Avoid Aggressive Manicure & Pedicure
The use of un-sterilized manicure and pedicure tools at a beauty salon is one of the causes for transmission of infections from one individual to another. It is good option to carry your own personal kit while you visit a salon for manicure and pedicure. Also, sometimes people get their cuticles trimmed leaving them open to infections. This might lead to an infection of the nail bed and would impede the growth of the nails along with making them weak. Make sure you get manicure and pedicure done at a professional salon to avoid all these problems and help grow your nails faster and stronger naturally.
Watch Your Nails For Signs Of Health Problems
Most of the time, nail problems can be traced to environmental assaults — exposure to harsh cleaning chemicals, use of drying nail products, or just general physical abuse, such as typing or excessive use of fingertips.
That said, the American Academy of Dermatology advises that the condition of your nails can sometimes reflect a problem in your overall health. Here’s what they say to look out for:
- White nails — liver condition
Rethink How Often You Use Polish
Beyond altering the look of your nail, nail polish can help serve as a protective layer. “You want to have a coat on the nails a color, clear polish, or some sort of strengthener so that your nails can be protected by a barrier,” says Yankee. “Water can penetrate your nail plate because it’s porous, and this can make the nail softer and weaker. You want to add almost like armor or shield on top of it with polish.” For this reason, she recommends having a coat on at all times, except for when you’re doing the above overnight soak on your natural nails. Not a fan of color? No problem a clear strengthener such as OPI Nail Envy will do the trick. And one more tip: Make at least a week off every month from heavier enhancements like gel polish and acrylics, she advises.
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Home Remedy Nr 4 Moisturize
Nails that are dry and brittle easily break and split. To make your nails stronger and prevent them from breaking, massage your nails with tea tree oil, almond oil, jojoba oil, flaxseed oil, pumpkin seed oil, or vitamin E oil. Do this every day for about 10 minutes.
Pro Tipp: Womens Best True Beauty Collagen Drink is perfect to further support your hair and nails. It is rich in collagen and high-quality hyaluronic acid and strengthens your nails from the inside.
Use Cuticle Serums For Moisturization
Healthy cuticles are the key to healthy, strong nails. However, it is quite common to damage your cuticles or push them too far, often increasing the risk of infection in the nail bed. Your cuticles may also get damaged due to medical conditions that lower blood circulation to the extremities, such as diabetes.
To help strengthen your nail cuticles and boost blood flow to them, it is suggested to perform a quick massage. You can use coconut oil, olive oil, flaxseed oil, almond oil, double-duty ointments, hand creams, and skin protectants to massage your cuticles.
Invest in a cuticle oil that not only moisturizes the cuticles but also nourishes and repairs them, all of which contribute to improved cuticle health. You can purchase cuticle oils with a high content of shea oil.
Simply gently massage your nails with the product for 510 minutes. Wear cotton gloves once the product is absorbed and leave it on overnight. Wash your nails in the morning using warm water. Eczema-friendly creams are also available for people with eczema.
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Use Gloves Whenever Needed
Excessive hand washing can be damaging to your nails as constant exposure to soapy or hot water can soften your nails, making them brittle and weak. In addition, constant contact with water can cause nail splitting, which may lead to a condition known as onychoschizia.
Similarly, nails exposed to the dry winter weather often become brittle. This happens especially when temperature fluctuations occur while moving indoors to outdoors or vice versa. Your nails expand and contract periodically according to the temperature they are in. These repetitive changes can weaken the cells, making the nails prone to breakage.
Therefore, wear gloves to protect your nails from water- or weather-caused damage. Use cotton-lined rubber gloves while working with water, such as during gardening, doing the dishes, or housecleaning. Wearing gloves also prevents dirt from getting into your nails, preventing infections.
Additionally, make sure to wipe your nails dry after swimming or showering to keep them dry and prevent bacterial growth.
Keep Them On The Shorter Side
If youre having trouble with weak nails, consider cutting down the length while you build up their strength, suggests Dr. Solomon. Shorter nails are less prone to breaking because there are fewer exposed edges to tear, and less surface area where water and chemicals can be absorbed. Once trimmed, prevent snags by gently rounding the edges with a nail file.
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The Best Nail Growth Treatments And Strengtheners
The world might be starting to reopen, but our nails on the other hand, are still in hibernation mode. To get them nail-art-ready, invest in a nail treatment that’s designed to promote growth and strengthen, so you’re ready for your full diary of social obligations.
We tested some of the best available, to see which ones really deliver results. Below are the ones we rate.
How we test
We asked over 1,000 women to trial over 42 brands of nail growth treatments and strengtheners for a one-month period the products ranged from oils to polishes to creams.
For nail growth products, testers assessed whether they prevented breakages and peeling, if they helped with growth, and if nails were left looking healthier and stronger.
For strengthening treatments, testers noted whether the products helped with any flakiness, as well as if they had an impact on smoothness and strength.
Both types of product were also judged on how easy they were to apply, their drying time and how often they needed to reapply.
Seven Home Remedies For Stronger Nails
As we get older, well start to notice that our nails become increasingly brittle. Thats because brittle nails are caused by ageing, long-term use of nail polish and nail polish remover, frequent exposure to water, exposure to chemicals, dehydration, excessively dry environment, nutritional deficiencies and some kind of trauma.
Imagine what our body has gone through and what weve subjected our nails to all these years.
There are plenty of products that can help you but if DIY is more your style, here are seven home remedies for stronger nails you can try
1. Coconut Oil
The saturated fat in coconut oil is very nourishing for weak and brittle nails. It will also prevent many kinds of nail infections.
How: Slightly warm some coconut oil and apply it on each nail. Massage gently and thoroughly for five minutes. Follow this remedy two to three times daily.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is loaded with nutrients that are healthy for your nails, such as vitamins, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and iron. Plus, it has malic acid and acetic acid that can help fight nail infections.
How: Mix equal amounts of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar and water in a small bowl. Soak your nails in this solution for a few minutes. Immediately after, gently push down the cuticles. Do this once daily and within a few days your nails will become much stronger.
3. Vitamin E Oil
4. Tea Tree Oil
5. Sea Salt
6. Lemon Juice
7. Beer
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Protect Your Nails From Chemical And Uv Exposure
In case you didn’t know: Your nails can experience sun damage, too, turning them yellow, brittle, or dimpled. To protect your tips, experts recommend a UV filter polish that’s able to absorb the rays .
On the chemical front, it’s important to be mindful of any harsh ingredients seeping into your nails. You might have swapped your acetone polish remover, sure, but think about other ways your nails are exposed to chemicals on the daily. For example, if you have traditional dish soap in your kitchen, perhaps wear gloves while cleaning to avoid drying out the nails. “It might be a small step, but over time you’ll notice the difference in your health and the appearance of your nails,” says Lin.
Change Your Daily Habits
Adjusting your daily habits can also help your nails grow stronger over time. “Be gentle with your nails and try to minimize using your nails as tools to open things,” says Dr. Garshick. “Try to keep your nails trimmed so they don’t snag on things which may make them more susceptible to breakage.” Another tip is to avoid exposing hands to water for a prolonged period of time. If you’re washing dishes, for example, she says to wear gloves.
Dr. Graf agrees and lists other habits such as eating a well-balanced diet , avoiding nail-biting, and taking breaks from using nail polish can also help the health of your nails. She adds that some abnormalities to the nail are harmless texture and color can change temporarily if you’ve been wearing fake nails or polish for a while. But if areas around the nail start to hurt, change in color for a long period of time, bleed, swell, or separate from the skin, then consult a professional.
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Use Beer To Make Your Nails Stronger
Beer is rich in silicon. Which helps treat weak and brittle nails. It contains potassium, biotin, and selenium to help your nails grow stronger and healthier. Take some amount of warm olive oil and mix a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and beer. Mix it well. Soak your nails in this solution for 15 mins. Repeat this process for a few days to make your nails stronger.
Maintaining Healthy Grooming Habits
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How To Grow Your Nails Faster And Make Them Stronger
Women’s Best Beauty TeamAugust 19, 2019Reading time: 2min
Do you experience slow nail growth, brittle nails, nail breakage, nail splitting, and other nail problems?
Then we have good news! The times, where you needed to spend a lot of money on acrylic nails or manicure to have long, strong, and healthy-looking nails are finally over.
We show you the best natural home remedies for nail growth that really work!
Use Green Tea To Make Your Nails Stronger
Green tea is also a good remedy to make your nails grow stronger. Green tea is rich in antioxidant properties which help prevent fragile and brittle nails. Moreover, green tea also reduces yellow discoloring. Boil a cup of tea and let it cool down. Soak your nails in this solution for 10-15 mins. Do this process 2-3 times a week.
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Strengthen Your Nails By Giving Them A Break
“While there’s no scientific evidence that keeping your nails polish-free will make a difference, anecdotally I can tell you that we totally notice a difference in the strength and health of the nails when our clients do take a break,” says Tuttle. Choi and Holford agree all three recommend keeping your nails au naturel for at least a few days after sporting a gel, acrylics, or dip.
If you really need to keep them polished, use a nail strengthener as a base coat, suggests Holford. You can also look for a color that contains strengthening ingredients.
Ways To Keep Your Nails Healthy
Maintaining healthy nails that look fashionable doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. Follow these tips and impress with your sexy, strong nails.
Regular nail care results in healthy nails that you can be proud to take to work or out on the town. Your nail care plan can be simple and inexpensive. In fact, says dermatologist D’Anne M. Kleinsmith, MD, of the William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., being overly aggressive with cleaning and maintaining nails might actually put your normally strong nails at risk for yeast or bacterial infections. You won’t need frequent manicures to maintain good-looking nails if you follow these eight simple tips.
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Use Nail Hardeners Sparingly
“The take-home message here is that a lot of them do more damage than good,” says Stern. She reminds us that these products are not studied clinically, so most claims are not backed up by science. Unless nails are exceptionally weak and fragile, she says, most people don’t benefit from a nail hardener.
Healthy nails are flexible nails, she says, so to keep yours from breaking, avoid anything that makes them more brittle.
Hydration Will Strengthen Your Nails
Now that the gel-dip-acrylic is off, the key is to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. “Prolonged use of gel manis and acrylics dehydrates your nails, making them dry, brittle, and fragile,” says manicurist Jin Soon Choi, founder of JINSoon nail polish and salons.
A cuticle oil is your BFF for imparting deep hydration. Focus on slathering it not only on the nail itself, but also massaging it well into the cuticle the cuticle is where new, healthy nail growth will start so it’s important to nourish and hydrate this area, says Choi.
One best-seller to try: CND Solar Oil Nail and Cuticle Conditioner. Holford also likes using straight up jojoba oil, which can strengthen nail beds and boost healthy nail growth. She recommends applying it three times per day for five days for the best results.
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Use Lemon To Make Your Nails Stronger
Lemon consists of vitamin C. Which is essential for nail growth. Lemon makes nails stronger and helps treat yellow and brittle nails. Take a teaspoon of lemon juice and olive oil. Slightly warm the solution. Soak your nails in this solution for 10 mins. Repeat this remedy before going to bed for a few days to make your nails stronger.
Going Short Can Strengthen Nails
“Whether you realize it or not, when you have long nails you’re constantly hitting them on your keyboard, the door, you name it. People underestimate how much of an impact this has,” says Tuttle.
Keep your nails short and give them a chance to grow out stronger and healthier than before. The other upshot: Nails that aren’t in great shape look healthier when they’re shorter, adds Holford.
Bannon adds that giving yourself a mini “manicure” even if it’s just as simple as filing your nails every two to four days can prevent breakage and snags. If your nails are really in need of some T.L.C., repeat these manis for two to four weeks to see results and stronger nails.
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Ten Over Ten Celery Oil
Celery juice is trending as an overall health booster, and this capitalizes on some of the same benefits…for your nails. Celery seed extract improves thickness and minimizes the look of ridges, but this strengthening treatment also touts a long list of other beneficial ingredients, such as vitamin B3 and zinc to help harden nails and antioxidant-rich meadowfoam seed oil to protect them from environmental damage.
To buy: $26 tenoverten.com
Use Tea Tree Oil To Make Your Nails Stronger
Tea tree oil is another beneficial remedy to help grow stronger nails. It consists of antiseptic properties which make them prevent from fungal infections. It also aids get rid of yellow nails and discolored. Take few drops tea tree oil in warm water. Soak your nails in this solution for 3-5 mins. For a few weeks to get stronger and healthier nails.
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Invest In A ‘soft’ Nail File
You might have heard that glass nail files are better for filing with, but while they’re pretty, longer-wearing and easy to clean, it pays to invest in a ‘soft’ file, according to Session Manicurist, Ami Streets.
‘To get the best finish from your filing, always opt for a soft file to prevent tearing or splitting your nails,’ she says. Her top picks? ‘Orly’s nail file is probably one of best I’ve used because of the durability and the way it gives the smoothest finish really fast.’
‘Pro products are always best and usually more hard wearing. I really like the Natural Nail Company because you can choose a file depending on whether your nails are soft or hard, and there are even options for acrylics.’
What’s more, you really need to nail your filing technique. Back and forth see-saw motions will only cause the nail to splinter, so always file in one direction, using long, swift but gentle strokes.
Pro Tip: ‘Start from the outside edge and move into the centre,’ advises Streets. ‘This technique will give you a smooth finish and more control over the shape you’re trying to achieve.’
