How to get Healthy, Beautiful Nails

Beauties, do your nails fall prey to pesky symptoms such as white spots, ridges, and flaking? We spoke with Doug Schoon, California-based Scientific Advisor for CND about each condition, and how you can keep your nails healthy, long, and beautiful!

White Spots

Contrary to popular belief, the chalky white spots that appear on your nails aren't related to your diet. There are two ways they can show up on your nails. "White spots can either appear on the surface of your nail plate, or within it," explains Doug. The spots on the surface of your nail are the result of environmental damage, such as biting and peeling your nail polish off. The spots underneath your nail plate also result from damage. "When you bang or hit the matrix—the place under your skin where your nail grows from—the cells that emerge will be white rather than translucent," says Doug. The solution: Be gentle! Try not to be too rough with your hands, and always clean off polish with remover.

Ridges

Ridges in your nail can grow lengthwise (vertically) or across your nail (horizontally). They often make nail painting hard, as the polish settles into the cracks. Both types of ridges occur from an unhealthy matrix. "When your matrix isn't working properly, the nail won't grow evenly," explains Doug. "You need to concentrate on improving your diet to improve your matrix." Our suggestion? Apply Deborah Lippmann's Ridge Filler Base before painting your nails. The base fills any ridges like spackle, creating an even base to paint your nails on.

Flaking & Breaking

We've all experienced those moments when a nail breaks just as it's getting longer, or your nails begin to flake and peel. These conditions are quite normal, and happen to everyone, explains Doug. "As your nail grows, it gets weaker from washing your hands, applying and removing nail polish, and general living. By the time the beginning of the nail ends up at your tip, it's taken quite a beating," he adds. Hence, your nails get thinner, causing them to flake and break off. Apply a cuticle oil—such as CND's Solar Oil—every day to keep nails strong and healthy.