Beauty

10 Nail Care Mistakes You’re Making and How to Fix Them

Chipped and ragged nails can ruin your carefully crafted look in an instant. Avoid these common mistakes to dramatically improve the appearance of your nails.

1. Biting Your Nails

Nail-biting is a terrible habit that can lead to serious infections by transferring bacteria from your nails to your mouth. To break this habit, try indulging in nail art. Beautifully polished nails will make you think twice before ruining your hard work.

2. Picking Off Polish

Picking off nail polish can damage the top layer of your nail plate, leading to brittle nails. Always use a nail polish remover. For on-the-go situations, keep small nail polish remover wipes in your purse.

3. Cutting Your Cuticles

Instead of cutting your cuticles, use a cuticle softening oil and gently push them back. If you’re not satisfied with this method, try a cuticle remover to avoid dealing with hard, torn pieces.

4. Eating Unhealthy Food

Your diet affects the appearance of your nails, skin, and hair. Avoid sugary sodas and alcohol. Instead, opt for foods rich in magnesium, calcium, and biotin. Biotin, a water-soluble B vitamin, contains sulfur that helps structure collagen, improving hair structure and nail elasticity.

Foods rich in biotin include egg yolks, oats, nuts, mushrooms, soy, rice, tomatoes, spinach, potatoes, and fish.

5. Skipping Base Coat

Without a base coat, your nails can become stained and damaged. Choose a base coat with nourishing components like vitamins A, E, and B5 to protect and strengthen your nails.

6. Preferring Gel or Acrylic Nails

While gel and acrylic nails look stunning, they can seriously damage your natural nails. The process involves rough polishing and soaking in acetone, which can thin and weaken your nail plate.

7. Cleaning Without Gloves

To prevent your nail polish from chipping and your nails from becoming brittle, wear gloves when doing household chores. Water can weaken your nails by causing the sensitive cells to constantly contract and expand. To restore moisture balance, apply jojoba oil to your cuticles.

8. Using Harmful Chemicals

Some nail polishes contain harmful chemicals like formaldehyde. Opt for brands like Essie, M.A.C, Estee Lauder, and Lancome, which have excluded these harmful chemicals from their formulas.

9. Using Nails as Tools

Avoid using your nails to open or scratch things. This can cause your nails to chip, peel, or break. Always use the pads of your fingers instead.

10. Changing Polish Too Often

While it’s tempting to change your nail polish color frequently, doing so can dry out your nails due to the strong solvents in nail polish removers. Give your nails a break between polish changes to keep them healthy.

For more information on nail care, visit American Academy of Dermatology.