3 Steps to Soothing Winter Hands

In partnership with côte - leaders in creating nail polishes and hand treatments that are free from the major toxins often associated with nail polishes - we've created a simple guide to support your skin from the outside in. 

Grab the door knob: wash your hands.

Pick up the mail: wash your hands.

Sneeze, cough: wash your hands.

Breathe: wash your hands.

Diligent hand washing is a crucial step in reducing the spread of germs, but constant washing paired with dry winter air can lead to painful, cracked skin and brittle nails. This issue is more than skin-deep: very simply put, dry skin lets germs in.  

Your skin is the body's largest organ, and our first line of defense when it comes to immunity. Our epidermis contains 20 billion T-cells —many more than are present in blood. Taking care of your nails and hands is imperative to protecting your holistic health. 

Daily 

• Your nail plate is not a barrier: it's actually made of a very porous protein called keratin. Due to its porous nature, it needs to be moisturized just like your skin. Use a drop 100% pure argan oil to nourish nail beds and prevent cracking by massaging across nails and letting it soak for a few minutes

•  Massage Nourish Body Lotion from elbow to fingertips to increase hydration and blood circulation while combating inflammation. 

Weekly 

• Keep Soothe+ Balm handy for a quick boost of cuticle hydration and breakage prevention. 
• Slip on a Hand and Foot Mask, enriched with soy collagen and shea butter to provide intense, age-defying hydration for your skin and nails. After soaking in the goodness for 15-20 minutes, massage any excess cream into your extremeties.

Always

• Fully dry your hands after washing: wet hands spread germs more easily than dry hands do.
• Eat foods high in Vitamin C to naturally support collagen production from the inside, out.

New to non-toxic nail care? Here's why it's important:

• Every ingredient in a nail polish formula serves a purpose. Whether it's a hardener, film former, UV absorber or colorant, each item is there to do a job in creating a lasting, wearable polish. In order to make our polishes "non-toxic" we take out ingredients that are deemed toxins or allergens, and replace them with safe ingredients that will act in the same purpose. So why doesn't every nail brand do this? These alternate ingredients can often be a bit pricier or harder to source, thus making them less of a priority for some brands.
• Côte is a 10-FREE brand, meaning they have replaced 10 ingredients deemed harmful or dangerous. They take on the effort and expense to make these changes because they care about what goes into our bodies. The #1 benefit of our 10-FREE polish is everything you DON'T absorb when wearing it! 

Reviewed by Gabe Kennedy

 Co-Founder of Plant People, Gabe Kennedy is an acclaimed chef and entrepreneur. Growing up in a house of healers and herbalists, he is passionate about the power of food as a tool for health, and actualized this passion and belief system into his company, Plant People. Named to Forbes 30 under 30 Gabe has shaped menus and cooked his way around the world with his mission to promote a more communal, green and healthy world.

 Gabe is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. You can learn more about his work at his website.