Having lovely nails is important to many of us, especially when creating a professional, smart or glamorous look for a specific occasion. Even in our everyday lives, our hands – along with our face – are most on show. Healthy natural nails make for beautiful and strong nails.

However, looking after your nails does not need to be an expensive process that requires you to visit a salon every week – as long as you are willing to learn how to care for your nails at home. The UpCircle team have shared some natural nail care tips that will help you learn how to look after nails and cuticles effortlessly, leaving you feeling fantastic every day.

What’s more, we’ve got an exciting new hand cream about to launch which will keep your nail care routine natural and cruelty-free. 

How to look after your nails with moisturising

Keeping your hands moisturised is a vital element of hand and nail care as it keeps everything hydrated and supple. This provides you with a natural nail strengthener that will keep your nails looking their best at all times. Indeed, we’d go so far as to say moisturising your hands is as important as moisturising your face.

Our nourishing hand cream is sure to help you achieve healthy natural nails as it is made from upcycled hibiscus flower acids that hydrate chapped and dry hands. This encourages cell renewal and removes pollutants in your skin's upper layers. 

How to look after nail cuticles

Keeping your cuticles in shape usually means gently pushing them back before adding polish, which can help lengthen your nails and keep them looking their best. 

However, cuticles sometimes become dry and brittle, requiring you to learn how to look after your nail cuticles effectively. What’s more, pushing back the cuticle is always easier if you’ve softened it first.

Our face serum is perfect if you need extra help with your cuticles! Not only does it provide your face with cruelty-free and organic ingredients, but it also doubles as the deep conditioning treatment your cuticles need. To ensure healthy cuticles, we recommend applying a few drops of our coffee face serum to cuticles everyday. Don’t double up, just reach for one multi-purpose product!

How to strengthen nails naturally

You need strong nails. Whether you type all day, play sports, care for children or simply do an unreasonable amount of washing up, it’s hard to keep your nails strong. 

Understanding how to make your nails stronger naturally can be a nightmare, especially when so many products claim to do what you need but are packed full of chemicals you want to avoid.

The best way to improve your nail health is to eat a balanced diet, take appropriate supplements designed to improve your nail health and treat yourself to the natural nail strengthening treatment that will care for your nails, the nail bed and your cuticles in one go.

You can also keep your nails strong and healthy by taking a break from the polish and falsies. Healthy natural nails look fabulous, so don’t be shy to embrace them with no polish!

How to file your nails without damaging them

Once all your basics are in place and your nails and hands are strong and healthy, you will need to consider keeping your nails at the right length. Shorter neater nails are generally healthier nails as they are less likely to break.

Cutting or clipping nails can damage the shape or bend the nail, so filing them is often the best choice. Remember to lightly file in one direction and never file wet nails, as this can cause them to rip or break. It's also important to file from the outside of the nail towards the middle, leaving the finished shape natural and clean.

Protect your nails with polish preparation

Ok, so taking a break from polish is important for healthy natural nails, but we know that sometimes you really can’t resist. If it’s a special occasion or you just want to glam up to feel better then a slick of polish is always a winner. However, polish can damage your nails unless you prepare first. 

Always start with a natural base coat, as this provides a barrier between your nails and your polish. Leave the base coat to dry fully before you add any colour, as this will help to seal the nail fully and keep it in great shape. The best types of base coats are made from natural materials that help to protect and moisturise the nail while the polish is in-situ, ensuring that when you remove the polish, your nails are as strong as they were before.

Avoid nail damage with the correct nail polish application

Overloading your nails with too many coats of nail polish can cause the colour to permeate the nail and dry them out. 

When your nails get dry and brittle, they are more susceptible to infections, mildew and mould that are hard to get rid of and create damaging effects that last a long time. If your nails become dry, using an intensive moisturiser and avoiding nail polish will help them recover successfully. However, if they are infected, you will need to get the appropriate advice to help solve this or try using tea tree oil as a natural healer. 

To avoid chipping your nail polish, the best way to apply it is to use two thin coats that are evenly spread and seal them with a top coat. 

How to get healthy nails naturally

If you are keen to enjoy healthy nails but don't want to use synthetic or damaging products, there are plenty of natural solutions which can help. 

At UpCircle, all our products are cruelty-free, vegan, organic and ocean-friendly, so you can indulge without worrying. We don't stop there! We also make it our mission to use by-products from other industries that are perfect for beauty products, but that would otherwise be sent to landfill. 

Our commitment to the planet and high-quality products makes us the best choice when looking for natural products that work. Check out our range.