What Do I Do About Brittle Nails?
Question Answered By Krystal - Hair Advisor
Question: I have very brittle nails and it’s causing problems
with my day to day life. What causes brittle nails and what can I do
about it? -Cassie from New Mexico
Answer: Hi Cassie. My name is Krystal. I’m the hair advisor
here at Ellensbeauty.com. Although not directly related to hair,
fingernails are affected by much of the same things that hair is.
There are many causes of brittle nails. The first thing you should
think about are the things you do on a regular basis. If you
frequently wash dishes by hand or engage in other activities that keep
your hands in water on a frequent basis, brittle nails could be one
symptom. The best thing you can do if this is the case is to use
disposable rubber gloves when you need to have your hands in water.
The reason they become brittle is because of all the water they absorb
while going about your daily routine.
The key to solving issues with brittle nails is identifying the underlying cause and following simple lifestyle changes in order to toughen up your nails. Another leading cause of brittle nails is lack of proper nutrition. Eating foods rich in biotin such as lentils and cauliflower will promote healthy nails. You should also consider eating foods that contain potassium, niacin, phosphorus, and vitamin A. Lack of any one of these essential nutrients may starve your nails and prevent them from growing strong and healthy. You may also consider a multi vitamin if you’re not able to consume these vitamins in sufficient quantities from the foods that you already eat.
So how do you combat brittle nails? Well like I said, changing your diet can significantly improve your brittle nails, but there are other things that will help. You need to keep up with your manicures. Having a manicure on a regular basis will ensure your nails are short and therefore less likely to break. Breakage can attribute to brittle nails so it’s important to avoid broken finger nails. It’s also possible that your nails are dry. If this is the case, make sure to use moisturizer daily and concentrate on the fingertips and nails. Massaging the fingertips will improve the circulation of blood, which allows the nails to more easily absorb the necessary nutrients we talked about earlier. Adding the moisturizer to this massage is a good way to kill two birds with one stone.
The bottom line is, you need to take care of your nails. If you have hair issues as well, your problem is almost certainly vitamin related. Make sure you’re getting the vitamins you need and follow the other suggestions I have in this guide. If you follow these suggestions, it will almost certainly make your nails less brittle.
The key to solving issues with brittle nails is identifying the underlying cause and following simple lifestyle changes in order to toughen up your nails. Another leading cause of brittle nails is lack of proper nutrition. Eating foods rich in biotin such as lentils and cauliflower will promote healthy nails. You should also consider eating foods that contain potassium, niacin, phosphorus, and vitamin A. Lack of any one of these essential nutrients may starve your nails and prevent them from growing strong and healthy. You may also consider a multi vitamin if you’re not able to consume these vitamins in sufficient quantities from the foods that you already eat.
So how do you combat brittle nails? Well like I said, changing your diet can significantly improve your brittle nails, but there are other things that will help. You need to keep up with your manicures. Having a manicure on a regular basis will ensure your nails are short and therefore less likely to break. Breakage can attribute to brittle nails so it’s important to avoid broken finger nails. It’s also possible that your nails are dry. If this is the case, make sure to use moisturizer daily and concentrate on the fingertips and nails. Massaging the fingertips will improve the circulation of blood, which allows the nails to more easily absorb the necessary nutrients we talked about earlier. Adding the moisturizer to this massage is a good way to kill two birds with one stone.
The bottom line is, you need to take care of your nails. If you have hair issues as well, your problem is almost certainly vitamin related. Make sure you’re getting the vitamins you need and follow the other suggestions I have in this guide. If you follow these suggestions, it will almost certainly make your nails less brittle.
