Summer is a season we look forward to: beaches, swimming pools, lazing in the sun. But these moments of relaxation turn out to be particularly harsh on our nails. Chlorinated water, salt water, prolonged UV exposure, abrasive sand… without precautions, nails come out of the summer season brittle, splitting, stained and weakened. Fortunately, there are simple habits and suitable care products to guard against this. Let’s take stock.
To understand how to protect your nails, you first need to understand what attacks them.
Chlorine, used extensively in swimming pools to disinfect the water, is a powerful oxidant. As it penetrates the keratinised structure of the nail, it breaks the disulfide bonds that hold keratin together — the protein that makes up the nail. The result: nails lose their natural strength, become soft, crumble at the edges and split more easily.
This effect is amplified by the frequency of swims: one hour a day in the pool during a week’s holiday amounts to seven hours of immersion in a disinfectant solution. The cuticles, that fine barrier of skin which protects the root of the nail, are also attacked and dry out quickly.
Salt water works differently, but with equally notable effects. Salt (sodium chloride) is hygroscopic: it attracts water and, as it dries after swimming, it draws moisture out of the nail’s surface layers. The nails become dehydrated, lose their flexibility and turn brittle.
Iodine and marine minerals, although beneficial in small doses, cause surface damage with prolonged exposure, which shows up as a dull appearance, ridges or a slight yellowish discolouration.
UV rays degrade the surface keratin and accelerate the dehydration of the nails and the skin around them. The skin on the hands, often neglected in favour of the face, ages faster in summer. Cuticles dry out and crack, and without moisturising protection, painful hangnails multiply.
Sand is made up of mineral particles with angular edges. When it lodges under the nails or rubs against their surface, it acts as a micro-mechanical abrasive that erodes the surface layer of the nail plate, making it more porous and therefore more vulnerable to other aggressors.
Certain symptoms reveal a nail that has been attacked by the summer elements:
If you recognise yourself in several of these descriptions, don’t panic: nails do regenerate, provided you adopt the right habits now — and not only when you get back from holiday.
One of the most effective ways to limit the penetration of chlorine and salt into the nail is to apply a coat of treatment polish before swimming. This film forms a physical barrier that slows the exchange between the nail and the water.
Belweder’s AHA Strengthening Nail Treatment Polish is particularly well suited to this use. Its fruit-acid-rich formula strengthens the nail plate and prevents splitting, while forming a discreet, transparent protective film. It can be used on its own or as a base under a coloured polish.
Along the same lines, the Ceramides Strengthening Nail Treatment Polish offers a complementary approach: the plant-based ceramides it contains help consolidate the lipid structure of the nail plate, reinforcing the nail’s natural resistance to external aggressors.
The cuticles are the nail’s first line of defence. Looking after them before exposure to chlorinated or salt water considerably limits the damage. Applying the Regenerating Nail & Cuticle Wax with Panthenol before swimming creates a protective veil rich in provitamin B5, vitamin E and natural oils. Its slightly film-forming texture is ideal as a preventive measure.
Its compact format makes it a valuable ally to slip into your beach bag — it can be applied in a few seconds before diving in.
After every swim, take the time to dry your hands thoroughly — including between the fingers and under the nails. A nail that stays damp for too long is a softened nail, and therefore mechanically weakened. Avoid rubbing vigorously with the towel: pat gently instead.
This is the most important step and the one most often forgotten. As soon as you get out of the water, reapply a nourishing treatment.
Belweder’s Nourishing Nail & Cuticle Oil, formulated with 98% natural ingredients (jojoba, macadamia, avocado, castor, calendula, chamomile), is perfectly designed for summer use. As well as nourishing and regenerating dehydrated nails, it softens the cuticles and limits the appearance of painful hangnails. It takes less than a minute to apply and leaves no greasy residue.
It’s tempting, on holiday, to apply a semi-permanent polish to avoid touch-ups. But this technique, combined with summer’s aggressors, can cause lasting damage to the nail plate. If you want a lovely colour, opt instead for a good-quality classic polish, free from formaldehyde and phthalates, applied over a treatment base.
Shorter nails stand up better to the mechanical aggression of sand and reduce the risk of breakage during water activities. File them regularly into a round or rounded square shape — right angles are weak points.
In the evening, after a day of exposure, nails need deep repairing care. It is the ideal time to kick-start regeneration.
The Regenerating Nail & Cuticle Serum with Myrrh Extract is the essential night-time treatment of the summer. Its formula, concentrated in myrrh, boswellia and Siam benzoin extracts, works deep down to regenerate splitting, brittle and dehydrated nails. It is particularly effective on nails that have suffered repeated trauma, such as that caused by daily swimming.
Apply one drop to each clean nail and cuticle, massage lightly to help it penetrate, and leave it to work overnight. By morning, nails look smoother and better hydrated, and the cuticles regain their suppleness.
Despite all these precautions, your nails may still have suffered — especially if you are away for several weeks. This is where an intensive repair course comes in.
If your nails are really damaged (splitting, brittle, with pronounced ridges, very dry cuticles), the Nail Care Kit SOS Damaged Nails brings together in a single set the five key products of an intensive treatment course: regenerating wax, regenerating serum, exfoliating gel, strengthening treatment polish and gentle remover. A complete and practical solution for getting nails back on their feet quickly.
When choosing a remover, bear in mind that acetone-free formulas preserve the nail’s hydration far better. Belweder offers gentle acetone-free nail polish removers with lavender oil and panthenol or with sweet orange oil, which remove polish without drying out the nail plate — a precaution that matters all the more if your nails have already been exposed to the summer elements.
Here is a summary of the good habits to adopt throughout the summer:
Before swimming
After every time you get out of the water
Every evening
In case of significant damage
Protecting your nails in summer isn’t a chore, it’s simply a matter of routine. A few preventive steps before and after swimming, daily moisturising and a repairing treatment in the evening are enough to get through the season unscathed. And if your nails have suffered despite everything, it’s never too late to start a course of treatment and restore their strength and shine before September.
Discover the full range of Belweder nail care products on our dedicated page and choose the products that suit your needs.
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