If your nails refuse to grow past your fingertips without breaking, frequent hand-washing might be to blame. When you wash your hands, nails absorb water and expand. When you towel dry, nails lose moisture and shrink. That’s not to say you should give up hand-washing – but for household tasks, always be sure to wear rubber gloves, and moisturise nails and cuticles whenever you can. (We keep hand cream and a lip balm in our handbags which does double-duty nourishing cuticles and nail edges.)