Five ways to support naturally healthy nails (because the naked manicure has nowhere to hide)
London Fashion Week doesn't usually make the case for doing less. This season, it did.
The biggest beauty trend of the season is, quite literally, at your fingertips.The acrylic excess of recent seasons gave way to short, filed, barely-there nails. The focus on natural texture and barely-there polish boasts quiet luxury — Royalty even — as it’s been well-documented over the years that senior royals are strictly limited to sheer, nude shades.
London Fashion Week solidified that the naked manicure has well and truly arrived, and it's not going anywhere. The catch? When there's no gel to hide behind, nail condition becomes the star of the show. Here are five evidence-informed ways to make sure yours are ready for the spotlight.
1. Build your plate around nail-friendly nutrients
Nails are made primarily of keratin — a structural protein — so what you eat has a more direct bearing on their quality than most people realise. Adequate protein is the baseline, but the details matter too: eggs for biotin and protein, oily fish like salmon for B12 and omega-3s, leafy greens for iron and folate, nuts and seeds for zinc, sweet potatoes for cell-supporting beta-carotene.
Iron deficiency is worth particular attention. It remains common in UK women and often shows up first in the nails. If your nails have been behaving oddly, it's worth asking whether your iron levels are where they should be. For women in particular, maintaining adequate iron intake as part of a balanced diet is an important part of supporting overall nutrition.
One important caveat: nails grow slowly. Nutritional improvements show up over months, not weeks. Consistency matters far more than intensity.
2. Don't underestimate zinc
Zinc sits quietly at the centre of cell division, protein synthesis and tissue repair — all of which are essential for the maintenance of normal, healthy nails. And because zinc intake can be inconsistent even in otherwise balanced diets, it's one of the more common shortfalls people don't know they have.
Food sources include shellfish, red meat and seeds. Where dietary intake is limited or variable, a targeted supplement like Neutrient Zinc is a straightforward way to sustain baseline levels.
3. Keep your B-vitamins in check — especially if you're on a GLP-1
Since nails are constantly renewing, it’s important to maintain good levels of nutrients that support normal cell division — such as Folate and B12 — and protein metabolism — such as vitamin B6 and Biotin. These can quietly fall short when diet is restricted or absorption is compromised.
Diet-related B vitamin shortfalls are worth considering for anyone whose eating patterns have changed significantly. Those managing their weight through medical or dietary programmes may find their nutrient intake becomes more variable as appetite shifts. A liposomal formulation (such as Altrient B-Complex) can be particularly useful when digestive efficiency or dietary variety is reduced. As always, anyone on prescription medication should consult their healthcare provider before adding supplements.
4. Support collagen as well as keratin
The nail plate itself is keratin, but the nail bed and surrounding connective tissue rely on collagen for structural support — and collagen production declines with age, sped up by lifestyle factors such as stress, poor diet, and unfortunate lifestyle choices (smoking and drinking being the obvious main culprits here).
Vitamin C is an essential cofactor in collagen synthesis. Maintaining adequate vitamin c intake supports normal collagen formation, helping tissues stay strong and resilient. Altrient C, in liposomal form, supports that process directly while also enhancing iron absorption — a useful dual benefit.
For a more targeted approach, supplementing collagen peptides like Neutrient Collagen provides the amino acids that contribute to normal protein synthesis, supporting the body’s ongoing renewal of structural proteins.. Results tend to build over several months, but that's consistent with how nail tissue regenerates.
5. Keep your external routine simple — and stick to it
Internal support can be quietly undone by a careless external routine. The fundamentals are worth taking seriously: file gently in one direction rather than sawing back and forth; avoid aggressive buffing that strips the nail surface; apply cuticle oil consistently rather than occasionally. When cleaning or gardening, wear gloves. And if you've been relying on gel, give your nails adequate recovery time between removal cycles — repeated acetone exposure is genuinely dehydrating to the nail plate.
The simplest routines, followed consistently, tend to outperform elaborate ones applied intermittently.
