Do you have a hand a nail care regime?

[EatSpamAmandaLamb]

I really want to start looking after my hands and nails. I tend to just whack on a bit of hand cream, clip my nails when they are annoying me and paint them when I've got nothing better to do with my time/have to attend a fancy event.
I have dry hands, constant painful hang nails down the side of my nails and frayed skin on my fingers (not the cuticles I don't think). I will have a manicure in the salon maybe once every 3 months but I don't look after my hands so it never looks as good as if could.
I really want to get this all under control.

Do you have a hand a nail care regime? If so what do you do and which products do you favour?

Help me transition from my indie girl style to look like an effortless, elegant woman (other areas are beige tackled too).

i think manicured nailes being effortless is somewhat of an oxymoron.

I'm of the less is more when it comes to hands, but blather them in a lotion containing urea to combt the ultra dry as best as I can, particularly after cleaning stuff and before bed.

Get some vitamin E oil and rub a little bit into your nails at night before you go to bed. You will notice a difference quite quickly.
OPI Nail Envy is my favourite nail strengthener, I find it best value on Nail Polish Direct.
Always wear goves in cold weather and rubber gloves when you're washing dishes / doing housework and as PickaChewadvised use a good quality hand cream everytime you wash your hands and at bedtime.
Don't let your nails get too long, shape and file them around every 2/3 weeks to keep them neat.

Well yes, I think I meant the appearance of effortless.

Right I'm googling that ingredient and seemingly it is in foot cream. I have a load of that I have never used (yes, need to tackle feet next but hands are first), will that do.

Adding nail envy to shopping and will seek our vitamin E.
Should I be doing cuticle pushing? Cuticle oils?

I use a lovely scrub from salon services on my hands followed by a sanctuary intensive hand cream. I do this twice a week and my hands feel lovely.

No. What a bloody waste of time.

Tobe does the scrub have a specific name?

Shit - one could say that of a great many things, surely?

This is the scrub I use.

You can get smaller tubs to try it but the big will last ages and you're hands will feel amazing afterwards.

You'll never use anything else again on your hands, it's absolutely brilliant.

My thing is to do whatever I do to my face to my hands too. So exfoliators, serums, masks - do them on your hands too. And then hand cream after every hand wash and in between too. Definitely gloves for washing up.

I have those hangnails and bits of skin around my nails, particularly thumbs - I pick and bite them when I'm anxious. I bought Burt's Bees lemon cuticle balm to rub in and it really works, much better than hand cream for this specific problem. Much easier than oil, it's in a little tin like lip balm so you can just chuck it in your bag and put it on regularly.

I use Crabtree and Evelyn La Source scrub and moisturiser every few nights before bed. I also use coconut oil on cuticles most days.

I do my own shellac and always have nude, neat, short nails. I work in a school so wash my hands at least 30 times a day, have paint, pen and playdoh under my nails by the end of most days so good nail and hand care is essential.

I've just started trying to take better care of my hands too, OP.

Like madmomma, I use whatever I have put on my face on my hands too - just rub excess serums, etc. on the back of my hands as I go.

I've also popped a bottle of solar oil and an Aveno handcream in my bag and am using whenever I remember.

I've started taking biotin for my hair, but apparently it can also be good for nails. It's a bit early to see results, but here's hoping...!

Thank you all so much, all of your replies have been so useful. I've ordered hand scrub and will look at the Burts Bees balm too. I'll use my facial skin care too.

My hands aren't amazing, but I do wear rubber gloves obsessively for any cleaning, and slap hand cream on a few times a day. I don't find it makes an enormous difference (apart from the nice smell) whether I use cheap stuff or expensive stuff, it's the regular doing it that makes the biggest difference.

Oh, and coconut oil on my cuticles. I started rubbing the excess left on the spoon from my oil pulling onto my cuticles, and it has made a huge difference to the strength of my nails - they are much less splitty and flaky now.

Totally agree hopefully. Posh handcream is nice but most of mine are from aldi now at 89p for a big tube. Better to use a good amount of a cheap one several times a day.

If you use a nail oil like CND solar oil or Dadi oil you don't get those hang nails anymore.

I moved to a very cold country and it's really messed my skin up so I've had to up my routine.

I use a scrub twice a week,
Opi nail envy; 2 coats on first day then 1 coat every other day and remove at end of week.
CND solar oil applied to cuticles 3 times a day followed by loccitane hand cream.
I use the loccitane hand balm overnight with thin cotton gloves as it's richer.

Saw someone else recommended nail envy. If you're buying OPI nail envy have a look on nail polish direct, they sell unboxed bottles for £7ish and the coloured nail envies for £10. QVC have offers on OPI sets with avoplex oil and nail envy or sometimes you can get bits cheaper on eBay :-)

Which of the OPI nail envy products are you all recommending please? This is the selection I've found on amazon: clicky link

Fuck I just lost my message.

Oil cuticles religiously. Use a cuticle pusher to start with to keep them tidy, you won't need to bother after a while just the act of massage and oil will keep them looking nice.

Nail Envy is good but imo essence nail hardener from wilkinson is better plus is only £2.50. My nails used to be weak as anything, now they never break.

Attached pic is my nails yesterday with a coat of illamasqua nail veil over essence base coat and topped off with essence top coat. I cut them yesterday night though.

If you're going to get manicures every three weeks have a look at gels - they can last up to three weeks and if you get a light colour the regrow the still looks better than bare or chipped nails imo. I do my own and love not having to worry about them for a couple of weeks at a time

I'd also recommend lush lemony flutter cuticle balm - its around £6 but the pot is massive and it's really good. Using this regularly means my nails are still quite strong without the gel on