1. Use moisturizer

When rubbing lotion or oil into your hands, make sure you work it into the cuticles and nails, too. Regular handwashing or use of hand sanitizer can dry out the skin and nail bed quickly, so try to moisturize after every wash, if possible. Coconut oil is excellent for rubbing into your nails and cuticles.

2. Care for your cuticles

Avoid having your cuticles trimmed during a manicure. Cuticles are meant to be a barrier for bacteria, and cutting them can lead to painful infections. You can moisten and push them back with a cuticle pusher, and trim away only dead pieces of skin.

If you’re planning on having a conventional manicure done, then at least protect your cuticles by dabbing with olive oil or almond oil prior, in order to reduce the amount of chemical that soaks in from the polish.

3. Avoid using harsh polish

Nail polish typically contains very toxic chemicals such as toluene, dibutyl phthalate, dimethyl and diethyl phthalates, camphor, and formaldehyde.3 Fortunately, companies such as OPI, Orly, Sally Hansen, and Revlon make some polishes that do not contain these chemicals, but make sure you read the label carefully before purchasing. You can also buy water-based polishes, which don't last as long but are the safest option out there.

4. Seek out alternatives

There are companies now making less toxic polishes and removers. Check out the following brands and take your favorite color along when you go to the salon for your next pedicure.

Suncoat

Acquarella

Spa Ritual

Deborah Lippmann

Priti

No-Miss Nail Care

5. Buff instead of color

It may not be as fancy or eye-catching as color, but a bit of buffing can go a long ways. Take the time to trim, file, and buff your nails properly, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how great they can look, despite being au naturel. Never saw back and forth with a file because that can weaken your nails. Always file from the outside edge of the nail inward.

6. Choose a good remover

You can get acetone-free remover almost anywhere, which is less harsh on your nails. Priti sells a remover made entirely from soy and corn, and No-Miss has one called Almost Natural that contains fruit acids and vanilla.

7. Make a natural nail-strengthening treatment

This recipe comes from a book called There’s Lead in Your Lipstick by Gillian Deacon

Mix: 2 tsp castor oil, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp wheat germ oil. Mix and keep in a sealed bottle. Rub a small amount onto your nails. Leave for 3 to 5 minutes. Wipe off. Makes enough for 20 to 30 applications.

8. Eat well

Diet is very important to maintaining healthy nails. Protein is crucial, as are omega-3 fatty acids.4 Eating foods with biotin reduces brittleness and selenium prevents whitened nail beds.5 Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

9. Stop biting your nails

Biting your nails keeps them from growing strong. When you bite them off, you're actually tearing the nail, which weakens it all the way to the nail bed. The saliva from your mouth also softens your nails, making them more prone to getting torn or broken. Biting your nails is a habit that's hard to break, but it's the first major step to having nice-looking nails!

10. Try not to use your nails as tools

Do you tend to use your nails to scrape stickers off of bottles, pop open cans, and perform other tasks? This puts stress on your nails that leads to them cracking and getting weaker. While it's impossible to completely stop using your nails as tools - after all, that's why you have them in the first place! - being more mindful of how you use your nails can help save them from getting banged up.

11. Avoid scraping nail polish off the surface of your nails

If you tend to pick off your nail polish, please stop. This tears up the surface of your nails, making them fragile and easy to break. When you're done with your manicure, remove the polish in a gentle way. You'll notice a big difference.