Dreary Weather Doesn’t Have to Mean Dry Skin and Nails
Raise your hand if you’re SO sick of this weather?! Because… same. If you’re in Washington, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about (okay to be fair this isn’t just in Washington). It is cold, off and on rainy, even some snow… in February!!! I’m completely over it. But here’s the thing, your skin and nails are probably more over it than you.
If you’ve noticed you’re extra dry (especially on your hands and feet), today I’ll be sharing some easy tips to help you combat dryness and keep those hands and nails looking amazing even when the weather sucks! I’ll also be shamelessly plugging some of our amazing products we sell here at Charme Studio throughout this post… but hey, when you sell the best you have to share, right?
Staying Moisturized in this Awful Weather 101:
Cuticle oil is your best friend because it keeps your cuticles moisturized (duh!) as well as your nails. We have cuticle oil pens for sale at the studio and they’re super easy to use; simply twist and apply, just like many lip gloss applicators. Just remember, no matter where you get your cuticle oil from, a little goes a LONG way.
Use rubber gloves when doing the dishes or cleaning! Cleaning products tend to have ingredients that can be very drying for the skin.
Moisturize your hands and feet with lotions/balms/creams that do NOT contain alcohol. The best option is to use products with only organic ingredients, such as our body butters that are available for purchase at the studio. We sell the same butters used in our services: 100% organic coconut oil, shea butter, and essential oils!
Exfoliate your whole body in the shower to remove dry skin. We recommend using a body scrub or exfoliating gloves. Our body scrub is made from just 2 ingredients: raw sugar and sweet almond oil; you’ll love it because it exfoliates the dead skin off but doesn’t dry out your skin in the process.
Keep body butter by your bed and apply to hands and feet once you’re IN bed. This way you’re not touching things and removing moisture like you would during the day. Pro tip: for even better moisturization, apply a thick layer to hands and feet, and sleep in cotton gloves and socks. I know it may feel a little weird BUT you won’t regret it in the morning.
If your heels are dry, use a FOOT FILE… not a cheese grater file which is quite frankly nauseating if you ask me. I mean, think about it… when you grate cheese, is the block of cheese ever actually smooth? NO! WHY WOULD THAT EVER BE GOOD FOR YOUR FEET?! Okay, I’m done yelling. A foot file (like the one I’ve linked here) is best used in the shower and gently buffs off the dead skin, leaving a smooth heel rather than a bunch of ridges. The foot file I linked also has disposable files so then you can throw it away after each use and there’s no chance for bacteria growth. In the studio, we also use Footlogix Callus Softener which you can purchase here. It works wonders, is diabetic friendly, and the only podiatrist approved line!
Keep a nail file and buffer on hand in your purse or car. When your nails chip or flake it is best to buff or file. At the end of all our services, Charme Studio offers our clients the file and buffer we used for sanitation purposes, but they’re also great to keep in your purse or car. Remember, “use your nails as jewels, not tools!”
Choose your hand sanitizers wisely! A lot of them are very drying.
Don’t cut your “cuticles.” It is not a bad idea to use some hair conditioner and push the cuticles back, but never cut. Here’s the problem, what people think they are cutting is their cuticles but in reality that’s live skin which also happens to be your natural skin barrier to keep bacteria and germs from entering the body. Some salons over cut and that’s why it will hurt and/or bleed (because it is live skin!) When the live skin is cut, the body grows back twice as much because it is overcompensating for the barrier that previously didn’t do its job and protect. So I like to throw in a little bit of personification… just go with it. At Charme we only cut off hanging or waving skin. Especially at times like this wear hands and nails are already extra dry, avoiding cutting the live skin around your nails will keep hangnails from forming.
IBX Nail Treatment is something we offer in studio and it helps to strengthen and restore moisture to dry brittle nails. Adding this treatment once a month is very beneficial to anyone’s nail care routine.
So there you have it. Sleep in cotton gloves, forget everything you’ve ever learned about cutting your “cuticles,” don’t use cheese grater-esque foot files, read every ingredient on everything you put on your body, etc. Okay, I know some of these tips sound a little challenging… or maybe there’s just a lot to remember… but I promise you, if you follow them your skin won’t even have any idea how crappy the weather is, and luckily for you that means you’ll look and feel great too!