My Nail Care Routine

I've been asked in the past how I keep my nails so healthy looking and long, so I thought I'd do a little post in case anyone else is curious. For the record, in the past my nails have been extremely brittle, easy to break, and floppy, but since I've been doing this routine, my nails are in the best shape they've been ever! By no means are they in excellent shape, I've been slacking honestly, but I feel like they definitely could be worse.

This is a picture of my bare nails from a few weeks ago. They've gotten a little longer and I've recently filed them to be a little more square-ish. 

One thing I have to say that is extremely important; if you have brittle nails but still want a square nail look without the corners breaking off all the time, what I've learned that works for me is to round the edges ever so slightly. I file them down so they still look square at most angles, besides the side view of course. 

And my secret products? These. Haha, that's really it. 

• Blue Cross Cuticle Remover - I adore this stuff. It's extremely inexpensive for how much product you get, and it lasts forever. I've had this for months and look how much I've dented it (basically none at all). When using this, I do 2 fingers at a time. When I'm done, I wash my hands thoroughly because I've noticed that after using this without washing my hands, my nails have definitely gotten more prone to just breaking off which is no bueno. I usually use this every week and a half or so, or when I think I need some cuticle touch ups.
  
• Curel Hand & Cuticle Therapy Hand Lotion - I bought this out of impulse, desperate to find a hand lotion that would help with my dry cuticles, absorbed quickly, and didn't feel greasy. Luckily, I found a great product! I've read reviews where people have said that it's just like any regular hand lotion. Whether or not that's true, I've definitely seen an improvement with my cuticles and nails. They're much stronger than I remember and have been growing so much faster. I use a tiny bit twice a day, and massage it directly into my cuticles and around my nails until it's completely absorbed, which doesn't take long.
  
• Orly Cuticle Oil + - I only use this once in a while because I'm very particular about what goes on my hands. Absolutely despise the greasy feeling and not being able to touch anything; gives me the worst anxiety for some reason! I usually do a tiny dot on each cuticle and massage it in a little before bed and let it absorb overnight. When I wake up, my cuticles definitely look moisturized and yummy smelling (this product has a slight citrus scent.) 

Random little tidbit: I NEVER use nail cutters because it always ends up just cracking my nail right across. Patience is key to healthy hands, and so I just file them down, even if it takes a lot longer. 

Hope this helps!