Is Shellac Ruining Your Nails? How to Get Moisture Back

With weddings, garden parties, and barbecues on the rise as summer ramps up, we have many events where we want to look and feel our best. One way we keep ourselves looking together is with a nice pedicure. However, when we want to make it last for a week of vacation and a weekend wedding we tend to choose the longer lasting pedicure solution: shellac.

Once in a while shellac can be a nice treat for your feet, however with overuse and application it can suffocate your natural nail bed, leading to brittle, thin, dry, and cracking toenails that cause more pain than pleasure with their appearance. Luckily, we’ve compiled some solutions to getting your nail health and moisture level back.

What to Watch for after Having Shellac Nails

Brittle or cracking nails – Under the layers of shellac, the nail bed has weakened and becomes dry, and brittle. It will remain this way until new, healthy nail grows and repopulates. If additional layers of shellac continue to be applied with each pedicure, the new healthy nail, becomes dry and brittle also.

Flaky and weak nails – Many opt for picking the remaining shellac off, instead of paying to have it removed via acetone soaking. This tearing away of the already compromised nail, removes healthy nails, leading to breaking and further damage. This makes the process of growing healthy nails again take longer.

 Sore nail beds – This one is common anytime we finish a long period of shellac on the nails. When the outer barrier between the world and our natural nail bed is removed it can leave the natural nail exposed, damaged, and sore. The removal of the shellac is an intensive process even when done by a professional and it can leave the nail thinner, and tender, as a result.

How to Care for the Natural Nail

The key to reducing damage, brittleness, soreness, flaking, and the occurrence of nail fungus is to promote a healthy nail bed growth through moisture! Here we have some tips to get some moisture back in your nails.

Let them rest – Give the nail time to recover by letting them breathe. Avoid nail polish altogether unless it is doctor formulated, full of nutrients and free from chemicals, such as Dr. Remedy’s.

Moisturize your nails – Cuticle oil is a wonderful aid in getting moisture to return to your nail bed and helps promote increased nail growth and protection. Applying cuticle oil gives the nail a fighting chance at recovery. Additionally, at BioPed you will find our Healthy Nail Tincture, which has been proved to restore health to the the nail bed through clinical studies in Europe.

Drink more water – This is a catch-all solution for dry skin and nails. Drinking water helps hydrate the body, which in turn can help increase the firmness and hydration of the nail bed.

Let the nail breathe – Dr. Remedy’s nail polish allows more breathability between the air and the natural nail, thus decreasing the occurrence of fungal nail infections and suffocation of the nail bed, leading to healthier, happier nails that still have the summer event look.