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Dry, easily broken nails can be a problem at any time of year but like our skin it tends to be worse in winter when there is less humidity. Due to their porous nature, nails lose moisture very easily and easily become brittle and dry. Preventing moisture loss is essential. Nails will also be slower growing during winter (on average nails grow about 1mm per week). Apart from the weather and humidity there are a number of other factors that affect nail health:

• Nail polish remover is a really common cause of dry nails. Acetone removers are the worst (apart from other potential toxicity issues). To overcome this effect use an acetone-free remover and massage nail cream or cuticle oil directly onto the nail following use. The cream forms a protective layer over the nail bed helping to retain moisture.
• Nutrient levels will impact on your nail health. Among the first signs of low levels of certain nutrients are changes in our skin, hair and nails. Changes in nails can be seen as an early warning system that we may need a nutrient top-up. Calcium, iron, good fats, silica, vitamin A and B12 and protein if missing from our diet or not being processed efficiently by our bodies can all show up in our nails. Individual signs include:
  • Pale, spoon shaped nails can indicate low levels of iron.
  • Weak, brittle nails with slow growth may indicate low calcium or protein
  • Fragile nails with vertical or horizontal ridges may be a sign of low B vitamins
  • Splitting nails could indicate low Hydrochloride levels, which often correspond with poor digestive function.
• Remember that nails signs are only one indication of nutritional status and generally 3 or more signs are needed to give a strong indication. A general skin, hair and nails supplement may help to increase nutrition to the nail bed and eventually strengthen nails.
• Periods of ill health or stress may also impact on nail strength
• Swimming – chlorine can dry nails out so if you swim regularly carry a hand & nail cream in your swim bag and apply after your session.
• Use a soft nail file. Metal files can pull the nail bed and increase the risk of ripping or tearing nails.

A really good way of maintaining nail health is to protect them from damage in the first place by using gloves to wash up or garden. Then regularly apply hand & nail cream, taking the time to massage the cream into your nail bed.

I would love to hear any nail tips you might have.

Related Articles:

• Improve Dry, Brittle Nails

Black Nails - sexy or grotty?

Goth-like, dark & brooding or plain sexy? Love it or hate it, black nail polish is here to stay. Come the onset of cooler months and darker nail colours emerge as a season trend. Personally I struggle with liking this trend. So by way of challenging myself and maybe celebrating winter, I have taken on the darker shade of nail and while I may not quite go the full black, I am going to go a dark plum or purple. Gosh – if I mix this with green eyeshadow threat from my last blog I will look just a treat!

Winners of the 2010 Natural Health & Beauty Awards for “best nail lacquer”, Zoya have some dramatic darker shades – from deep black, to midnight blue to dark magentas. Choose your darker shade of nail:

Raven

Raven can be best described as: Intense satiny black with a very subtle silver shimmer.

Zoya Nail Polish - Mikka

Mikka can be best described as: Wintery deep wine purple with very fine, frosty silver shimmer.The silver shimmer lightens and adds interest to the vampy nail trend.

Indigo

Indigo can be best described as: A dark indigo blue shimmer with a pinch of holographic microglitter.

Casey

Casey can be best described as: Dark, rich, saturated blackened red-purple creme. Impossibly sexy and dramatic to vamp up your look.

When running with this trend, just remember darker nail shades, particularly black must be applied carefully. They are unforgiving and can look tacky if chipped or sloppily applied. Love it or hate it, will you wear black nail polish this season?

On another nail polish related note, while surfing Yotube I came across this video about the toxic ingredients in regular nail polishes. Fortunately Zoya contains NONE of these ingredients which is why we chose this brand. Yay to Zoya!

The toxic ingredients in nail polish should be a bigger issue than they are. Commonly found in most commercial nail polish brands are phalates, formaldehyde, camphor and toulene, each one of these with the potential to increase the toxic burden we place on our bodies. The only way to avoid them is to choose non-toxic nail polishes and may I say, non-toxic brands should be more common than they are.

So while the brand we use is not 100% natural (there is currently no such thing as a natural nail polish) we make sure it contains non of the aforementioned ingredients. I have made a video which discusses each of these potentially harmful ingredients and showcases Zoya, the brand of non-toxic nail polish we use in our organic beauty salon.

View our range of Zoya nail polish. We currently have a range of 19 colours and expanding as we get requests. Check out Fergie and Zsa Zsa, my favourite colours or Hope which Roechelle is currently wearing. Tell us what your favorite colour or if you have used any other non-toxic nail polish ranges.