Our nails are no longer painting' canvases of polish but are now more mirrors of the rest of our health. Exacerbating problems like weak, brittle, or peeling nails is something we've all gone through, and they're also generally the result of diet, lifestyle, or even our own everyday habits. The good news? By taking good care of them and doing things in the proper way, you can condition your nails to be healthier and stronger and really turn your nail game into something of a different league altogether.
What we're actually going to do in this guide is give 7 tips to strengthen nails, cover the best home remedies for nail strength, and explain why nails are weak, as well as what's the best practice and products that work.
Understanding Weak Nails: What Causes Them?
Knowing the weak nails causes before offering solutions is important. The causes of weak nails are:
- Long-term contact with chemicals or water (e.g., soap or acetone)
- Vitamin deficiencies (biotin, iron, and B12, respectively)
- Excessive use of nail polish remover
- Natural aging process
- Medical issues (e.g., hypothyroidism or anemia)
- Failure to properly moisturize
All of which can cause brittleness, peeling, or stunted growth, but with a little TLC, you can turn it around.
7 Expert Tips to Achieve Stronger, Healthier Nails
1. Moisturize Your Nails Daily
One of the most simplest to leave out but most useful nail strengthening tips is water. Your skin and your nails need water so that they will also stay strong and flexible.
Dry nails are prone to shattering and cracking. Moisturize with repair oil or hand cream that conditions cuticles and skin. Every day moisturizing nails will seal in and de-brittle texture.
How to do it
- Massage cuticle oil at night.
- Use hand cream after handwashing.
- Select products containing shea butter, vitamin E, or jojoba oil.
This simple trick will reveal results in weeks.
2. Have a Nail-Friendly Diet
Your nails are made up of a protein substance called keratin. How to grow stronger nails, your body needs to be getting a continuous supply of nutrients. Adding nail-friendly foods to your diet can greatly enhance nail growth and thickening of the nails.
Healthy foods for healthy nails:
- Eggs (high-protein and biotin)
- Salmon (vitamin D and high omega-3 fatty acids)
- Leafy greens (folate and iron)
- Nuts and seeds (zinc and magnesium)
- Beans and lentils (high biotin and high protein)
What you're putting into your body is more than you realize. If your nails still break easily, there's a good possibility, you're not putting some of the basics into them.
3. Take the Right Supplements
Diet isn't always enough in a few instances, particularly when you literally can't afford to eat. Enter supplements. Some of the most effective best supplements for nails include:
- Biotin for nails: Most widely available nail-strengthening vitamin. Biotin for nails (vitamin B7) promotes keratin growth and is also said to increase nail thickness, and reduce breakage.
- Iron: Spoon-shaped, brittle nails can signal an iron deficit.
- Zinc: Boosts cell repair and growth.
- Collagen: Helps overall nail and skin health.
Make sure to consult your doctor before adding any new supplement, but adding vitamins for strong nails will give your body that little extra it needs.
4. Create a Routine Nail Care
Your nails need to be cared for daily like your skin or hair. Clean them, cut them, and put them under guard for everyday wear and tear with an efficient nail care program.
Healthy nail steps:
- Cut often: Less chance to break.
- File carefully: File with fine-grit only in a single direction, never saw back and forth.
- Push back cuticles: Never cut, but push back softly with cuticle pusher after bath.
- Avoid biting: Biting nails is a softening habit for nails that lets bacteria into the nail plate.
This is simple to do, but repetition over time stops your nails from breaking and makes them shine and be clean.
5. Use Nail Hardeners — Sparingly
Use nail hardeners once the nails begin to soften and become fragile but in moderation. Excess usage of hardener containing formaldehyde and other chemicals leads to more brittleness.
When to use:
- When peeling and curved nails
- For temporary durations (2–4 weeks) of special care
Try out formaldehyde-free hardeners and use as an additional ingredient added to nail care routine moisturizers. Suspicious, get a dermatologist to prescribe a mild, strengthening product.
6. Avoid Over-Exposure to Water and Chemicals
Water appears innocuous, yet excessive water is going to soften nails in the long term by weakening them. All that everything such as washing your hands too many times, washing up after washing dishes, or swimming, all puffed out and then folding back nails, which ultimately peel or crack.
How to safeguard your nails:
- Wash up or dish in gloved dish or cleaner hands.
- Avoid direct contact with acetone nail polish removers.
- Apply moisturizing soap and then lotion.
Reduce exposure to chemicals and water as a baseline for any brittle nails treatment.
7. Experiment With Natural Home Remedies
If you are an old-fashioned type of person, there are some excellent home remedies for the strengthening of your nails that you can try using common ingredients in your home in your kitchen.
Home remedies are:
- Olive oil soak: Soak your nails every day in warm olive oil for 10 minutes. It is rich in vitamin E, softening and strengthening your nails.
- Massage with coconut oil: Coconut oil is antimicrobial and moisturizing, perfect for healthy cuticles and nails.
- Garlic paste: Garlic makes your nails thicker because it contains selenium in it.
- Lemon juice baking soda: Lightens the color of the nails in the long run if applied and removed.
How to Cure Peeling Nails
Peeling nails are usually the result of trauma on the surface layers of the nails. This could be through injury, dryness, or deficiency. This is how to fix peeling nails:
- Don't use nail polish and remover for a few weeks to let it heal.
- Use nail oils and heavy moisturizers every day.
- Buff the nail carefully to shave off peeling layers, only if needed.
- Use biotin supplements to induce regrowth.
- Drink plenty of water and consume healthy food to stay well-hydrated.
- Peeling can be reversed when done carefully and patiently.
Nail Strengthening Oils Available for Use
Using nail strengthening oil in your process is an easy step that's totally worth it. Use oils that have:
- Vitamin E: Hydrates dryness and fissures.
- Jojoba oil: Replaces sebum to provide deep hydration.
- Castor oil: Fatty acid oil that allows for thickening of the nails.
- Almond oil: Adds elasticity and hardness.
Use oils in bed and allow them to soak in, your nails will thank you.
Final Thoughts
Nail health is not about perfect polish, it's about hard, healthy nails that won't split, crack, or flake. With these 7 healthier secrets for your nails, proper care, and best foods and vitamins, fragile, weak nails can be turned into beautiful, healthy nails.
Regardless of what you do, biotin on nails, moisturizing, home remedies using natural products for strengthening nails, remember this: patience and consistency are the secrets. Healthy nails are not something that happens overnight, but if you turn it into a habit and do the correct procedure, they surely will.
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