With brittle nails, hands will never look well-groomed and beautiful. Besides that brittle nails They look untidy, they also constantly delaminate, break off and cause difficulties in applying varnish.
What causes nails to become brittle?
Brittle nails cause dry nail plates; many factors can lead to this. The most common are:
- errors in care;
- exposure to aggressive chemicals - cleaning agents, detergents, washing powders and low-quality varnishes;
- keeping nails in water for a long time;
- diseases related to the thyroid gland;
- deficiency in the body of either iron or silicon;
- effect on nails scorching sun or frost;
- frequent painting, especially with bright varnishes and the use of products with formaldehyde and acetone;
- Not balanced diet And bad habits, especially . Under the influence of nicotine nail plates turn yellow and become brittle.
How to strengthen brittle nails
To help brittle nails become stronger and healthier, you need to approach the problem comprehensively. A course for restoring nail plates should include proper care, diet adjustments, additional nutrition and strengthening procedures.
Proper care
When using hand cream, do not forget to rub it into your nails, because they also need moisturizing. Try to do all housework with gloves. Protect your hands from exposure to cold wind and frost. Never leave a broken nail untreated; it needs to be filed, otherwise it will start to peel.
Pay enough attention to your manicure and do it, adhering to the following rules:
- Cut your nails with sharp tools, since dull ones put a lot of pressure on the plate - it begins to flake and break.
- Use only ceramic or glass files for filing; they do not injure the nail. The thinner the nail plate, the smaller the grain size of the file.
- To remove nail polish, use products that do not contain acetone.
- Give your nails a break from polish. Every 5 days, remove it for a couple of days.
- Using a nail file, make movements in one direction, from the edge to the center with a large sweep. The edges should not remain sharp.
- Give your nail plates a semi-square or oval shape, so they are less likely to break.
- Do not file the sides of the nail, otherwise it will become weak and will develop breaks and cracks.
- Use only high-quality varnishes. Choose products containing nylon or silk. Can be used special varnishes for brittle, peeling nails, they contain minerals, vitamins, moisturizers and proteins.
- Try to avoid cutting the skin at the base of the nail. To remove it, use softening agents.
Creams may also contain amino acids and vitamin C. These substances strengthen the nail plates and improve their protective properties. Special medicinal varnishes and bases enriched with vitamins give a good effect.
The following procedures can be done at home:
- Baths with vegetable oil. In heated vegetable oil you need to add lemon juice and liquid vitamin A, which you can buy at the pharmacy. You can make baths with vegetable oil and apple cider vinegar, taken in equal proportions. The course should be at least 2 weeks, and the procedure is carried out every other day, for 10 minutes.
- . It is a storehouse of microelements, saturated fats and vitamins. Olive oil You can rub it into your nails and base or take warm baths.
- Alternating warm oil baths with gelatin. Gelatin should be dissolved in warm water and your nails should be immersed in it.
- Lemon. Its juice not only strengthens, but also has a whitening effect. Lubricate your nails with it before going to bed and leave it overnight.
- . First you need to dissolve it and soak your fingertips in it for at least 30 minutes. Beeswax can be left overnight, protected from falling off with cotton gloves.
It is rare that today a woman can boast of healthy and strong nails. Although modern industry produces such a huge assortment of various nail care cosmetics.
The most pressing problem of brittle nails becomes in autumn and winter, when hands are exposed to sudden changes in temperature and exposure to wind. What are the main causes of brittle nails, and what are the ways to get rid of the problem?
Why do nails break and peel?
The reasons for splitting and brittle nails can be very diverse. Sometimes it is very difficult to figure out all the factors that cause such an unpleasant phenomenon.
Let's look at the main reasons that cause brittle nails.
- Heredity. It often happens that if one of the parents had such a problem, it can be passed on to the child.
- Lack of valuable elements and vitamins in the body. If the body does not receive enough iron, folic acid, vitamin C, proteins and fats, the condition of the nail plate can deteriorate sharply.
- Stressful situations. It is believed that frequent stress can also be one of the reasons for brittle nails, but a secondary one, and the main reason must be sought.
- Hormonal imbalance in the body. This reason can be called the most common. A decrease in estrogen levels negatively affects not only nails, but also skin and hair. As a result of a decrease in estrogen levels, the fluid content in the body decreases, so the nails become brittle and peel.
- Presence of other diseases. If a person suffers from any chronic diseases, his body is weakened, so his nails can become thin and brittle.
- Improper care. If basic care rules are not followed, use bright colors Low quality varnishes and nail polish removers containing acetone, as well as false nails, also cause problems with the nail plates.
- Effect of nicotine. Nicotine has a destructive effect on tissue, which explains the loss of elasticity and the appearance of a yellow tint to the nail plates. Professional activity.
The specific nature of the activity can also cause brittle nails. As a rule, these are professions in which hands are exposed to varnishes, shampoos, detergents, acetone and other chemicals.
Many people also suffer from the fact that their toenails break, the reasons for which are the same as for brittle nail plates on the hands. If these causes are not eliminated as quickly as possible, foot fungus may develop.
How to get rid of brittle nails?
Good nutrition, compliance with the rules of care, strengthening and nourishing procedures are the key to strong and healthy nails for a long time.
Therefore, solving the problem of brittleness and splitting of nails should be approached comprehensively.
Taking care of your nails correctly
- Nails, like hands, require moisturizing, so when applying cream to your hands, you need to pay attention to your nails, rub the cream well into the nail plates.
- If possible, try to do all housework wearing plastic or rubber gloves, which will protect your hands and nails from negative impact.
- It is necessary to protect your hands from the negative effects of cold wind and low temperatures.
If a nail breaks, it should be filed immediately to prevent splitting. Manicures should be done regularly, following simple rules:
- To trim nails, it is allowed to use only sharp instruments, due to the fact that blunt instruments provoke delamination and brittleness of the nail plate;
- To prevent the nail from being severely injured, it is better to file it with a glass or ceramic file. The thinner the nail plate, the finer the nail file, the finer the grain;
- to remove varnish, use products that do not contain acetone;
- You can’t have your nails covered with varnish all the time, they need to take a break, i.e. every 5-6 days, give them a rest for several days; you need to file your nails in one direction: from the edge to the center;
- to reduce the fragility of nails, it is better to make them oval, without leaving sharp edges;
- to avoid breaks and cracks, there is no need to file the sides of the nails;
- Varnishes can only be used High Quality containing silk or nylon, or varnishes that are designed specifically for brittle nails with vitamins, proteins and moisturizers;
- If possible, do not cut the cuticle, but remove it with special softening agents.
Adjusting your diet
Most often, nail plates can become brittle due to the lack of certain vitamins and minerals in the body.
The reason for this is an unbalanced diet. To keep your nails strong, your daily diet must contain foods that contain a lot of vitamins E, D, A, as well as iron, silicon, and calcium.
Among these products: butter, fish, milk, cottage cheese, cheese, beans, meat, liver, parsley, poultry, cabbage, onions, currants. To enhance the effect, decoctions of sorrel, burdock, and dandelion are also recommended.
We nourish and strengthen
In order to get rid of the problem of brittle nails, moisturizing and strengthening procedures are mandatory. Can be used as special means, and homemade recipes.
Perfectly strengthens nail plates cosmetical tools, which contain keratin additives. It is recommended to apply such products every time after washing your hands.
It is also worth paying attention to cosmetics with panthenol, allontoin and liposomes. Creams with vitamin C and amino acids are also effective. Varnishes and bases with a high content of vitamins enhance the protection of the nail plates.
Simple remedies against brittle and splitting nails
A wonderful product that can significantly strengthen the nail plate is beeswax. If you apply it to your nails every day shortly before bed, after a few weeks you can already notice a significant improvement in their condition.
Baths with added sea salt – effective remedy, which can solve the problem of brittle nails at home. To prepare the bath, you need to dilute 1 tablespoon of sea salt in half a liter of water. Place your fingers in a container with the solution and leave for 15 minutes.
Olive-vitamin mixture. Olive oil with added vitamins A and E, as well as a couple of drops of lemon juice. This mixture wonderfully nourishes nails, strengthening them. Lemon juice perfectly strengthens and whitens nail plates. You just need to lubricate your nails with a piece of lemon before going to bed.
Alternating oil and gelatin baths. To prepare the bath, you need gelatin, which can be easily purchased at any grocery store, dissolved in water, and then dip your nails into this mixture. Leave for 10-15 minutes.
Brittle fingernails do not contribute to their beauty and well-groomed appearance; besides, it will not be possible to cover such nails beautifully with varnish either. Therefore, it is so important to try to solve the problem as quickly as possible, then your nails will be healthy and beautiful.
The simplest method is to apply colorless varnish to your nails, which will create a film that will protect against delamination.
If you brittle and brittle nails, which often break down for no reason, don’t miss this article. Weakness, delamination and yellowness nails- a problem for many women, but we all want to have well-groomed hands and beautiful manicure. Fortunately, natural remedies can effectively help us strengthen our nails, and in our article we will tell you in detail how to use them.
Home Remedies to Strengthen Nails
1. Bath with olive and castor oil
Very simple and effective remedy, which is easy to prepare at home.
Ideal for nourishing fragile nails, it moisturizes and strengthens them, and combining it with castor oil turns into an excellent vitamin cocktail. Mix 1 tablespoon olive oil and castor oil and apply to nails and hands using a cotton pad. Leave the mask on for 20 minutes and then wash off with mild soap. If you repeat this procedure 3 times a week, you will soon notice positive result
- your nails will become strong and beautiful...
Vitamin E is vital for our body: for strengthening bones, hair, nails and moisturizing and protecting the skin from free radicals.
And with its help we will prepare medicinal nail enamel. You will need vitamin E capsules, which can be easily found at the pharmacy, and clear nail polish
for nails. Add the contents of 1 capsule to clear varnish and mix with a brush. Regularly cover your nails with this composition - this will significantly improve their condition and eliminate brittleness.
3. Garlic
Surprised? Yes, garlic can really become your assistant in nail care - it has an antibacterial effect, which means it will protect them from fungal infections and toxic substances that can affect the condition of the nails.
In the evening, cut a clove of garlic in half and lightly massage your nails and cuticles with it, then wash off with baby antibacterial soap. Believe me, the smell will not remain on your hands.
4. Product for growing strong nails
We will share with you a super nourishing mask that will allow your nails to grow strong and healthy. It's very simple: mix 1 teaspoon of pulp, egg yolk, a little lemon juice and 5 teaspoons of milk. Mix the ingredients thoroughly until a homogeneous mass is obtained and apply to the nails and skin of the hands for 10 minutes.
If you repeat this procedure 2 times a week, the result will not be long in coming.
5. Horsetail
Horsetail is ideal for strengthening, nourishing and healing nails. How to use it? Just boil four sprigs of this plant in a cup of water and let it cool. As soon as the broth has cooled to room temperature, dip your fingers in it for 15 minutes.
Repeat this procedure 2 times a week.
6. Lemon and almond butter Another classic and easy to prepare remedy. You can find almond oil at a pharmacy or health store. For a nourishing and strengthening mask, you will need the juice of half a lemon, a teaspoon of sugar and.
almond oil Mix first lemon juice
and sugar and dip your nails in this mixture for 10 minutes. Then use a cotton pad to apply almond oil to each nail. Effective and simple!
7. Nail whitener Sometimes our nails take on an unpleasant yellowish tint. You can deal with it and whiten your nails using simple remedy
: Add water and 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar to a small container and soak your nails in this bath for 5 minutes.
- Avoid the bad habit of biting your nails, as this significantly weakens them and makes them brittle and lifeless. In addition, you can introduce an infection into your body.
- Don't overuse nail polish. Your nails need to have access to oxygen, so take a break for a couple of weeks.
- Do not use your fingernails to open any containers or perform other mechanical operations, as this may cause serious injury.
- Get used to using household gloves when washing and washing. The use of powders and cleansers destroys the structure of the nails.
With the help of such simple recipes and tips, you can take care of your nails and shine with the beauty and well-groomed hands
Many women face the problem of brittle nails. I, like most people, struggle with my nails. They constantly flake off, break off, and I can’t even apply varnish well and beautifully. Every girl wants to have well-groomed nails, that's a fact. That is why I decided to talk about what means and methods can be used to overcome fragility.
If you have health problems
On appearance The nail plate is affected by the diseases that a person suffers from. By the way, you can determine the disease by the color of the nail.
Healthy nails will always have a pink tint; if this is not the case, then your body may be sick.
- Avitaminosis . a lack of vitamins A, B, C, minerals, amino acids, keratin protein becomes the main cause of fragility.
- Liver diseases . A sign of dermatitis, psoriasis, and jaundice will be a yellow protective finger layer. Those who take antibiotics for a long time may have this color.
- Circulatory problems or illness of cardio-vascular system . Your nails will have a red tint.
- Anemia, diabetes, thyroid problems or bad habits(for example, smoking) can lead to deterioration of the nail plate. It will have a pale color.
- Hormonal disbalance, or previous operations will also affect the appearance of your nails. The plates will have a pale tint.
- Fungal infections . The worst thing that can happen to your nails is that they will lose color and may become transparent, white, gray, yellow, even brown. Fungi will grow on them, which will lead to damage not only to the entire plate, but also to the finger.
The body will be able to fight the appearance of the fungus itself, tearing the nail cells away from the finger. For this reason, thickenings and bumps appear. Fungal infections occur in public place, it is easy to catch, but it will take months to treat.
Remember, nails are a mirror of our body. Only after curing all diseases will you notice how much better your nails will become.
Proper nutrition against brittle nails
To ensure that the protective finger crust does not flake off, does not break, and has a healthy, beautiful appearance, you should eat properly. Only a balanced diet and an individual diet can overcome these problems.
Firstly , remember that you should eat foods that contain vitamins A, E, D, C, B, H . These are dairy products fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, offal (liver, heart, kidneys), as well as eggs, mushrooms, nuts, cereals, vegetable oils, butter, greens (especially lettuce, onions), fish, seafood.
Secondly, nails require nutrients.
- Calcium . The body gets it from fermented milk products, meat, fish, seafood, eggs, nuts, legumes.
- Magnesium . This element is present in legumes, nuts, and seeds. You will also find it in cheese, cereals, potatoes, bananas, blackberries, and chicken.
- Iron . Liver, meat, fish, oats, legumes, fruits, berries, cabbage, zucchini - all these foods contain iron.
- Silicon . Also important. It is found in greens and vegetables.
- Iodine . An excellent source of iodine is seaweed, fish, shellfish, champignons, carrots, pineapple, and green salad.
- Zinc . This element applies to seafood, legumes, grains, nuts, and herbs.
- Selenium . The smoothness of the nail protection depends on this substance. It can be found in offal, olives, eggs, seaweed, garlic, black currants.
- Sulfur . Fresh greens, cabbage, eggplants, garlic, oatmeal, and buckwheat are especially rich in sulfur.
So, you probably noticed that many products contain several essential substances and vitamins. Balance your diet using the foods I listed above. Then your nails will acquire shine, become stronger, stronger.
Healthy eating - healthy nails!
We fight chemical and mechanical damage
I'll open it little secret- chemicals, household cleaning products, and dishwashing products cause great harm to our nails. Due to the components included in the composition, the nail plates cannot withstand, become damaged, begin to peel, and become rough.
To protect your nails, wear rubber gloves when cleaning!
You can also damage the protective layer of your fingers mechanically, that is, by accidentally pinching your fingers in a door, or by cutting off a nail with a knife or other object. Be careful and take good care of your hands.
To hide the damage, there are several tips that I follow.
Treat brittle nails with home remedies
There are many ways to strengthen skid plates. Let's look at the most effective ones.
Baths and masks for strengthening
- Buy pharmacy liquid vitamin A and iodine . Add 3 drops of iodine and the same number of drops of vitamin to warm vegetable oil. Place your fingers in the bath for 15 minutes, wipe them off, and do not wet them for several hours. You can repeat the procedure 3 times a week, preferably in the evening.
- You can make a bath with sea salt . The procedure time is the same, 10-15 minutes.
- Apple cider vinegar, vegetable oil . Mix the ingredients in equal quantities and keep the nails in the mixture for 15-20 minutes.
- Lemon mask . Place each nail in a cut lemon. This way you will remove delamination and whiten the plates.
- Iodine bath . Mix a few drops of this substance with warm vegetable, burdock, linseed oil. Keep your fingers in the mixture for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Juice mask . Rub in the juice of black or red currants and cranberries.
Anti-fragility creams and oils
There are many creams containing various additives, nourishing nails. The most effective will be those that act on them with oils.
When purchasing a cream, make sure that it contains the following oils:
- lemon . An excellent antiseptic. Wounds and layers begin to heal faster;
- ylang-ylang oil . Visibly strengthens the plates, restores the nails;
- bergamot . It has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects;
- eucalyptus . Also heals wounds, cuts, restores the nail plate;
- tea tree . Kills bacteria, promotes healing;
- rosamine . Saves from inflammation, finger protection begins to grow faster;
- geraniums . Moisturizes, nourishes, restores appearance.
Of course, these oils will have a good effect on the protective layers of your fingers. Even if they are not included in the cream. Just rub them in.
Paraffin therapy
Every girl can do paraffin therapy at home. You should melt really good and purified paraffin in a water bath, and then dip your fingers into it at intervals, allowing the substance to harden. Once several layers have been applied to your fingers, you should put them on your hands. plastic bags, warm mittens. Keep your hands warm for 15-20 minutes.
You must determine the temperature of the heated paraffin yourself; it is important that there are no burns on the skin. Afterwards, you should clean off the substance and lubricate your hands with moisturizer. By the way, you can apply paraffin to your fingers, nail plates, and the entire hand.
Paraffin therapy strengthens and nourishes nails. They become homogeneous, separation and peeling disappear, cracks and wounds heal.
There are two techniques for massaging your nails. For the first method, you will need a soft toothbrush and soap with a neutral pH. Using light circular motions, massage each nail. Rinse off the soap with warm water and repeat the procedure with only one brush. Massage time is 3-5 minutes daily.
The second method of massage is the longest, but most effective, I think.
- Stretch the phalanges of the fingers with the costal side of the palm, moving towards the wrist.
- Make fists, touching the middle and then the terminal phalanges, from which the finger protection grows, rub them with one hand on the other.
- Press the pad of your finger on each nail.
- Pull the plate lightly in the direction of nail growth.
- “Drum” the pads on the table.
- Stroke and relax your hands.
