12 Fall Nail Care Tips for Healthy, Beautiful Nails All Season

Fall is officially here, which means cozy sweaters, pumpkin spice, darker nail colors—and suddenly wondering why your hands and cuticles feel so dry.

As temperatures start dropping and the air becomes less humid, your hands and nails can start feeling the effects. Add frequent hand washing, sanitizer, cleaning products and the beginning of indoor heating season, and those perfectly manicured summer nails may need a little extra attention.

The good news is that your fall nail-care routine doesn’t have to be complicated.

A few small changes can help keep your nails looking healthy and your hands feeling soft throughout fall and into winter.

Here are 12 fall nail care tips to add to your beauty routine this season.

1. Start Using Cuticle Oil Every Day

If you add only one thing to your fall nail routine, make it cuticle oil.

Cuticles can become noticeably drier as the weather gets colder, leaving the skin around your nails looking rough or flaky.

Massage a small amount of cuticle oil around each nail at least once a day.

Keep a bottle somewhere you’ll actually remember to use it—next to your bed, on your desk or beside your hand lotion.

For an extra little self-care ritual, apply it before bed and massage it into your fingertips.

2. Keep Hand Cream Everywhere

Fall is the season when the lightweight hand lotion you’ve been using all summer may no longer be enough.

Switch to a richer hand cream if your hands start feeling dry.

And don’t keep just one tube hidden somewhere in the bathroom.

Put hand cream where you need it.

Keep one:

Next to your bed
In your purse
At your desk
Near the kitchen sink
In your car

Apply it after washing your hands whenever possible.

3. Don’t Forget Your Nails When Moisturizing

When applying hand cream, don’t stop at your knuckles.

Massage the moisturizer over your nails and around your cuticles as well.

Your nail-care routine doesn’t have to involve a dozen specialty products. Simply being consistent with moisturizer can make a noticeable difference in how your hands and the skin surrounding your nails feel.

4. Wear Gloves While Cleaning

If you’re deep cleaning your home this fall, protect your hands while you do it.

Repeated exposure to water and household cleaning products can be rough on your hands and nails.

Wear household gloves when washing dishes, scrubbing bathrooms or working with cleaning products.

Your manicure will probably appreciate it too.

There’s nothing quite like spending an hour painting your nails only to destroy them during a sink full of dishes that evening.

5. Keep Your Nails at a Manageable Length

Long nails can be gorgeous, but fall may be a good time to reconsider your length if your nails are constantly breaking.

If you’re noticing more chips, cracks or snags, try shortening them slightly.

You don’t have to cut them extremely short.

A manageable length can make everyday activities easier while reducing the opportunities for your nails to catch on sweaters, blankets, jackets and everything else that seems determined to attack a manicure.

6. File Snags Instead of Picking at Them

You notice one tiny rough edge.

You tell yourself you’re just going to fix it with your fingers.

Five minutes later, half the nail is gone.

We’ve all been there.

Keep a nail file nearby so you can smooth small snags before you’re tempted to peel or tear them.

A small file in your purse or school emergency kit can be incredibly handy.

File gently rather than aggressively sawing back and forth at the nail.

7. Be Gentle With Your Cuticles

Your cuticles don’t need to be aggressively cut away every time you do your nails.

They serve an important purpose around the base of the nail.

If you’re doing an at-home manicure, soften the area first and gently push back excess cuticle when appropriate.

Avoid cutting or picking at living skin.

If the skin around your nails becomes painful, swollen, warm, significantly red or appears infected, that’s no longer a beauty issue and should be evaluated appropriately.

8. Give Your Nail Polish a Good Base

Fall nail colors tend to be gorgeous.

Think burgundy, chocolate brown, navy, forest green, plum and almost-black shades.

Unfortunately, deeply pigmented polish can sometimes leave staining behind.

Using a base coat creates a layer between your natural nail and the colored polish.

It can also give your manicure a smoother surface to start with.

Consider it the primer step of your manicure.

9. Finish With a Top Coat

If you spent the time painting your nails, protect them.

A top coat can add shine and help protect your polish from everyday wear.

You can also refresh your manicure with another thin layer of top coat after a few days if needed.

Pay attention to the tips of your nails when applying polish and top coat because that’s where chipping often starts.

10. Stop Using Your Nails as Tools

Your nails are not:

A box cutter.

A screwdriver.

A soda-can opener.

A tool for scraping labels off packages.

We all do it, but using your nails to pry, scrape and open things is practically an invitation for a break.

Reach for an actual tool instead.

Your nails will thank you.

11. Be Careful Removing Gel and Artificial Nails

Picking gel polish off your nails can be unbelievably satisfying.

It can also take layers of your natural nail along with it.

The same goes for ripping or prying off artificial nails.

Follow the appropriate removal process for the product you’re using or have them professionally removed when necessary.

If your natural nails feel thin or damaged afterward, consider giving them some extra care before immediately applying another set.

12. Create a Fall Nail-Care Kit

Make taking care of your nails easy by keeping your most-used products together.

You could create a small fall nail kit with:

Nail file
Nail clippers
Cuticle oil
Hand cream
Base coat
Top coat
Favorite fall polish
Nail polish remover
Cotton pads
Cuticle pusher

Keep everything in a small makeup bag, basket or organizer.

When you want to do your nails, you can grab one container instead of searching through five bathroom drawers.

Give Your Hands a Weekly Fall Reset

If your weekdays are hectic, turn nail care into part of your Sunday reset.

Remove old polish if needed.

File your nails.

Apply fresh polish.

Massage in cuticle oil.

Cover your hands with a rich moisturizer.

It doesn’t need to become a two-hour manicure.

Even 10 or 15 minutes of basic maintenance can make your hands feel much more put together.

And honestly, there’s something very fall about doing your nails while watching a movie under a blanket with a coffee nearby.

Fall Nail Colors to Try

Once your nails are taken care of, it’s time for the fun part.

Fall is one of the best seasons for nail colors.

Try shades like:

Chocolate brown
Burgundy
Deep red
Burnt orange
Olive green
Forest green
Navy
Plum
Taupe
Caramel
Copper
Black

You can also bring fall into your manicure with tortoiseshell patterns, tiny leaves, plaid designs, French tips in autumn colors or a simple accent nail.

Don’t Forget About Your Toenails

Pedicure season doesn’t end because sandal season does.

Your feet may be hidden inside boots for the next several months, but your toenails still need basic care.

Keep nails trimmed appropriately, moisturize dry feet and pay attention to changes in the nails or surrounding skin.

Fall is also a great time to remove that last summer pedicure that’s been hanging on since July.

You know the one.

Build a Fall Nail Routine You’ll Actually Follow

You don’t need a complicated 10-step routine or a drawer filled with expensive nail products to take care of your nails this fall.

Start with the basics.

Moisturize your hands.

Use cuticle oil.

Protect your hands while cleaning.

File snags instead of picking at them.

Be gentle when removing polish or artificial nails.

And then have fun with all those gorgeous fall colors.

A little consistency now can help keep your hands and nails looking their best as the weather gets colder—and prepare them for the even drier winter months ahead.