3 Top Tips for Beautifully Strong & Healthy Nails

nail treatment tipsTired of weak nails that split, peel and break? Do you dream of having beautifully strong, healthy nails that you can grow easily and be proud to have on show? Add these 3 top tips to your daily beauty routine and live the dream!

We rely on our hands more than we might think to give a good first impression. Neat, healthy and well cared for hands and nails are an essential aspect of a complete and well turned-out appearance. It is no wonder then that most of us strive and long for strong, beautiful looking nails that we can be proud of.

There is a lot of advice out there about the best way to achieve this, so much so that it can become a minefield. But fear not! Beautiful, healthy looking nails are possible and relatively easy to achieve with a bit of thought, care and attention.

Here are my top 3 tips for beautifully strong and healthy nails.

Moisturise, Moisturise, Moisturise

A good daily moisturising routine is essential for keeping our skin healthy as well as looking and feeling great. While many of us use face creams and body lotions as second nature, often our hands can become neglected.

Hand cream and moisturisers are great for your nails. Regular use can help reduce the risk of nail breakages as your nails begin to retain the moisture from the cream. For maximum benefit, try to use hand cream morning and night, concentrating on massaging it into the cuticle area as much as possible. Moisturiser will naturally target the cuticle area, but massaging will help to stimulate the blood supply and encourage healthy nail growth.

Adopt Good Filing Technique

Filing your nails is an essential part of healthy nail care and maintenance. However, many people may not realise that knowing and using the proper filing technique can significantly reduce the risk of nail breakages. Here are some top tips for perfect filing:

  1. Never use a sawing motion when filing nails as this causes heat which will cause the free edge to weaken, split and peel. Instead, use long flowing movements in one direction only.
  2. Never use a metal file! Metal files are coarsely grained and harsh; don’t be tempted into using rough grain files to cut down filing time. For natural nails a fine grain file or emery board between 40-100 grit is ideal. Any files above 100 grit are intended for use on fake nails, i.e. acrylic, gel or fibreglass.
  3. If you have very long nails, then always clip them down to the basic desired shape before filing. Clipping the nail makes your filing process easier and helps to prevent splitting.

For a visual demonstration of good filing technique check out this YouTube video.

*Expert tip* While filing can be used to create some cool looking nail shapes like the ‘Almond’, ‘Stiletto’ or ‘Ballerina’, these shapes can also weaken the nail and make them more susceptible to breaks. If you want to file your nails this way, then be even more careful with your filing technique and be sure to moisturise regularly to encourage that healthy nail growth!

Get The Right Nutrients For Your Nails

The way your nails look and feel can be greatly affected by what you eat. Making good food choices can have great benefits for the health of your nails and surrounding skin, keeping them strong and looking great. Eating a healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables alongside drinking plenty of water means your body can absorb the nutrients that your nails (as well as your skin and hair) need for healthy growth.

Nails are made of keratin, a protein, making a protein rich diet invaluable for strong healthy nails. Meat (or meat substitutes like tofu), eggs, beans, pulses and fish are all great sources of protein. Fish (in particular oily fish like salmon and tuna) is also a great source of omega-3 essential fats, another key nutrient for keeping nails strong and healthy. Other foods containing omega-3 that are great for helping keep nails strong and split-free include walnuts, almonds and flax seeds.

For more information and nutritional tips to improve the overall health of your nails check out ‘Eat your way to stronger, healthy nails’ by Dr. Joey Shulman, author of ‘The Natural Makeover Diet’.

Elite School of Beauty offers fully accredited nail treatment courses. To know more about this offer, visit our nail treatment course training page, the Facebook page or contact Clare Weyers directly by telephone on 01279 755077. You can also email your query to info@elitebeautyschool.co.uk.