We all love the feeling of freshly manicured nails and styled hair after a trip to the salon. But could some of our beauty habits be doing more harm than good? While professional treatments can enhance your appearance, frequent exposure to harsh chemicals, excessive heat, and improper aftercare can take a toll on your nail and hair health. Here’s what to watch out for.
The Hidden Damage from Manicures
Gel manicures, acrylics, and frequent polish changes can weaken your nails over time, leading to brittleness, peeling, and even fungal infections. Many salon nail products contain harsh chemicals like formaldehyde and toluene, which strip nails of their natural moisture.
How to Protect Your Nails:
- Give Your Nails a Break – Let your nails breathe between manicures to prevent damage. Biotin is also recommended to take daily for hair and nail strength.
- Hydration is Key – Use a nourishing nail serum like Si-Nail by iS Clinical, which strengthens and restores nail health with peptides and hydrating ingredients.
- Be Gentle – Avoid aggressive buffing and excessive cuticle cutting, which can weaken the nail bed and lead to infections.
- Bring a caddy of your own instruments and polish to the salon. You don’t want to use the same polish that dozens of others have used!
The Cost of Heat and Chemical Treatments:
Blowouts, hair coloring, and chemical straightening treatments may leave you with silky-smooth locks, but frequent exposure to heat and harsh chemicals can lead to dryness, breakage, and hair thinning. Sulfates and parabens in some salon products can further strip the hair of essential nutrients.
How to Protect Your Hair:
- Strengthen from Within – Support healthy hair growth with supplements like Nutrafol and Wellbel, which provide essential vitamins and nutrients for stronger, fuller hair.
- See one of our clinicians today for medical grade topical products, such as Plated Hair Serum and/or prescription treatment.
- Try PRP Therapy – If you’re experiencing hair thinning, PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) therapy is a regenerative treatment that uses your own growth factors to stimulate hair follicles and improve hair density. For enhanced results, exosomes can be added to further support hair regeneration and scalp health.
- Limit Harsh Treatments – Opt for gentler alternatives like keratin-infused treatments instead of harsh chemicals such as excessive bleaching or relaxers. Avoid intense heat from blow dryers or styling tools, vigorous pulling and tight hairstyles.
Healthy Beauty Starts with the Right Care
Salon treatments don’t have to harm your nail, skin, or hair health—when done correctly and paired with proper at-home care, they can enhance your beauty without the damage. By making small changes to your routine and using professional-grade products. You can maintain strong, healthy nails, glowing skin, and luscious hair while still enjoying your favorite beauty treatments.