Would you like to grow your nails? But now they are soft, brittle, or split… Fortunately, there are several manners to fix these little issues to finally have a solid length. 

Here is our manual for taking care of your nails!

Why are your nails brittle, soft, or splitting?

The nails are primarily composed of several layers of keratin, like your hair. Some of these layers can be weakened by a whole host of exterior aggressions such as extreme washing or the handling of chemical products. But the problem can also come from within because of defects in iron, zinc, sulfur, proteins, or vitamins A and B.

Wear gloves!

The foremost method to take care of your nails is therefore to wear gloves when handling chemicals, such as cleaning products, or during frequent or prolonged immersion of your hands in water. Dishes, cleaning, laundry by hand… Remember to put on a pair of rubber gloves to protect your nails and the fragile skin of your hands.

A regular manicure

Every week do a manicure. Apply oil to your cuticles, gently push them back, file your nails, and put moisturizer on your hands, rubbing your nails well with it. Frequent care of your nails helps strengthen them. Finish your manicure with a hardener treatment, ideally bought in pharmacies.

Treat yourself with vegetable oil

The nourishing power of olive oil or the many virtues of castor oil is no longer to be proven, especially with regard to nails and hair. So remember to regularly apply these oils as a mask on your nails to protect and moisturize your brittle nails. Borage oil, on the other hand, helps strengthen soft nails, it is also very effective. 

You can even add 1 to 2 drops of lemon or lavender essential oil to your carrier oil to heal your ridged or brittle nails. Leave on for 30 minutes or better, overnight (wear cotton gloves to enhance the effectiveness of the treatment)!

Do a lemon-based treatment for soft nails

Lemon, among its many benefits, strengthens soft nails. Mix the juice of a lemon with a tablespoon of baking soda. Microwave everything for 30 seconds and soak your nails in the mixture. Rinse your hands after 4 minutes and apply oil before moving on to a quick manicure. 

In addition, lemon helps whiten yellowed nails and as an antifungal, it will help your nails fight against the spread of the possible fungus.

Also Read: 7 Tips to Afford a Perfect Homemade Manicure

Limit the use of varnish

If your nails are having a bad time, it shouldn’t make the situation worse! Take a break from using your favorite red polish and choose a hardener polish instead for nails that are worked but cared for. 

Remember to limit the use of polish, even when everything is going okay, as it tends to smother your nails, which also need natural light to be healthy. One week a month without polish therefore greatly contributes to the good health of your nails.

Choose your products and accessories carefully

If your nails are brittle, avoid nail clippers and opt for a cardboard file instead. Always pass it in the same direction so as not to encourage the splitting of your nails. As for the solvent, which is very aggressive, remember to choose it “soft” so as not to further weaken your nails. Opt for genuine products, such as Manucurist nail polishes for instance. If you are used to going regularly to the manicurist for semi-permanent nail polish, make sure she uses “green” products. Traditional semi-permanent products tend to promote splitting and other small nail problems…

Take a course on dietary supplements

Strengthen your nails from the inside by taking a course of food supplements that will strengthen your nails. You can also regularly consume brewer’s yeast that you will find in supermarkets, by sprinkling it on your mixed salads for example. Be certain to pick supplements of natural origin and opt for a cure of at least 3 months for better effectiveness. So favor supplements sold in organic stores, for the active ingredient, you have the choice:

• Yeast ;
• evening primrose;
• Silicon;
• Nettle;
• Keratin…

Take salt-water baths

Salt helps strengthen brittle and soft nails thanks to its iodine content. Its effect is maximized when combined with baking soda, a true miracle worker in the kitchen, home, and beauty. Mix a tablespoon of coarse salt (ideally from the Dead Sea) with a tablespoon of baking soda in a bowl of hot water. Soak your nails for 5 minutes, and rinse and moisturize your hands with a suitable cream or vegetable oil. This bath strengthens the keratin of your nails and thus makes them stronger.

Pay attention to your diet

As we mentioned above, poor nail health can be the result of a deficiency in your diet. Choose foods rich in vitamins A and B, iron, zinc, sulfur, and protein. You can find these elements in large quantities in the following foods:

• Vitamin A: carrots, peppers, sweet potatoes, spinach, cabbage, squash, melons, tomatoes…
• Vitamin B: pulses, nuts, seeds, green vegetables, mushrooms, rice, almonds, oatmeal, cashews, bananas, fish…
• Iron: dark chocolate, seafood, veal liver, red meats, soy, lentils, dried beans, oily fish, sunflower seeds…
• Zinc: seafood, rye bread, beef, Grisons meat, sesame seeds, duck, pine nuts, cashew nuts, cheeses…
• Sulfur: meats, eggs, seafood, fish, garlic, shallots, chives, cabbage, broccoli, chickpeas, walnuts, almonds…
• Proteins: meat, eggs, fish, dairy products, chickpeas, dried beans…

Photo: Pexels/ Dagmara Dombrovska

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