It’s funny how sometimes we damage our health in our attempt to look healthier. We have all the techniques to create glossy, strong looking nails. But some of them destroy our natural nails – sometimes beyond repair!
I’m a recovering nail polish junkie who can tell you firsthand how damaging the wrong nail care techniques can be. And what I haven’t suffered myself I’ve seen on plenty of clients when I worked as an esthetician.
If you’re doing any of the following things on the regular, then your nails are crying out for some TLC. Here’s what doing your nails is really doing and how you can show your fingertips some love!
Going to town on your cuticles can cause permanent damage to your nails!
Aggressively pushing back your cuticles and trimming them down to the skin is bad for the health of your nails.
Each nail has a lunula, which is the half moon shape that joins to the cuticle. (By the way, some people’s lunulas are naturally visible while others’ aren’t, and that’s perfectly fine.) But a bit farther into the nail bed is the matrix, which is the powerhouse of your nail. It generates new nail cells (or keratin). The matrix is protected by cuticle, safely out of sight. That is, until a pair of cuticle scissors wreak havoc on it!
Cuticle scissors are great for the odd cuticle emergency – those loose strings of skin that come out of nowhere. But if you’re using them all the time to trim back any trace of cuticle, you may be overdoing it. When the matrix is exposed, it basically panics and generates tons of new cell growth to protect itself. The result is a telltale ridge or bump that grows out on the nail. You can literally watch the timeline of trauma as the ridge moves down your nail plate each week. OR, the matrix gives up. This leaves a divot or dip in your nail.
Have you ever got your finger caught in a drawer or a car door? F#$&!! Right? You probably noticed that your nail grew a little weird after that. That’s because the matrix was damaged, even though it wasn’t exposed. Sometimes the damage is so bad that the nail never fully recovers.
Cutting away your cuticle day after day, week after week, risks exposing your nails to the same damage as the car door, but in slow motion. Your nails can usually recover from the odd trauma. But a long term habit of pushing and trimming will damage your nails, maybe permanently.
Here’s a better option: Let cuticles grow!
I learned this the hard way. As an esthetician, I was a bit of a nail junkie. My cuticles were always red from daily pushing and trimming. I got to the point where I had to polish my nails to hide how weak and damaged they were.
You might naturally have little cuticle to worry about (lucky you!). But if you have cuticle that grows and grows, let it! Be patient and moisturize your cuticles daily with something like Paula’s Choice Lip and Body Treatment Balm. I use it on my cuticles at least once a day. Another great option is Paula’s Choice Cuticle and Nail Treatment Cream. Whatever you use, be patient and vigilant about moisturizing. Over time, those scraggly cuticles will smooth out and protect your nail again.
Now my cuticles are so healthy that they vanish over my nail. I can’t tell where my cuticle ends and my nail begins. And my nails are stronger and smoother for it. If they could talk, they’d say “Thank you!”
Low grit buffing weakens your nails
If you’ve had gel or acrylic nails, you know all about buffing or sanding! Nail technicians shave down your nail plate one layer at a time with an electric buffer. This leaves more room for them to build height with gel and acrylic. If they didn’t do this step first, your fake nail will look like it’s stacked onto your finger like Lego.
Caption: An electric nail buffer __________________________________________________________________________________ Another reason for using a coarse buffer is to prepare your nail for polish. Healthy nails are smooth and slick, which means polish doesn’t stick to them too well. Sanding gives your nails a grainy texture that polish can stick to.
Low grit buffing is practical but terrible for your nails! Nails have of layers of keratin that protect the vulnerable skin beneath the nail plate. Sanding off these layers makes them more permeable. So harmful or drying products like formaldehyde and alcohol can easily seep through. Sanded nails are also weak and flimsy with almost no natural growth.
Here’s a better option: Try a tacky base coat!
Instead of buffing down your nails to prep them for polish, try this instead: Wash your hands well with soap and water. You want zero oil residue on your nails. Then, apply a high tack base coat like Orly Bonder Basecoat. This is my all time favorite base coat. It sticks to my nails and holds polish better than anything else I’ve tried.
Remember not to moisturize at any step of your manicure. Oil prevents polish from sticking to your nail, or to itself. With a high tack base coat, your polish won’t budge. It’s your call if you want to wear gels or acrylics long term. Just know that, so far, it’s impossible to do this and preserve the health and natural beauty of your nails.
Polishing without a break suffocates your nails
Have you ever opened a pomegranate or cut up some beets and ended up with stained nails that won’t wash off? One time I tried a turmeric face mask and it dyed my nails neon yellow for like a week (not worth it).
Your nails absorb what’s on them, just like your skin. And they have a maximum that they can absorb. And they need to keep breathing!
If you wear polish constantly, you’re suffocating your nails. If they could speak, they’d tell you they feel pretty gross after months of polish without a breather.
People say that darker polish stains your nails. That’s true, especially if you don’t use a protective base coat. But what also causes yellowing is suffocation!
Think of toenails that are always wrapped in socks and squished into shoes. If polish were only to blame, then bare toenails wouldn’t turn yellow, but they do. Not breathing is one of the main reasons nails turn yellow. So it’s over polishing - not the color of polish – that’s the real problem. If you don’t go without nail polish ever, then your nails aren’t breathing.
Imagine wearing the same makeup for three months without washing your face. Yuck! It’s the same deal for nails.
Here’s a better option: Use a buffer for shiny nails
Bite the bullet and give up nail polish except for special occasions.
You can still have very attractive nails without polishing them. Try using a high shine buffer like Revlon’s Crazy Shine buffer. I swear by this buffer! The gritty side of the teardrop is so gentle that it won’t cause any damage. And the shiny side makes my nails look like I’m wearing a glossy clear coat.
Unpolished nails might seem unglamorous. But think of fashion models who keep their nails bare for castings. Plain nails could be a sign of modelesque sophistication. Very French, oui oui? It’s all in how you look at it.
As a former polish-aholic, I’ve been set free. It takes much less time to buff my nails to a high shine, and they’re healthier for it.
Soaking in nail polish remover dries out your fingertips
So your nail polish is chipping... It’s time to start fresh. If the polish is dark or glittery then Haha! Good luck! That’s never coming off.
It’s tempting to soak your fingers in nail polish remover while watching Netflix. I’ve done it. After one episode, the polish wipes right off. But believe me, the damage to your fingers isn’t worth the convenience.
Most nail polish removers contain acetone and isopropyl alcohol. These are very drying and irritating to the skin. If the goal of doing your nails is to have beautiful fingertips, then soaking them in acetone after each manicure is kind of backwards, isn’t it?
Here’s a better option: Press down and swipe away nail polish!
With nail polish remover, the goal is to limit exposure. Try this technique instead:Soak five cotton balls in nail polish remover and place one over each nail. Press down so that they’re stuck on there well. Then wait about five minutes. You want it to really saturate through the polish. When it’s time, pinch one fingertip and press down on the cotton firmly. Slowly press downward as you wipe it off your nail.
I’ve used this technique on clients wearing layers of polish. The key is to saturate well and wait. Then press firmly on that cotton ball and wipe it forward along the nail. This removes a good 85% of nail polish. Then you can use another cotton ball for clean up. This method takes a bit of patience but it’s so much easier than furiously scrubbing with a cotton ball and getting nowhere.
When you’re done, immediately wash your hands with soap and water to get rid of any residue from the acetone and alcohol. Finally, moisturize well! Use a good hand cream like Neutrogena Fast Absorbing Hand Cream or Paula’s Choice Ultra Rich Soothing Body Butter.
So when it comes to nail polish remover, limit exposure, clean off residue, and finally moisturize for beautiful fingertips.
Back in the day, I was committed to perfect nail polish at all times. When I stopped, it took time for me to actually like the look of my natural nails. But I took care of them, gave them some TLC, and they became noticeably healthier and stronger. Now I would never go back to doing all that work... just for all that damage!
Are you addicted to nail polish? Or do you think you have to have your nails done to be taken seriously, maybe at work? Please share in the comments below. I’d love to hear what doing your nails means to you.
References: Milady’s Standard: Comprehensive Training for Estheticians, 2003Paula’s Choice Ingredient Dictionary, Acetone, Isopropyl AlcoholCosmetics Info, Tosylamide Formaldehyde Resin What Doing Your Nails Is Doing To Your Nails
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