Matter at Hand: Ray Wars

It isn’t your imagination: Temperatures are getting higher and the sun is getting stronger. More clients than ever before are walking into your salon with ravaged-looking hands, revealing spottier and rougher skin. And their nails aren’t getting off easy either, as the relentless rays of the sun wreak their havoc on nail beds and cuticles..

According to the American Skin Association (americanskin.org), there’s a direct link between the Earth’s changes and the condition of our nails. Widespread droughts and the resulting dry atmosphere is leading to drier nails that become brittle and split. Nail technicians know only too well the telltale dull, white surface of a dried-out nail desperately in need of immediate and preventive care..

How do you fight the effects of excessive sun and dryness on nails? You can give clients a quality manicure, but to maintain its results in the light of day, they’ll need to get on the retail train. Advise clients that it’s all about inviting and keeping in moisture—while shutting out the moisture-robbing culprits. Deeply hydrating treatments and lotions with proven ingredients like shea butter, jojoba oil and vitamin E can introduce much-needed help. But that’s half the battle. To seal in hydrating effects, clients need to call on the protectors: UV-blocking top coats, moisture-locking serums and even driving gloves.

Check out “A Desert Oasis” in the August Nailpro for some suggested “ray fighters.”