Starting a healthy nail journey - a holistic approach to repairing damage
My nails have been looking distraught. They grow pretty fast but the tips, on literally every single nail but one, are peeling. I was taking pictures of something for a blog post and my nails in the photos gave me pause. I recalled an article I read on goop and decided to start my own healthy nail journey.
Internal
I typed “TCM strong nails” in google and one of the first results returned was this post. “In TCM, nails represent the health of Liver Blood. They can also serve as a reflection of general Chi and Blood throughout the body.” I am seeing an Ayurvedic doctor for blood deficiency and the protocol she put together for me parallels the suggestions in the article (building blood, improving circulation, and liver support- both things the ayurvedic doctor already saw needed to be addressed.) Additionally, My nails were the strongest when I was supplementing silica consistently. Around that same time, I was also on a protein “kick”. So in addition to continuing the interventions proposed by my ayurvedic doctor, I will also up my protein (to be fair, she also suggested this I just haven’t been doing as well with it as I should) and be diligent about taking the liquid silica supplement that has been sitting in the pantry. Another thing I remembered I was doing around the time my nails were the best they have ever been, is taking chlorophyll and a B complex. So this will be back in the rotation as well.
Potential External Causes
Water over exposure
Filing in both directions
Dry skin /Lack of Moisture
The Plan
Nail care routine - I want to note that the Goop article I mentioned earlier featured Manucurist, which is why I ended up buying their products. Honestly, it could have been any other brand—it just gave me an easy starting point for creating a routine (something I didn’t really have before).
Keep a base coat on at all times. This helps protect the damaged ends, prevents splitting from traveling up the nail, and strengthens the tips as they grow out. From what I’ve learned, it usually takes 4–6 months for damaged nails to fully grow out.
Use Serum Complet. Once a week, before filing and applying a base coat, I’ll use this as a nail mask. According to the manucurist website, it penetrates deep into the keratin layers to repair and strengthen nails from within. Like K18 for nails? 🤔
Doing the manucurist intensive treatment periodically. Every six weeks or so, I plan to do a two-week round of Manucurist’s Intensive Treatment, applying it 2–3 times per week. Since it goes on bare nails, I won’t be using Base SOS during that time. Once the two weeks are up, I’ll switch back to Masque S.O.S (see bullet 1), then move into maintenance mode: applying the treatment once a week and following up with their nail strengthener until the damaged nail fully grows out.
Stop buffing. This might actually be what caused the splitting in the first place, since buffing can make the nail surface uneven. (This video explains it really well.)
Switch to a glass nail file. I’ve been experimenting with this, since it’s gentler on the nails than traditional files.
Protecting before water exposure
Oil before and after showering
Reducing the water temperature to warm (instead of scalding) when showering
Wearing gloves when cleaning
Massaging Vitamin E oil and the manicurist cuticle oil on my cuticles - for moisture but also to encourage blood circulation for healthy growth
Regularly applying hand creams, lotions, oils and butters - moisture, moisture, moisture
Using a gentle hand soap - to clean without stripping
I’ll end by saying that I don’t do gel nails. I know they’re incredibly popular, but I’m a bit of a hippie at heart and try to avoid putting unnecessary chemicals on my body whenever I can. Some of the ingredients in gels have been linked to potential health risks, and even small amounts can add up over time—so for me, it’s something I’d rather skip.
That said, it’s not just about the toxins. For years, when I worked as a flight attendant, having my nails done weekly was part of the job expectations. I loved how polished they looked, but now the nail salon feels tied to that chapter of my life. These days, I prefer to care for my nails at home in a way that feels nourishing and gentle.
🌷 Hazel
