Your choice of products to support strong and healthy nails can make a substantial difference. When selecting nail care items, aim for nontoxic polishes and soaks that don’t contain toxic substances as well as an acetone-free nail polish remover.
Supplements that support nail growth from within can also be an effective strategy. Look for both general beauty supplements as well as nail-specific nutritional products containing ingredients known to promote healthy nails.
1. Cuticle Oil
Cuticle oil is a nourishing blend of oils and vitamins applied directly to the nail plate and cuticles (the thin strips of skin at the base of each fingernail). Applying this product will help protect against dryness and brittle nails which may lead to painful hangnails as well as bacteria or fungus infection, keeping these from growing too long or becoming painful hangnails.
An effective cuticle oil typically features a blend of vegetable oils such as jojoba and sweet almond, as well as vitamins and antioxidants which nourish nail health. Look out for products without synthetic preservatives or fragrances.
L’Occitane offers its best-selling cuticle oil with an easy rollerball applicator to ensure mess-free application. Packed with moisturizing shea butter and other nourishment that leaves cuticles soft and healthy. Additionally, the rollerball applicator makes for effortless application across both cuticles at once; fast absorption ensures two daily applications with no delay!
2. Moisturize
Just like your skin, nails require regular moisturization for maximum health and to prevent breakage, says Stern. Moisturize once every day using hand cream or nail-specific products such as ones containing lanolin. For an intense moisturization session, consider “nail slugging,” an increasingly popular practice of covering nails and cuticles in thick layers of product before covering with plastic wrap or gloves to enhance absorption (and combat dryness).
Choose a nail-specific oil instead, as these tend to be more moisturizing than creams. Wang suggests searching for oils containing vitamin E, jojoba oil and shea butter (Health suggests SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter as one such option) in order to moisturize cuticles and nails effectively. Also drink plenty of water and eat a diet high in biotin-rich foods which promote nail growth; additionally wear gloves when performing chores as this will prevent chemical exposure that weakens nails from happening as quickly as it would become when exposed to chemicals that weaken them over time.
3. Strengthen
Strong, healthy nails don’t just add beauty; they provide insight into our overall wellbeing by showing signs of nutritional deficiency or any underlying conditions that need medical treatment.
Whilst genetics and age play an integral part in nail strength, lifestyle choices can have a powerful influence. Wearing gloves when washing dishes in cold weather or when performing other physical labor; forgoing harsh chemical-based nail polishes or treatments; moisturizing daily with products designed to strengthen nails will all make an enormous difference to their health.
Increased intake of the protein keratin can also help strengthen nails quickly and naturally. Found in eggs, onions, salmon and sunflower seeds, keratin can promote healthy nails while strengthening existing ones.
Supplements that contain biotin — one of the B vitamins — may also aid in building stronger nails, though it’s wise to first consult your physician to ensure any new supplements are appropriate for you. It’s also vital that you drink plenty of water – this can keep nails hydrated and help them from becoming dry or brittle.
4. Repair
Nails that have become damaged may be the result of numerous factors, including environmental stresses and overexposure to water. Treating nails using ingredients commonly found in skin care and hair products such as Orly’s Rest & Repair Mask with its hydrating, nourishing ingredients can help restore them back to health.
Healthy nails feature smooth surfaces with free-margin views that are pink in hue (Draelos, 2013). They have attached cuticles as well as free edges that extend past their nail bed; additionally they feel firm to touch and are well hydrated.
To keep nails hydrated, daily cuticle oil application and using a gentle polish remover that won’t strip nails of their natural moisture is recommended, like the ULTA Beauty Collection Moisturizing Lavender Nail Polish Remover from ULTA Beauty Collection. Furthermore, strengthening treatments should also be applied weekly for those whose nails have become brittle or damaged over time; ISDIN Si-Nails provides premium strengtheners which promote silicon that hydrate nails while strengthening them over time.
