My Nail Care Routine

Some nail gurus on Instagram and YouTube are afraid to share their routine for healthy, strong and long nails, but I am more than willing to share with you my secrets. A well-disciplined routine is required if you want the nail beds of your dreams. Beautiful nails don’t grow overnight. Here are my products are care tips to get healthy nails!

1. Cuticle Care Is a Must
   Nail growth begins at the cuticle, so if you want strong nails, you need beautiful cuticles. Using cuticle oils and butters are an absolute must! Apply them every single time you wash your hands, take a shower or expose your hands to the harsh cold. I usually apply cuticle butter twice daily and apply oil 3-5 times a day. My favorites are by Fortune Cookie Soap and SweetBabyByDonna. Make sure to do this every day. I find that when I skip even one day, I’ll break a nail.
2. Never Shower Naked
   This sounds silly, but this is best advice I’ve followed to get my nails to grow long and strong. Never shower without having at least one coat of clear or base polish on your nails. The nail absorbs an insane amount of water when soaked for even a minute, and all that water causes the nail to become weak and brittle. This also leads to peeling nails. The polish creates a barrier between the water and the nail, keeping them protected. Don’t shower naked!
3. File With a Glass or Crystal Nail File
   Emery boards are inexpensive, but they are horrible for your nails. If the grit isn’t fine enough the file will leave your nails with ridges and jagged edges. This will cause you to snag your nails and make them break. Using a glass or crystal file (I use this one) will prevent this.
4. Acetone > Non-Acetone
   You’ve probably heard by now that non-acetone is better for your nails because acetone is more drying on the nails and the surrounding skin. While acetone is worse for your nails, less is needed because it’s more effective. This means less exposure to the nail. Non-acetone nail polish remover is gentler, but more is needed to get polish off the nail. This causes more drying out. Stick to a acetone remover with moisturizers in it, like this one from Zoya.
   

Following these four steps has dramatically changed the health of my nails and I’ve only been following them since March. I highly recommend checking out Nail Care HQ. That’s where I learned how to properly take care of my nails and unlearned horrible nail health misconceptions.

Let me know if you are going to try any of these down below!

-Allie

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