Beauty tip #3: beautiful nails during chemo

As well as affecting our hair and skin, chemo can also damage our both our nails. Nails can get brittle, peel, break, change colour (to yellow or black) and sometimes even fall off. There are several things you can do to improve your nail health during chemo. So far, by following the tips I am going to share with you I have been able to keep all my nails without any issues!

Tips:

Wear gloves to wash the dishes or do any cleaning. This will minimise the risk of fungal infections, and protect your nails from chemicals and water. Your nail polish will last longer too!
Don’t soak in water (including pool, bath, hot springs or ocean) during chemo. Besides the increased risk of infection, it will make your nails even more fragile.
Have short showers (no longer than 3 minutes – your skin will thank you too).
To lower risk of infection, don’t share your manicure/pedicure kit, including nail file, cuticle pusher or nail polish. If you go to a nail salon, make sure you bring your own kit (independent of how they clean theirs).
To decrease risk of bleeding or infection, avoid trimming your cuticles, just push them back gently.
Keep your nails hydrated. Apply some moisturiser (olive oil or coconut oil are great, otherwise a mosituriser containing vitamin A and E – my mother swears by the argan oil body butter from the Body Shop, she said it made her nails very strong) and massage the nails.
Nail polish is a great way to hide any colour changes, so go ahead and try some new colours. I particularly love red-orange tons!
Avoid Shellac or gel nails which are more difficult to remove and may damage your already fragile nails in the process. Acrylic nails can also trap bacteria that may cause infection.
Avoid acetone-based nail polish removers, as they dry more the nails.
If your nails are breaking and peeling, keep them short. Short nails hide imperfections better.
Remember that any changes are only temporary and your nails will come back healthy once chemo is finished.