Big news today. I’ve joined the NBA! No, no, not basketball. I’m an official member of Nail Biters Anonymous. Yes, my name is Sarah Jossel … and I am a nail biter. Don’t get me wrong, I have good phases when I think I’ve finally stopped vandalising my nails and sabotaging my cuticles. But as soon as I’m run-down or stressed or on deadline, it’s chomp, chomp, chomp. Pick, pick, pick. Rip! Tear! Yank! OK, you get it. The damaging and ravaging comes out of nowhere on any given day, which is why I’ve checked myself in for some serious hand healing.
The advice today isn’t just for the NBAs, by the way. It’s for anyone who would like stronger, healthier, more pristine nails. So if words like weak, brittle or flaky sound familiar, read on.
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Let’s start with at-home upkeep. Here is some sage advice from the nail industry’s top experts.
First, Michelle Class, who has painted and preened the hands of Margot Robbie and Naomi Campbell, told me her best-kept secret is the Loop End Cuticle Tool (£30; personaility.co.uk) from a new brand called Personaility — I see what they’ve done there with the name. “It’s a tiny little loop that gently removes cuticles that have built up on the nail plate so that you’ve got a clean nail ready for polish,” she says. “Think of it like an exfoliator for the nail.” As I type this I am stroking my rough, rugged nail beds, so loopy cuticle thing, sold.
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Next, I ask Harriet Westmoreland, the Instagram manicure sensation with more than 339,000 followers, to weigh in. “People should be brushing their nails like they brush their teeth,” she tells me. Sorry, what? “Stop obsessing over cuticle oil and use a nail brush with soap daily. It exfoliates the cuticles, pushes all the broken bits of skin away and keeps the nails really healthy. It also helps prolong your manicure.” I’m nail-blown. Why don’t more people tell you this? I’m putting my nail brush next to my toothbrush with the plan to start double brushing each day. Teeth first, nails second. Toddler hungry for breakfast? “Hold on, darling, Mum is just brushing her nails.”
The third tip, from the manicurist Johanna Horn, is to keep on top of nail moisturising. This sounds complicated but it’s a simple call to action to start applying that hardly-ever-used hand cream rolling around the bottom of your handbag. She raves about Elim MediHand Ultra Rich Hand Therapy with SPF 15 (£20; elimspaproducts.co.uk): “It’s rich and luxurious but absorbs instantly.” My tired, dry hands look double the age of my face at the moment so, you guessed it … adds hand cream to handbag with reminders to apply regularly
Let me also share a few nail MoT products that come highly recommended: Peacci Filter All-in-One Ridge Filler (£9; peacci.com) for uneven nail beds; OPI Repair Mode Bond Building Nail Serum (£30; opi.com) for repairing damage; and Margaret Dabbs Pure Nails Nail Strengthening Treatment (£16; margaretdabbs.co.uk) for, you guessed it, strengthening.
Something to consider is switching over to a kinder-to-nails gel manicure. I’m now a Bio Sculpture convert. For the uninitiated, it’s available nationwide, with gel formulas tailored to each person’s nail needs. There are seven different gel bases, depending on your nail type. So there’s one for oilier nails, one for dry and so on. Who knew you could have oily nails? Its point of difference is that it lasts longer than other brands because of the strengthening treatment that is layered underneath the base coat. You’re looking at happy hands for at least three weeks. One more thing: it’s close to impossible to pick off this polish. So if you’re a hawkish nail picker like me, then: polish 1, you 0. The manicure process itself is slightly longer than your average appointment but so is the time it lasts.
Finally, I’m occasionally asked what colours are in for summer. When it comes to choosing a shade, I think you know what you like. Sure, you may give banana yellow a whirl because I say so, but if you’re anything like me you’ll have manicure regret by day two. Choose what you’re drawn to: neon brights, milkshake hue, neutrals, a barely there French. But when it begins to look tired (even with your new nail-brushing routine), get the polish job professionally removed, because that’s when the picking temptation begins. Trust me, I know. A nail-biting column, complete.
