, leading to brittleness, peeling, and breakage. It can be particularly damaging during the winter months, when your nails are already more fragile. You don’t need to stop washing your hands or anything like that, but consider wearing gloves while doing the dishes, and shortening your showers so your hands aren’t wet for too long a time.
3. Try a Hand Scrub
Healthy hands means healthy nails. Just like your face and body need extra exfoliation during the winter months, it’s important to exfoliate your hands too. You should be sloughing away dead skin cells, especially if the cold, dry temperatures are making your hands super dry. Hand scrubs are an excellent way to soften and smooth your hands, and are the perfect addition to your winter skincare regimen. The Human+Kind Moisturizing Hand Scrub exfoliates with particles from dried raspberry seeds and hydrated silica. It strips away dead skin cells while rehydrating the skin with shea butter and sunflower seed oil.
4. Always Carry Hand Cream
When winter hits, you should never leave your home without hand cream. Look for a cream with super hydrating products like shea butter, hyaluronic acid, and almond oil. The L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream blends coconut oil and shea butter for a moisturizing formula that nourishes and soothes the hands. It smells heavenly and quickly rehydrates dry hands when you need it most! Make sure to rub it into your nails and cuticles to keep them conditioned too.
5. Eat for Your Nails
Just like your hair and skin benefit from a healthy, well balanced diet, your nails do too. Up your intake biotin-rich foods like eggs, almonds, avocados, and sweet potatoes. Foods with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids like fish and walnuts are also amazing for your nails. Protein is also important for nail health since nails are made of keratin, which is a type of protein. Red meat, eggs, salmon, and nuts are all excellent sources of protein. If you have a biotin deficiency, you can try adding a biotin supplement to your regimen, which can help strengthen your nails.
6. Give Your Nails A Break
If you’re someone who constantly has their nails done, you could be due for a break. Frequently applying and removing regular polish, as well as gels and acrylics can be really damaging for your nails, leaving them dry and weak. The removal process for gel and acrylics is what typically causes the most damage, and some salons end up doing it in a way that seriously damages the nail plate. Consider giving your nails a break and leaving them bare for a while. If your nails are really damaged, it may be best to allow them to fully grow out before doing anything else to them.
7. Try Press-Ons
If you hate the thought of not having your nails done but want to give your nails a break from the chemicals, try press-ons. Press-on nails have come a long way and brands like BTArtbox are making press-ons with real gel polish rather than printed ink. They look really natural, are durable, and stay on for weeks. They’re available in different shapes and designs so you can get your desired nail look without the damage. Just be careful when you’re removing them- make sure they’re ready to come off so you’re not ripping them off, which can damage the nail.
8. Protect Your Nails from the Weather
Our nails lose a ton of moisture when winter comes around. The cold weather, dryness, and wind all have a negative effect on our nails, plus moving between indoor heat and the chilly outdoors makes them even more dry and brittle. When you head outside, make sure to wear gloves to protect your hands from the harsh winter elements. Not only will they protect your hands and nails, the warmth created from the gloves will keep your hands softer and well moisturized. Cotton gloves are ideal as they allow your nails to breathe while also retaining the moisture on your skin.
If you notice that your nails are dry and brittle this winter, try these nail care tips to keep them growing long and strong.
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