1. Not paying attention to ingredients.

If you're someone who always has polish on your nails, staying away from the harshest ingredients can help keep your health in check, says celebrity manicurist Deborah Lippmann.

Depending on how concerned you are with chemicals, you can choose a formula that is three-free (meaning free of dibutyl phthalate or DBP, toluene, and formaldehyde a category that the majority of polishes available today fall under), or five-free (which also eliminates formaldehyde resin and camphor.


2. Going barefoot in hotel rooms.

You likely think to wear flip flops or slippers at the gym, but what about hotels?

Since these areas might have unwanted bacteria and other icky things hanging around, Dr. Leslie Baumann, a Miami-based board-certified dermatologist and founder of Baumann Cosmetic & Research Institute, suggests slipping something over your feet when walking around the room to keep both your soles and toenails safe from picking up a mysterious fungus.


3. Skipping moisturizer.

Well-moisturized nails are not as rigid, which means they're not as likely to break.

"Think of your nails and hands like your face.

It wouldn't occur to most women to wash their face and not apply a moisturizer, but they wash hands over and over and don't apply hand lotion!" says Lippmann.


The solution:

Keep a travel-size hand cream or cuticle oil bottle at every sink in your home, at your office desk, and in your purse.

"Easy access is key when adding a step to any routine. Oftentimes, out of sight means out of mind," she warns.


4. Not getting the right nutrition.

The health of your body is reflected in the state of your nails, so if you're not getting a balanced mix of nutrients, you're holding yourself back in more ways than one.

Noticing that your nails aren't as strong as you would like but can't pack another leaf of kale into your diet? Consider adding a one-a-day vitamin or supplement.

"Nails love omega-3 fatty acids and multi-vitamins," says Saunders.


5. Doing chores without protection.

You might feel like a cartoon version of a 1950s housewife wearing gloves to do housework, but do it, says Lippmann.

It not only protects your polish but keeps anything harsh or drying in your cleaning solutions off your hands.