Ways to keep your nails fresh during the monsoon rains

Does your nail turn brittle in the monsoon season? The rainy season brings increased humidity and dampness, creating an ideal environment for fungal infections and brittle nail.

Nail fungal infections, such as onychomycosis, are characterised by discolouration, thickening, and brittleness of the nails.

Due to moisture, nails can become softer and may grow irregularly, increasing the risk of nails growing into the surrounding skin. This can lead to pain, redness, and inflammation.

Taking care of your nails during the monsoon may be a little tricky, but it is extremely vital to prevent them from becoming weak, brittle, or infected due to the increased moisture and humidity.

Choose from a range of hand creams and cuticle oils or creams to moisturise them regularly and make them strong, shiny, and healthy.

Use a good-quality cuticle oil or a hydrating hand cream to keep your nails and cuticles moisturised. Massage the moisturiser into your nails and cuticles every night before bed.

I recommend putting coconut oil around the cuticles daily to moisturise your nails and keep them strong, long, and healthy.

Try to keep your nails dry with extra care, especially your toes. You may opt for open shoes, sandals, or chappals, as if you are wearing closed footwear all day long, fungus and bacteria may thrive on your feet due to the moist and damp environment. This can result in dead skin cells and bacteria, ultimately affecting your toes. You need to be very careful while picking a nail polish. While wearing nail polish does not harm healthy nails, typical nail polish is filled with toxic chemicals such as parabens, diethyl phthalates, and dibutyl phthalate, which can cause nail brittleness, dryness, and thinning and are bad for the surrounding skin. Always prefer water-based polishes, which do not last as long but are the safest option out there.

Try your level best to choose natural and chemical-free nail paints that are eco-friendly and cruelty-free. Avoid eating with hands that have paint on the nails, as bits of the nail paint can chip and fall into the food, which will eventually go inside your body and cause harm.

Pick a nail colour remover that contains vitamins A, C, and E to treat conditions that adversely affect the nails and cuticles.

The cuticle (skin surrounding the nail) should be kept soft and smooth. Otherwise, it sticks to the nail and gets dragged as the nail grows.

Avoid wearing leather, plastic, or canvas shoes. Do not wear the same shoes every day. It is better to have an alternate pair of shoes. Wash your footwear regularly. Desist from sitting in wet footwear and socks all through the day. Try to wear waterproof footwear that allows air circulation.

Your nail health is important during the rainy season. Refrain from growing your toenails long. Wash and clean dirt from under the nails as well as the edges.

Cut your toenails short to avoid any chances of accumulating dirt and other infections. Try to spray deodorants, talcum, or anti-fungal powder between the toenails regularly, at least once a day, to prevent infection.

During the hot and humid season, we go for light, serene, pastel colours for our clothes. The same goes for the nails too. We can select colours that are icy, “cool,” and trendy. The way to protect the nails and keep them looking good is to give them regular care. There is no point wearing a glamorous outfit if the feet and toenails show neglect and lack of care. Chipped nails and chipped nail polish can really spoil the entire effect.

Protection of nails is so important, especially during the monsoons, when fungal infection can set in. Detergents can also lead to itchy and rashy conditions. Wear rubber gloves for your washing chores. Like cleaning with harsh chemicals, gardening, or doing anything that involves hot, soapy water or dirtying your hands, always wear rubber, vinyl, nitrile, or plastic gloves — some of which have a cotton liner. It not only protects your polish but also keeps anything harsh or drying in your cleaning solutions off your hands.

Massage a cream after your washing tasks, working it into the skin. This takes only a few minutes. Massage cream on the nails and the skin around the nails. Regular handwashing or the use of hand sanitiser can dry out the skin and nail bed quickly, so try to moisturise after every wash, if possible. Coconut oil is excellent for rubbing into your nails and cuticles.

It is advised to wash the hands with lukewarm water to help keep the hands and nails soft and smooth.

Keep a travel-size hand cream enriched with fruit extracts or a bottle of cuticle oil at every sink in your home.

Apply warm almond oil to soften cuticles and push them back gently with a cotton bud. Use a cotton bud to clean beneath the nails too. Avoid cutting cuticles and using metal instruments. Apply almond oil or olive oil on the nails and hands.

Apply nail varnish, using smooth strokes, from the base of the nails to the tip. First, apply one coat of colour on all the nails. Wait for it to dry and then apply the second coat of colour.

As far as nail colours are concerned, pink is ideal for hot and humid weather. Shimmer is very much in, so go for silver shimmer for the day and gold for the night. Lately, dark colours have been in, like bright blue or green, but I feel that subtle colours are more suitable for monsoon hot weather.

You can also go for icy colours like pink or mauve. Or, go for shades of brown, like coffee, bronze, copper, or seashell, and then add on glitter.

For a gala evening, go for gold or silver varnish, or try one of those colours with glittering stars. These come in many different colours, with gold or silver stars. As part of nail design, nail varnish can be applied in unusual colours like green, blue, or purple. Or, use different colours for each nail.

Nail art has become a specialised field nowadays. In the past, simple ways of nail art were followed, but now it is a highly creative field.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shahnaz Husain

Shahnaz Husain[email protected]