Nail Care Tips

Hi everybody! Haven't posted in a while because I didn't have any real thoughts on what to post about. Today I wanted to share some tips that have helped me with a nail problem. For a while, I've had peeling on my nails, which has been frustrating and discouraging. I've tried many different things and have read through many nail blogs and gathered some tips that have worked for me. I thought I'd share this with you all today, so here they are:


1. Moisturize. Nails need to be properly moisturized so they don't end up dried out and peeling. I like OPI Avojuice skin quenchers for an everyday lotion because it leaves my hands soft/moisturized and it smells great! At night I use Lush's Lemony Flutter cuticle butter.

2. Hydrate. Drink plenty of water through out the day to keep your skin and nails healthy and moisturized (from the inside out).

3. Glass Files. To file my nails I've been using my NailTek glass file, which isn't too rough on them. I file from one end to the other (one motion) because I've found when I file back and forth in a "sawing" motion my nails would start to peel.

4. Clip nails only after they've soaked in water (say like after you shower) and are softer and easier to manage. I also noticed that if I would clip when dry, my nails would actually crack! (My nails are a bit thick so clipping them dry would be harder on them).

5. Only file when dry. This took me quite some time to realize. I used to file my nails after I would shower once I finished clipping. I then read that water swells and separates the layers of the nail (which might be another reason people get peeling nails if they constantly immerse their hands in water...so use gloves). Once I began filing my nails only when they were completely dry is when I saw some dramatic results...no more peeling!

Just to throw a few more things out there, I use OPI's Original Polish Remover (it's a green one that is "enriched with aloe vera" and is "non-oliy") that I get at a local beauty supply. It removes polish effortlessly and doesn't dry out my nails. Additionally, I've been using Deborah Lippmann's "Hard rock" as a base coat which has helped harden my nails. Once in a while I give my nails a "break" for a day, or even a week, by not using anything on them and simply moisturizing (I've felt that when I continuously wear nail polish, my nails start to look yellow).

I hope these tips were helpful to some of you experiencing some trouble with peeling nails as well. I am not a nail technician, medical professional, or expert. What worked for me might not work for everyone else but it might be worth a shot. Thanks for reading!