One of the easiest beauty goals to obtain is long, strong nails. Reaching weight loss and clear skin goals can take months of discipline, but beautiful nails can be achieved in just weeks. While pushing toward your loftier beauty goals, try these three key steps to longer, stronger nails.
Makeup Before You Breakup
Healthy makeup products hydrate and nourish the skin with vitamins and nutrients while diffusing imperfections — and the same goes for good nail cosmetics. Butter London’s treatment line for nail care includes a nail foundation, a tinted moisturizer (in six neutral shades) and a UV protector. Each formulation is 8-free, gluten-free, and cruelty-free.
Use these products in the same order you would their skin makeup counterparts: prime/cover, tint and protect. They include ingredients like horsetail root, keratin and hydrolyzed silk, which are all proven to encourage nail health. With continuous use, your nails will not only look flawless, but they’ll grow healthy and strong.
Eat a Collagen-Rich Diet
Collagen is one of the major proteins found in nail beds. It supports the nail infrastructure, and when your body needs more of it, your nails will be brittle and break easily. One of the major nail benefits of collagen peptides is the amino acid arginine, which carries nitric oxide through the capillaries and into the nail bed In short, collagen helps to feed the nail bed, helping to promote its health and growth. Replace brittle, discolored nails with longer, stronger nails by boosting your diet with 20g of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides every day.
Give Your Cuticles Some Love
Just like a healthy gut equals healthy skin, healthy cuticles equal healthy nails. Nail growth starts right beneath the cuticle line, in the matrix. It’s essential to protect and nourish that area if you want long nails. Also, while hair trims are healthy and promote growth, trimming your cuticles is not a good idea. It’s tempting, as a trimmed cuticle looks well-groomed, but doing so can cause excess bacteria growth, which makes the nails prone to infections. Instead, moisturize your cuticles with natural ingredients like vitamin E or sweet almond oil. Both are packed with nourishing nutrients that hydrate and protect.