Are Your Nails Cracking and Brittle Like Mine? Steps to Take Now!

It’s Time to Step Up Your Winter Nail Care Routine

The cold winter season can be rough for your whole entire body. Your hair is dry, crackling, and full of static. Your skin is dry, itchy, and flaking. Plus, your nails can become brittle and crack. The super dry air in the winter months literally sucks the moisture from your body which really puts a damper on your beauty routines. However, your nails don’t have to take the brunt of it if you take proper care.

While it may be the season for chapped lips, it doesn’t have to be the season for ugly brittle nails!  Use this guide for your winter nail care routine all year round.

Why Are My Nails Brittle in the Winter?

The lack of moisture in the winter air is the main cause of dry, brittle nails in the colder months. The warm air in the summertime holds more moisture than the cold air in the winter, that cold, dry air seeps into your house every time you open or close the door which in turn causes you to crank up the heat. However, the warmth added by the heater doesn’t do anything to affect the humidity levels which leads to a whole lot of dry skin, brittle nails, and staticky hair.

Health Tip: If you think that your nails are excessively brittle, or you notice the brittleness even in the warm, moist months, check with your medical provider because there are a few chronic conditions that can lead to brittle nails. Other signs that something may be going on with your health are nails that are discolored (white, pink, or yellow) not due to polish stain or nails that grow very slow and thick.

A Quality Winter Nail Care Routine

The dry air now requires a slightly different winter nail care routine than what was needed in the more humid summer months. To keep your nails in tip-top shape and ready for spring, try this winter nail care routine:

• Use hand lotion at least three times per day, but it would be better to slather it on after each handwashing that gets done throughout the day.
• Use a heavy and thick hand cream at night. This thick cream will seal in the moisture while you are sleeping. Some people opt to wear gloves that keep the moisture in, but if you can’t stand to sleep in gloves, just a thick heavy cream will do.
• Use cuticle oil at least one time per day. Try putting it on in the morning and then again in the afternoon. The oil will keep your cuticles from turning into a chewed-up mess.
• Keep your nails a little shorter in the winter months. Having longer nails will lead to more snags and breaks since they will already be a little more brittle than usual. Keep them trim while the winter winds are blowing.

Products to Avoid on the Nails During Winter… and the Rest of the Year

There are so many beauty products on the market, and sometimes it can be hard to know if something is even a good product to use. Well, there are a few items available on the beauty aisle shelves that really aren’t that great for the nails. Try to avoid using these products during the winter months and your winter nail care routine:

• Nail Strengtheners: These nail strengthening products claim to make nails strong and hard, and they do just that. However, you actually want your nails to be strong and flexible because flexible nails don’t break as often. Instead of using a nail strengthener, use a base coat that offers protection without making your nail too rigid.
• Harsh Soaps: Harsh soaps like those used in a hospital or doctor’s office will absolutely strip the nails of their natural oils leaving them brittle and prone to cracking. If your employment requires that you use these types of harsh soaps, try to use a cuticle oil as much as possible to counter the drying effects.
• Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer: Hand sanitizer is super drying to the nails and the cuticles. If you absolutely must use it, make sure to use a good cuticle oil several times per day to keep the nail beds moisturized.
• Acrylic Nails: While this may seem like a quick fix for the weak, brittle nails of winter, applying acrylic nails can actually lead to peeling. If you love the look of acrylic nails, make sure that you have them applied and removed by a nail tech. Don’t attempt to pull them off yourself as this is where the most damage happens.

Toughen Up Those Weak Nails

While the number one thing you can do to make your weak nails tough again is to keep them properly moisturized, there are a few other tricks you can try to speed along the process when added to your winter nail care routine.

Steer clear of metal nail files because they can actually cause the edge of the nail to fray. Use a nail file with a softer grit to keep your fragile nails from snagging and peeling. Also, when filing do so in a single direction and at a slow tempo to reduce breakage.

Don’t peel your nail polish. If your manicure starts to chip avoid attempting to peel it off because a thin layer of nail tends to peel off with the polish. Remove it properly with nail polish remover, and then immediately reapply your base coat, polish, and top coat to keep the nails protected.

Check your shampoo. If you are one of those people with very oily hair, you may be using a specific shampoo to get rid of excess oil. However, you may inadvertently be stripping the oil from your nails in the process.

Related: Check Out the All In One Glass Nail File

DIY Nail Products

With the popularity of DIY tips and tricks on Pinterest, you know that homemade nail treatments wouldn’t be left off of the list! A good DIY, made with at-home ingredients, is a hand mask made of honey and raw oats. Rub on the hands and nails and let sit for four to five minutes, then rinse off with warm water. The natural ingredients will leave the hands feeling softer, and the skin and nails will be extra hydrated.

Another nail product DIY is a nice oil soak. It is really quite simple, just pour a small amount of oil into a bowl and let your nails soak for about 10 minutes. Once you are finished soaking, you can give your nailbeds a nice little massage to get all the blood circulating. You can use several different types of oil for this DIY: olive oil, coconut oil, argan oil, vitamin E oil, or castor oil.

Your Diet and Your Nails

Just as a healthy diet is important for all parts of your body, it is also important for your nails. By eating a well-rounded diet that is high in Vitamin B and protein, you will strengthen your nails from the inside. Eat plenty of lean poultry, bananas, nuts, beans, spinach, and fish all year long for the best-looking nails.

While water is the enemy of your nails, that only applies to water that is on the outside of your body. Your diet should include plenty of drinking water each and every day! Experts recommend at least six 8 oz glasses of water per day to keep the body properly hydrated.

You want to avoid excessive salt, caffeine, and sugar which is not only good for the skin and nails, but it is a good diet move for your overall health.

Vitamins for Healthy Nails

Just like you up your vitamin C during the winter months to ward of those pesky colds, you should also consider taking a few vitamins with your nails in mind. Biotin is the number one pick for healthy nails due to the way it strengthens them. Plus, it also helps your body make energy which is never a bad thing, especially in those chilly winter months.

Winter Nail Do’s

To keep our nails looking perfect all year long, there are a few things that you should do during the winter months that you will thank yourself for in the summer months.  Follow these rules when considering your winter nail care routine:

• Keep them polished. This little tip is actually good for the whole year through, your nails will be less likely to break or to peel when you don’t go around with naked nails. Protect your nails with a base coat, a polish, and a top coat.
• Use a humidifier. Turn all that dry air in your house or bedroom into nice warm and humid air. This practice isn’t only good for your nails, it works wonders for your hair and skin as well.
• Use a nail polish remover that contains acetone. Right now you are probably thinking: “No way!” However, nail experts agree that you should use the acetone removers in the winter months because they take off the nail polish faster and while using less remover. This quickness actually leads to less drying of the nails and skin, especially when it is immediately followed with a cuticle oil application.
• Wear gloves. Gloves will do double duty in the winter. Not only will they keep your nails warm and cozy, but they will also protect your nails from breaking. Plus, they will also keep you from doing something silly like trying to scrape ice off of a window using your precious nail instead of a scraper. Also, you should definitely be wearing good quality rubber gloves while you are washing dishes or doing any kind of heavy-duty cleaning.
• File, often. Keep your winter nails smooth and free of ridges with regular filing. Your nails will be handling a lot of sweaters, scarves, and gloves, and you don’t want them picking threads or getting stuck inside mittens. Try filing a few times a week to keep them in perfect condition.

Winter Nail Nopes

Just like there are things you need to do to keep your nails looking healthy and sleek, there are a few things that you should avoid at all costs in your winter nail care routine.

• Water. Water is the enemy of your nails. All year long, water is so so bad for your nails. They absorb the water which causes them to lose all of those healthy oils, and the loss of oils leads to breaking. The best way to protect your nails from water is to keep them painted: base coat, polish, top coat. That little three-step combination will keep the water from being absorbed and keep all the oils in the nails where they should be.
• Scented Lotions. While they do smell charming, the chemicals that are used to make the lotions scented can actually be drying for the skin and nails. Stick to unscented lotions in the winter and save your delicious smelling skin creams for the summer months when dryness isn’t such an issue.
• Cutting Cuticles. While it is okay to push back your cuticles, you should avoid cutting them away from the nails. The cuticles are a natural barrier that protects the nail from germs and bacteria; cutting them away can lead to a severe infection. If it gets bad enough, it can require surgical intervention!
• Biting Nails. This is another don’t that applies to the whole year, not just the winter months. Biting the nails is a terrible habit that can lead to serious infections from bacteria or fungi. Plus, chewed-up nails look terrible! Work very hard to break the habit if you happen to be a nail-biter.
• Using Nails as Tools. When you use your nails to slice open a plastic packaging, scrape off a sticker, or even open a can of soda, you are putting a lot of extra pressure on the weakest part of the nail. This pressure can and will lead to breaking and splitting. Grab a pair of scissors or a bottle opener and save your nails.

While there are a lot of things that have to be suffered through in the colder season (staticky hair, anyone?), having rough looking brittle nails is not one of them! All hope is not lost when you take proper precautions and combat the damaging effects of the cold, dry air.

More Winter Nail Care Routine Resources:

9 Ways Your Nail Care Routine Should Change In Winter

Nail Care Secrets For The Winter Months

How to Keep Your Hands Healthy