There's a moment I think about often. I'm sitting in a nail salon, nails soaking in acetone, watching the shellac lift off in pale, brittle flakes. My nails underneath look thin. Almost translucent. I'd been doing this: booking, sitting, soaking, peeling for what feels like forever. And it never once occurred to me to stop.
I believed that beautiful nails meant salon visits. That beautiful skin meant a full face of make-up. That looking "on point" required a ton of products. That belief cost me, not just money, but the health of my own skin and nails.
It wasn't until I noticed how damaged my nails had become, peeling after every shellac removal, that I started to question whether all of it was actually working for me. Or against me.
"I began reconnecting with myself, the moon cycles, and the quiet power that comes from slowing down."
The Women Who Changed Everything
I was inspired to change by two women I've loved my entire life - my nans. They never wore make-up. Never painted their nails. They used olive oil on their hands when everyone else was reaching for expensive hand creams. As a teenager, I found this baffling, maybe even a little embarrassing. "Olive oil is for cooking!" I'd say, rolling my eyes.
Now, as a grown woman, I understand what they knew intuitively. That was comes from nature is enough. That simplicity, when done with intention, is its own kind of elegance. I wish I could go back in time and thank them for it.
They carried themselves with a quiet confidence that had nothing to do with products and everything to do with knowing who they were. That feeling is what I was missing. And in 2019, I decided to go looking for it.
The Year I Stopped Wearing Make-Up
In 2019, I stopped wearing make-up altogether. Not gradually, all at once. It felt terrifying at first, then liberating, then so completely normal that I can barely remember why I started wearing it in the first place - that's a lie, I remember perfectly why - all the other girls were wearing it and it looked "cool".
I started looking for natural alternatives to the high street cosmetics I'd relied on for years. I discovered brands that focused on nature and genuinely effective. I found a skincare routine that took less than five minutes. I began reconnecting with myself, with the moon cycles, and with the quiet power that comes from slowing down.
And somewhere in that process, while I was rebuilding my relationship with my own reflection, a slightly crazy idea began to take root. What if I could do the same for nails?
That thought became Moon Nail Care. But before I tell you that story, I want to share the routine that started it all. Because it's still the one I come back to every single day.
None of these are sponsored. I genuinely use every single one of these, every day. These are the products that made me realise natural beauty doesn't have to mean compromise.
Once a week since January, I do a hair hot-oiling treatment. I blend my own oil, and was inspired by the gorgeous Radhi (here's her Instagram).
The blend I use:
- Coconut oil ~ the base, deeply nourishing and smoothing
- Jamaican Black Castor Oil ~ for thickness and growth
- Red Pimento Oil ~ warming, stimulates the scalp and smells divine
- Rosemary Mint Oil ~ for circulation and that fresh, clean scent
- Bhringraj Oil ~ an Ayurvedic staple for strength and shine
I warm the blend slightly, massage it into my scalp and then work from roots to tips. I usually do this on a Saturday evening, whilst I put some relaxing music on, write on my journal whilst I leave it on for at least half-hour before washing it out. It's become one of my favourite rituals of the week as it allows me to slow down and I have genuinely noticed my hair is looking shinier and healthier.
What This All Led To
Rebuilding my beauty routine from the ground up changed how I see myself and beauty. It taught me that simplicity, when chosen with care, is more powerful than anything you can buy in a department store.
It also planted the seed for Moon Nail Care. Because once I'd stripped back everything else, my nails were the last thing left. And they were in a terrible state, let me tell you. I wanted for them what I'd found for my skin: a ritual that was gentle and natural.
That search led to our nano-glass tools, the Moon White Nail Pencil™, and eventually to this. A brand built around the belief that the most beautiful version of your nails is a healthy one.
"Beauty doesn't need to be painted on. It's already there, waiting to be embraced."
I hope this gives you a little inspiration to look at your own routine, not to strip it back entirely (unless you want to!), but to ask yourself which parts are serving you and which parts you've just never questioned.
You might be surprised what you find.
☽Thank you for reading. If you'd like to follow along my journey, natural beauty bits, Moon updates and everything in between, come and find us on Instagram.
