Healthy Hands & Nails

Our resident Hand & Nail expert, and popular beauty blogger, Amanda Rieter, shares her secret to beautifully strong nails, and wonderfully neat cuticles...

Manicures are the ultimate accessory to any ensemble. On the runway, in magazines, and on Instagram, everyone from novices to experts are experimenting with nail art.

Here is my secret to healthy, beautiful hands & nails - Don’t strip your hands and nails of moisture! 

Some of the most common nail ailments (think splitting, peeling and cracking) happen because your nails are weak due to dehydration. When your nail loses moisture it’s unable to maintain a healthy balance in your nail bed and newly formed nails. As a result, your nails (and new nails) become week and prone to breakage or splitting.

Help is on the way! Here are a few simple steps to keep your digits in tip top condition.

Change the Way You Wash

Antibacterial soaps, heavily fragranced soaps and harsh hand sanitizers are full of ingredients that will dry out your skin and your cuticles/surrounding nail bed. Try trading out harsh soaps and sanitizers for more gentle, fragrance free cleansers. I’ve actually been washing my hands with my favorite body wash from Ouish Boutique lately, but certainly use your favorite moisturising cleanser.

 

When I’m out during the day and can’t have my own handwash with me, I am sure to use a moisturiser after washing my hands. Find a non-greasy moisturiser and further reduce any greasy feeling by gently wiping your palms with a paper towel.  Look for products containing super moisturising ingredients like shea butter, almond oil and vitamin e. 

Carry Cuticle Balm or Oil

Did you know the cuticle is responsible for maintaining moisture within the nail and keeping it healthy? 

One of the most important things you can keep in your purse or pocket is your favorite cuticle oil or balm. Dry cuticles will stick to your nail bed which leads to small cracks in the surrounding skin. This leads to common ailments like hangnails which in turn can lead to infections. Here hydration is the key and it’s important to apply a heavy emollient and rub it into the nail bed, cuticle and surrounding skin often (minimum 2x per day).  A small amount of these product go a long way.

For my friends who bite their nails, I’ve actually recommended using cuticle balm every time they have the urge to bit their nails. It works a treat.

Establish your Own Routine

Night time is the best time of day to indulge your hands. This is because overnight you allow your hands and nails time to fully absorb the healing products you've applied. I recently wrote a blog post about my favorite hand and nail care routine which I will summarise for you today!

I like to start my evening routine for my hands and nails after I’ve washed my face. Using a sugar scrub 2-3 times a week is a great way to exfoliate dry, dead skin. I recommend using a sugar scrub because they tend to be more hydrating than a salt scrub-  which are generally more detoxifying.  I like to use my Ouish Boutique whipped sugar scrub or Sunny’s Body Products Sugar Scrub, but you can use your favorite! Don’t have one? You can even make some at home!

Follow the scrub with a soak in lukewarm water.  Why lukewarm? Because hot water can strip away the natural oils in your skin.  Here is a fun way to treat yourself – use a mani bomb! You’re probably familiar with bath bombs that you use in the tub, but these are smaller and used just for your hands (and feet!). Packed with goodness for your skin, drop one of these in a basin and soak your hands for 5-10 minutes.  Lots of indie makers are offering mani bombs these days or you can always use part of a larger bath bomb.  You can also look up oatmeal/milk bath recipes on Pinterest as well.  Cinema Swatch makes a powdered ‘Mani Milk’ product that I’m also a big fan of.

My little secret to super soft hands and nails is using body oil at night after I wash (and/or soak) my hands. Use your favorite – some of mine include Neutrogena (mainstream) and Ouish Boutique (indie).  Pat dry with a towel and apply your favorite hand cream.  If you have them, apply cotton gloves to lock in moisture.

If you’re a polish lover like myself and find yourself painting your nails multiple times a week be sure to use a polish remover that contains moisturising oils and save the pure acetone for nail art clean up. My favorite removers include Zoya Remove + (mainstream) and Cinema Swatch Lacquers ‘Deleted Scenes’ (indie). The bonus to Cinema Swatch is that they offer the remover in multiple scents! When was the last time you had Persian Pear polish remover that actually smelled good, removed glitter polish like a champ and left your nails feeling healthy?!

There you have it – a game plan to make over your mani for healthy, beautiful hands and nails. Want to try some of my favorite products?! I’ve included a list for you below!

Cuticle Butters/Oil - Nail Butter (US/UK);  LUSH Lemon Flutter Cuticle Butter (US/UK); Sunny’s Body Products  Cuticle and Intense Cuticle Oil (Ships Internationally- has hundreds of scents!) Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

Soaps/Washes/Scrubs – Ouish Boutique (Ships Globally) Body Wash, Scrub and Body Oil; Sunny’s Body Products Sugar Scrub (pick your scent); Anything you like from LUSH (US/UK/CAN/JAP) but I love the new Prince Charming scent and Putty for Your Hands!  Cinema Swatch Lacquers Mani Milk.

Lotions - Aquaphor ; Jergens BB Hand Perfecting Hand Cream (includes SPF!),  Lush Helping Hands, Sunny’s Body Products Miracle Balm and Hand Butter.

By: Amanda Rieter, Polish & Plates