What are your beauty routines at home? They probably include taking care of your skin, hair, teeth, and body. But sometimes at-home nail care isn’t a high-priority item, if it even makes the list. The importance of caring for your hands, nails and cuticles can be overlooked but it is just as  important as other beauty regimens, maybe more so.

Our nails are protective barriers to sensitive skin; they’re often in or around our face and mouth and they take the brunt of the damage as we go about our daily tasks. So, here are the five do’s and don’ts of an easy, healthy, at-home nail care routine

Five Do’s 

1. Keep your hands and nails clean.
   Our nails are constantly on the “front lines.” If we’re gardening, they’re in the dirt. If we’re washing dishes, they’re in the water. If we’re flossing, they’re in our mouth. Keeping your hands and nails clean of dirt and debris is the first step to easy, at-home nail care. Not only does it help prevent the  spread of germs lurking  under your fingernails into places like your eyes, ears, nose and mouth, but the dirt, bacteria, and germs can all build up under your nails and cause irritation or infections.
2. Moisturize your hands, nails and cuticles.
   The next step to maintaining healthy, natural nails is a regular moisturizing routine. Just as you moisturize your face and body, your hands, nails and cuticles all need to be moisturized as well. The all-in-one, Thai Essence Hand & Cuticle Oil is an easy and effective way to begin a moisturizing regimen. Thai Essence is an organic blend of all-natural ingredients that works to repair dry, damaged cuticles and hands. While it replaces moisture to your skin and nail, it also helps improve the health of your cuticles! It just takes one drop per cuticle, as needed to start working. Plus, moisturized skin and nails will help reduce hangnails and keep your hands beautiful!
3. Strengthen your nails.
   Whether you prefer to grow out your nails or keep them short and sweet, it’s important to have quality over quantity. Long nails need a lot of attention to keep them from becoming thin, weak and brittle. Adding a nail strengthener to your routine will help maintain healthy, natural nails right from home. This Botanical Nail Strengthener contains the herb Horsetail which is rich in the nutrient silica. Silica is essential to the health of your nails! Simply brush this formula on your nails 2-3 times per week for two weeks. After two weeks, remove the old coat and repeat the process for strong nails that can hold up to the wear and tear of your daily tasks.
4. Clip & file your nails regularly.
   Properly nail clipping and filing helps eliminate hangnails! Plus, keeping nails well manicured will reduce the chance of bacteria accumulating and causing irritation. The best time to trim nails is right after your shower or bath when they are soft. There is a proper way to cut your nails, which is straight across and then slightly curve the edges (toenails are slightly different). Watch this video for a simple tutorial.
5. Clean your tools.
   Disinfecting your clippers and other nail tools at home is commonly overlooked. However, these tools come into contact with the dirt, bacteria and germs that we deal with everyday. Everything we touch ends up on our hands and most often at the tips of fingers and under our nails. That’s why it’s very important to disinfect nail clippers, files, tweezers, and so forth after use. Soaking them in disinfectant and giving them a good scrub with isopropyl alcohol is easy enough and will do the job! Learn more from American Academy of Dermatology

Five Don'ts

1. Don’t bite your nails.
   Easier said than done, we know! Habits are, well, habitual, they’re hard to break. When you have a bad day or when you’re bored, it’s easy to fall back into a bad habit. Nail biting is detrimental for so many reasons. All of the bacteria on your hands, fingers and beneath your nails are getting a warm welcome into your body. The  consequences of nail biting spelled out in this Time article may be more than enough to make you never do it again. Yikes!
2. Don’t rip or tear your nails.
   We all know (and dislike) the feeling of a nail snagging on something or tearing a little bit. When it  happens, we’re tempted to simply finish the job by ripping off the rest of the nail. However, your nails will thank you for spending the few moments it takes to find the clippers and the file. Nails are the protective barriers for the sensitive skin underneath. If you rip your nail, you are much more likely to accidentally rip it too short and cause irritation to the skin. Or, the ripping action will result in a jagged, rough nail that may end up snagging on something else and causing more damage.
3. Don’t mess with your cuticles, unless you're moisturizing.
   If you are not caring for your cuticles with Nail Magic Cuticle Oil, you need to leave them alone. The cuticles are the protective barrier between the nail and the skin. If you find yourself picking or chewing cuticles (even just one time), you could end up causing an infection or irritation in the nail bed. This, in turn, could lead to permanent damage to your fingernail. One of the easiest ways to avoid this is by regularly moisturizing your cuticles with Vanilla Almond Cuticle Oil. Soft cuticles that lay properly are less “annoying” and will give you fewer reasons to bite or pick at them.
4. Don’t expose your hands and nails to house cleaning routines.
   Chores involving harsh cleansers occur every day. Whether it’s washing the dishes, scrubbing the floors, or sanitizing the countertops, there is always something to wipe down or clean. Just be sure that you’re protecting your hands and nails while you’re cleaning with chemicals. Many cleaning supplies can dry out your hands and nails, leaving them feeling brittle and susceptible to tearing. Even if you’re using natural cleaning supplies, you don’t want to soak your hands and nails in them for too long. When your nails soak in water, they actually expand and can weaken. Plus, if you’re wearing polish, long soaks in liquid can cause your color to crack. Even if you wear gloves, be sure to moisturize your hands and nails afterward with the Thai Essence Hand & Cuticle Oil.
5. Don’t pull off hangnails.
   This cringe-worthy act can lead to some scary and painful situations. Ripping off a hangnail can easily tear the skin that is attached to your nail bed, leaving you vulnerable to infection and irritation. Use sanitized nail clippers to cut the hangnail off, being careful not to cut the living skin that is underneath the hangnail. Afterward, be sure to moisturize! This cuticle oil works wonders to assist in repairing the damage.