Year in, year out we have to battle the exact same problems: Dehydrated hands and brittle nails. The constantly cold temperatures in combination with regular soaping and the drying central heating slowly suffocate and kill our skins’ surface especially when it comes to our hands. Now imagine we would have to face these circumstances for more than just one season. One of the coldest places on planet earth is Siberia, where temperatures are likely to drop to minus 25 degrees Celsius or even lower.
Naturally, this is neither good for your nail care nor your health. Here are some basic but crucial tips on how to prepare your hands and nails for winter.
Use moisturizer on both hand and nails
It seems obvious but moisturizing one’s hands after every wash-up is absolutely crucial during the cold months. Nails are incredibly prone to moisture loss. L’Occitane’s Shea Butter Hand Cream with 20% shea butter, honey and almond extracts is for instance one of the best hand creams I personally have used. Your nails will love this hand cream as well.
Do not forget your cuticles
As a result of drier than normal hands, cuticles can be directly affected and on top of that: It can hurt so much once your cuticles get ragged and all roughed up. They can actually rip open and invite all sorts of bacteria inside your body. Use natural oils including castor and sesame oil to both soothe and condition your cuticles. You can for instance find raw castor oil here.
No-Go’s for an effective winter nail care routine
We constantly do things that harm our skin but we do them anyway. Hot showers for instance, or having your heater on full power mode and washing up dishes without any sort of protection. Those are typical no-go’s and by cutting them out altogether we do so much good for our hands and nails. Try and wear gloves whenever you wash up to protect your skin from both the hot water and the harsh dish detergent.
If you have ever experienced little cracks in your skin during cold months, you already know how essential little changes like these really are. Winter can come now.
Image: @Kamilla Oliveira
