Natural Nail Care

Your nails have very important work to do, whether it's washing dishes, doing laundry, gardening, cooking, or serving as a canvas for your creativity. They can also say more about you than you think; the shape, color, and texture of your nails can be indicators of serious health conditions, including anemia, liver problems, fungal infections, malnutrition, and even arthritis. At janegee, we refrain from certain traditional nail care practices that can interfere with your nails’ natural ability to perform these vital roles. As we’ve found with many things in life and beauty, less really is more and results in healthier nails and skin.

Here are some Do’s and Don’ts for healthy nails:

DO’s

• Wear gloves when doing wet work
  
• Use cuticle cream and oils nightly
• Cuticle Stick - Designed to soften cuticles and get your nails feeling healthy. Use nightly or throughout the day. It’s made with Kokum Butter, Illipe Butter, Beeswax, Coconut Oil, Borage Seed Oil and Jojoba Oil.
• Nail Serum - janegee Nail Serum is made with Myrtle essential oil which has very good regenerative properties. It’s great for damaged and brittle nails. It also has detoxifying effects that help the nails and cuticles become stronger.
• Re-apply top coat to prevent color from fading
• Use a low grit nail file to keep nails strong
• Keep a nail file with you for unexpected snags
• Protect your hands with a healthy moisturizer
• Buttercreme - Designed for dry, cracked and split fingers and hands as a restorative treatment. Made with Neem Oil, Aloe, Coconut Oil, Mango Seed Butter, Shea Butter, Rose Floral Water and Cocoa Seed Butter.
• Lotion - 100% chemical free and good for you in every way! All of our body lotions have soothing Organic Aloe, Olive Fruit Oil, Olive Butter, Vitamin E and Neem Oil. Choose an all natural soap rich in organic oils & butters
• Foaming Hand Wash - Simple, natural and effective. This soft, fresh foaming soap is made with Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Jojoba Oil and Aloe.
• Eat a healthy diet: try increasing some of the the following foods into your diet:
  
• Biotin
• Skin, Nails & Hair supplement by MegaFood
• Eggs
• Salmon
• Magnesium
• Almonds
• Zinc
• Oysters
• Iron
• Red Meat
• Vitamin D
• Eggs
• Vitamin E
• Walnuts
• Omega-3
• Salmon
• Walnuts
• Antioxidants
• Blueberries

DON’TS

• Don’t soak  - Soaking can cause the nail plate (the hard material that most people think of when they think of a finger or toenail) to dry out. This weakens the nail and makes it prone to splitting. Saturated nails also lose some of their natural curve. If nail polish is applied before the nail is completely dry, the polish may dry first and can slide right off when the nail returns to its former shape.
• Don’t use aggressive files - A nail’s strength comes from the many layers of compacted keratin that make up the nail plate. Sawing back and forth at the nail with a heavy file separates these layers, making the nail prone to splitting and breaking. At janegee, we use files that have a gentle grit designed to enhance the strength of the nail rather than destroy it.  
• Don’t cut cuticles - The nail cuticle is an important part of your physiology. It acts as a natural seal to keep bacteria and debris out of the delicate nail root. Why would we want to remove one of your body’s first lines of defense? The more you cut, the thicker they get. Plus, it hurts!
• Don’t use harsh chemicals - The ingredients in some nail care products are as cringe-inducing as they are unpronounceable. We avoid the chemical guesswork by using our own blends of mineral salts and essential oils to clean and strengthen nails. We also use a 10-free nail polish and 6-free vegan gel alternative, which are free from the most common carcinogens: formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate, toluene, formaldehyde resin, and camphor.
• Don’t buff the nail - Buffing the nail plate weakens the nail… we never ever do this!

Manicures aren’t just for long healthy nails. Having regular, natural manicures will whip your nails into shape in no time! Try our Restorative Manicure, designed to repair and restore your damaged nails. We use custom serums and regenerative botanicals to heal the nails and promote cellular growth.

Can’t make it in for a regular manicure? No problem! Try our Nail & Cuticle Scrub at home. This blend of mineral salts and botanical oils that gently polish and shine the nail, while promoting overall cuticle health. The oil blend also provides the moisture and nutrients that your nail needs to keep producing healthy cells and strong beautiful nails. As one client affectionately calls it, “a true manicure in a jar!”

Are you a nail biter?

Nail biting is not only unsightly, but can also adversely affect your health in ways you may have never considered.

Nail biting can:

• Give you bad breath
• Cause your nails to never grow back
• Cause infection - staph germs can be found under your nails
• Cause you to grind your teeth at night because the brain is used to you biting your nails throughout the day
• Transmit STI’s

One of the best things you can do to stop nail biting is to simply start taking care of your nails. When you start to give your nails the love and attention they deserve, your nail biting habits will subside. Use growth promoting serums, butters, and oils, to help get your nails looking healthier and feeling stronger.

Here’s some advice and tips from a seasoned nail biter:

“I was a nail biter for as long as I can remember. I’ve tried everything to stop - anti-bite polishes, stress balls to keep my hands busy, painting them, you name it. I quit a few times in my life, but it would never last. When my nails did grow out, they were always very thin and weak. I would ask others for tips and suggestions and I was told to try fake nails, but I wanted to take a more natural approach and avoid ruining my soon-to-be long nails.

For me, nail biting was a habit, but also worsened when I was stressed. If you can, I suggest trying to cut out substantial stresses in your life - for me that meant quitting my old job. I then started using the Sweet Stick and the Nail Serum. I would apply them multiple times a day. The Sweet Stick is great because it’s so portable, so I could take it with me wherever I went and applied it whenever I got the urge to bite. Having my nails constantly covered in these natural oils and butters made me want to avoid putting them near my mouth. I got to the point where I was constantly thinking about caring for my nails, so I wouldn’t even have time to think about biting them. Once they got long enough, I started regularly filing them, and eventually rewarded myself with a restorative manicure at janegee. Now my nails are long, strong, and healthy, and it only took a couple months.” - Sarah H.

Are you ready for fabulous nails? Treat yourself a janegee manicure, or stop by and check out our nail care products. Our wonderful nail technicians, Keri, Tabbatha, Kelley, Shannon, and Chelsea, will soon have you on the road to beautiful looking nails and hands you can be proud of.

Let’s become better together.