Winter is that time of year when our nails become brittle, and weakened cuticles reach crazy levels of dryness, even resulting in painful hangnails. Essie’s director of education Gino Trunzo offers Happi.com readers easy tips to deal with nail woes going into a new season.
 
1. Care for skin and cuticles with essie’s many many mani intensive hand lotion, $20 and essie’s apricot cuticle oil, $8.50 several times a day. “This will prevent skin around the nails from cracking or splitting,” said Trunzo. “Also, a home treatment tip: After showering or bathing, coat your cuticles and nails with apricot cuticle oil and lock in the moisture by wearing cotton gloves for at least an hour, or better yet to bed!”
 
2. “Protect the backside of your nails with essie’s super duper top coat, $8.50 and polish the backside of your nails,” he said. “It’s a simple way to make your nails super-duper strong!”
 
3. Prevent breakage and splitting by keeping nails a shorter length during the winter. “Long nails break and snag easily on gloves, scarves or sweaters.”
 
4. Keep nails polished to seal in moisture.  “Use your favorite essie top coat to help keep nails glossy and moisturized,” recommended Trunzo.
 
5. Trim and file regularly for healthier, stronger nails. “Trim your nails after bathing or showering, as nails will be soft from the warm water. This promotes healthy growth.”
 
6. And, of course, we can’t forget how nutrition affects hair and nails. “Eat foods containing biotin, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, vitamin A and zinc for optimal nail health,” he said.
 
In other Essie news, the company recently named fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff as its new global color designer. She collaborated with the brand for its Spring 2015 Flowerista collection.