Nails are like hair: they reflect our overall health and lifestyle habits, good or bad. Their nature changes with you and their needs evolve accordingly. Natural nail care is much more than a matter of aesthetics: it’s a well-being issue. Thanks to this ultimate nail care guide, discover the care routine you really need and why.
To remember:
- Your nails have their own nature and their needs evolve over time.
- Identifying your nail type (healthy, streaked, soft, brittle, split, damaged) is the first step to choosing the right care.
- Our adaptable Basic, Starter, or Ultimate routines fit every need.
- Daily hydration, gentle manicure, and good habits remain the keys to fully healthy nails.
Why knowing your nail type is essential
Identifying and understanding any fragility in your nails helps you better choose targeted and effective care products that will strengthen them and restore their natural shine. So, which nail team do you belong to?
Healthy nails: an asset to preserve
Strong natural nails, without visible dryness or other signs of distress, that grow regularly and without flaws. If this is your case, you are very lucky! All the more reason to preserve this precious asset by following a moisturizing and nourishing routine that protects your nails from external aggressions.
Streaked nails: smooth and regenerate
Nails with surfaces marked by lines, vertical or horizontal, more or less visible. These streaks are often due to age, nicknamed "nail wrinkles". They can also result from a health issue, an emotional shock, or a lack of nutrients. But don’t worry, this is not a nail disease, just an aesthetic concern. There are various possible solutions to mask or soften the streaks, from applying smoothing bases to nail strengthening.
👉 We tell you more about ridged nails in our dedicated article here.
Soft nails: regain strength and density
Nails that deform or curl easily. The causes of this lack of firmness are multiple, ranging from excess moisture to nutritional deficiencies, pollution, frequent application of semi-permanent polish or fake nails. The result: the keratin layers have been damaged and the proper functioning of the nail matrix is disrupted. It's high time to act!
👉 If you want to learn more about soft nails, check out our dedicated article here.
Knowing your nail type is the key to understanding their weaknesses and adopting the right daily care.
Brittle nails: hydrate and strengthen
Nails that tend to break at the tips and have lost their natural flexibility. This weakness is linked to various factors: genetics, age, but also chemicals, heating in winter... everything that contributes to drying out the nails and makes them lose their suppleness. A moisturizing treatment is essential!
Split nails: restructure the nail plate
Nails whose layers of keratin separate like a mille-feuille that has lost its custard. This often happens after overexposure to water or chemicals, or after aggressive manicures. It is urgent to reactivate the production of cellular cement to re-bond the layers.
Damaged nails from aggressive manicures: deep repair
We all know it, constantly showing off beautiful polished nails is very tempting for manicure lovers. But if applications of semi-permanent polish or fake nails are too frequent, without intermediate care to regenerate the nails, and if they require aggressive removal techniques (sanding, filing, or acetone use), your hands pay the price with thin and brittle nails. These are damaged nails that must be deeply nourished and repaired.
👉 To learn more about damaged nails, our dedicated article awaits you here.
If you still have doubts about your nail type, our online diagnosis is here to guide you.
To summarize:
- Healthy: a capital to preserve with a moisturizing routine.
- Ridged: to smooth and regenerate both surface and depth.
- Soft: to densify and regain strength and firmness.
- Brittle: to hydrate and restore their flexibility.
- Split: to restructure and re-bond keratin layers.
- Damaged by manicures: to nourish and deeply repair.
The Manucurist routine you need
Good news: no need to go to a beauty salon to maintain your beautiful claws or repair damaged nails. Solutions to take care of your nails at home have greatly developed.
Basic, Starter, or Ultimate Routine: how to choose?
Manucurist offers a tailored response for each nail type with a care kit adjustable according to 3 levels of intervention:
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Basic: an approach focused on the essentials with one or two reference products to treat a superficial and temporary nail defect.
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Starter: the ideal solution to effectively respond to signs of weakness your nails may show.
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Ultimate: a complete care system to put an end to chronic nail dysfunctions through a comprehensive and intensive 2-week treatment, renewable if needed.
Healthy Nails Routine
Maintain the overall good condition of your nails and help them overcome everyday minor aggressions with the following Healthy Nails routines:
Basic
The Base 5.5 will be your best ally. This complex of 5 vitamins and 5 plant extracts (aloe vera, lemon, ginseng, pomegranate, and Grape) strengthens keratin and prevents the risk of breakage and other tears. Apply this strengthening treatment every 2 days on clean nails for 2 weeks, without removing makeup between each application.
Starter
Choose a winning care trio with the Complete Serum, a regenerating serum with an ultra-fresh gel texture that hydrates and softens the nail plate and surrounding skin. It revitalizes and stimulates nail growth. Apply a drop every day, massaging on the nails and around them. Combine with the Base 5.5 every 2 days as previously indicated.
After one week, remove makeup and apply an Active™ Glow care polish Active™ Glow. It deeply nourishes nails and provides a delicately tinted transparent glow that instantly brightens your natural nails. Raspberry, Cranberry, Blueberry, or Grape, which fruity shade will you prefer?
Ultimate
Complete the previous routine with some essentials for nail preparation. Indeed, by focusing on cuticle care, you improve the protection of the nail matrix and ensure the production of higher quality keratin. In addition to the Complete Serum, gently massage your nails every day with a drop of Green Oil, a super effective nourishing oil for nails and cuticles. Apply the Base 5.5 every 2 days as previously indicated.
After one week, using a bit of Effective Emollient and a wooden stick, push back your cuticles before applying the Active™ Glow care polish.
💡 Tip: The best habit to keep natural nails healthy? Hydration! Always carry a strengthening care pen Concentré perfecteur for on-the-go hydration!
With the Healthy Nails Routine, preserve the natural strength of your nails.
Routine for Ridged Nails
Smoothing out striations with a base is good, but making your striations disappear permanently by treating the nail deeply is much better. That’s what these different Striated Nails routines offer:
Basic
Apply a drop of Green Oil twice a day, massaging the nail and its surrounding skin. Complete with the application of an Active™ Smooth nail care polish on bare nails 3 times a week without removing makeup. This CC Polish effect nail care polish fills in striations and strengthens the nail thanks to a formula enriched with castor fibers, hexanal, AHAs, and vitamin E. It comes in 4 shades (00 pink, 01 beige, 02 golden, 03 tanned) to suit all skin tones.
Starter
For a more strategic and continuous action, add a mechanical step and a night treatment to this routine. Apply Green Oil as previously indicated. Lightly detoxify the nail plate with the preparatory file and apply Active™ Smooth on bare nails 3 times a week without removing previous layers.
3 evenings a week, remove your layers of Active™ Smooth with an acetone-free remover and apply the SOS Mask in a thick layer and let it dry in the open air. Remove it the next morning, by peeling off or with soapy water. This night mask intensely hydrates and stimulates cellular repair during sleep.
Ultimate
To put an end to striated nails, choose an intensive treatment that works on the nail both on the surface and deep down. For this, add to the previous regimen the application of a drop of Complete Serum twice a day, massaged onto the nail and its surrounding skin.
Simple steps, visible results: the Striated Nails Routine brings comfort and radiance.
Soft Nails Routine
To revitalize tired nails, we have prepared an unbeatable hardening routine in 3 versions:
Basic
For one week, apply the Kératine Booster 3 times a day on bare nails, allowing it to dry until fully absorbed. This hardening treatment, concentrated with plant-based keratin, silicon, and biotin, boosts keratin production and densifies the nail plate. Complete with the application of a drop of Green™ Oil 1 to 2 times a day. Repeat this routine for one more week.
Starter
Enhance the effects of the Kératine Booster-Green™ Oil duo with the Fortifying Base, a treatment base enriched with AHAs and silicon, for lasting results. This action is carried out in 2 stages as follows:
Week 1: apply the Basic routine as previously indicated.
Week 2: apply the Fortifying Base on bare nails every 2 days up to 3 times a week, without removing previous layers. At the same time, continue massaging the Green™ Oil 1 to 2 times a day onto the nail and surrounding area.
Ultimate
Switch to intensive mode with the following protocol:
Week 1: apply the Kératine Booster 3 times a day, allowing it to dry until fully absorbed. Massage the Complete Serum 1 to 2 times a day onto nails and cuticles and apply the Green™ Oil once a day. Finally, carry the Perfecting Concentrate with you everywhere to apply at any time to nourish them all day long.
Week 2: apply the Fortifying Base twice during the week, layering the coats. Continue to apply the Complete Serum and Green™ Oil at the same frequency as the previous week. And always keep your Perfecting Concentrate close at hand to nourish your nails throughout the day.
💡Tip: to go further, start a course of Nail Boost dietary supplements at the same time, taking one capsule per day for 2 months. Rich in vitamins and natural active ingredients, they promote nail hardening and healthy growth.
Routine for soft nails: care, hydration, nutrition, and reinforcement.
Routine for damaged, brittle, or split nails
Basic
To effectively repair your brittle and damaged nails, you can rely on the benefits of the Base S.O.S. This ideal treatment base acts like a bandage for fragile nails: it gently exfoliates, stimulates cell regeneration, and strengthens keratin fibers. Apply the Base S.O.S. on bare nails every 2 days, up to 3 times a week, without removing the previous layers (they can be layered).
At the same time, apply a drop of Green Oil 1 to 2 times a day, massaging the nail and its edges until the oil is absorbed. You don’t need to rinse or wipe off this treatment.
Starter
If the Basic routine isn’t enough, we recommend using the Duo Day & Night care kit combining Kératine Booster and SOS Mask. Apply the Kératine Booster 3 times a day on bare nails, letting it dry completely until fully absorbed. Massage your nails and cuticles with a drop of Green Oil 1 to 2 times a day. And apply the SOS Mask 2 to 3 nights a week in a thick layer, letting it air dry and removing it by peeling off or with soapy water the next morning.
Kératine Booster by day, SOS Mask by night to gently and deeply repair your nails.
Ultimate
Switch to intensive care mode with a full 24/7 nail treatment. Here’s how:
Week 1: apply the Kératine Booster 1 to 3 times a day on bare nails, letting it dry completely until fully absorbed. Massage your nails and cuticles with a drop of Green Oil 1 to 2 times a day. Take your Perfecting Concentrate everywhere to apply it anytime. Apply the S.O.S. Mask 2 to 3 nights a week in a thick layer, let it air dry, then remove it by peeling off or with soapy water in the morning.
Week 2: apply the Base S.O.S. on bare nails every 2 days (up to 3 times a week) without removing the previous layers. Apply a drop of Green Oil 1 to 2 times a day. Continue the Perfecting Concentrate at any time. At the end of the week, remove the Base S.O.S. with a gentle remover, then apply the S.O.S. Mask for one last night of care.
Damaged Nails Routine: a complete 24/7 treatment to repair, strengthen, and regenerate fragile nails.
Best practices for healthy nails
💦Daily hydration of hands and cuticles
We remind you regularly: hydration is key to ensuring the balance and well-being of your nails all year round. This concerns not only the nails but also the cuticles and the entire hand. Well-hydrated skin provides protection and regulates the matrix. This involves daily massages of nails and cuticles with a nourishing oil and regular application of a moisturizing hand cream. Comfort, suppleness, and softness—you have everything to gain!
💅Sustainable manicure
Switch to sustainable and sensible manicure practice. Choose vegan and bio-sourced nail polish formulas that apply easily and remove without damaging the nail. Alternate polish applications with care treatments to help your nails regain their natural balance.
Discover sustainable and sensible manicure with the Green™ Starter kits and Green Flash™.
🥰 Good habits
It’s about adopting the right habits and reflexes that protect your nails day after day. For example:
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protect your hands with gloves during household chores where they are exposed to water or chemicals,
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avoid biting your nails,
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avoid using your nails to open, scratch, or lift…
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eat a balanced diet to ensure essential vitamin and mineral intake.
Whatever your nail nature, you now have all the tips and care products needed to pamper, hydrate, and grow them… in short, to take great care from root to tip. In Basic, Starter, or Ultimate mode, Nail care forever 👌💖✨
To summarize:
- Whatever your nail type, there is a routine to pamper them and restore strength and shine.
- We have developed a complete range to meet every need:
- Strengthening base, Base S.O.S., Keratin Booster, S.O.S. Mask, Complete Serum, and our bestseller Green Oil.
- For manicure, our vegan and bio-sourced Green™ and Green Flash™ polishes combine pleasure and nail care.
