Long, strong, and healthy nails are possible if you do not believe in myths and old traditional methods! Whether you religiously paint your nails as a form of self-protection or someone who is constantly picking and biting their cuticles, all of us crave healthy and strong nails. Before we get into the tips to grow stronger nails, let us find out how can we identify that our nails are not healthy. Here is what you should check:
Signs of Unhealthy Nails:
- Splitting or peeling nails could be because of dryness or due to the lack of vitamin
- Tiny white spots generally signify that you are biting your nails often
- Horizontal grooves could be a result of stress, jamming your fever, or high fever
- Spoon-shaped nails are a result of anemia or iron deficiency
If you are worried about your nail’s health, it is important to consult a dermatologist. Since your nails are visible, it is easier to identify any issue- which means it can be treated as soon as you find the issue.
Tips To Grow Stronger Nails
- Keep your hands clean
Before you start to do anything for your nails, it is important to ensure that your nails and the skin around them are completely dirt-free. Then, remove all bits of your last color using an acetone-free remover. Doctors recommend applying soap on a toothbrush and then softly scrub your skin and nails. This will help in removing dirt and exfoliate dead skin without using any harsh, dry chemicals or costly scrubs.
- Do not manipulate or cut cuticles
Whether you groom your nails with a professional’s help or do them yourself, one of the most important tips to grow stronger nails is to not touch your cuticles. The cuticle is regarded as the natural protection to bacteria and fungus- and once you tamper with that, the protection gets lost. This will not only make the cuticles look worse, but it can also cause severe infection that can cause permanent damage to the nails.
- Apply Nail Polish
Applying nail polish will not cause any harm to your healthy nails, though you should give your nails a break from the polish periodically. As a part of your home manicures, ensure you select acetone-free nail polish remover when you decide to start that break. For better nail care, you should wear gloves when you are doing activities like house cleaning or gardening. This will protect your nail polish and keep dirt away from your nails.
- Moisturize the cuticle and the nailbed
One of the significant tips to grow stronger nails is to keep them moisturized. While there is little in the way of medical data showing that moisturizing the nail bed will help nails to grow, it can make cuticles look attractive and help protect nails from breaking because of the lack of moisture. If you find that your nails are breaking too often, then it is a sign of less moisture. Putting oil around the cuticle can help to moisturize your entire nail, which in turn will reduce cracking, splitting, and chipping.
- Wear dish gloves
Regularly immersing your hands in hot, soapy water to wash dishes can weaken your strong nails, mostly because this procedure dries them out. Protective nail care demands wearing gloves to safeguard your hands while you scrub.
Our nails can say a lot of things to others, and brittle or weak nails may make you conscious. Fortunately, there are many things that you can do to strengthen your nails and enhance them.
- Take Biotin
Biotin is a type of Vitamin B that allows the body to turn food into energy. It is also used as a supplement which helps in boosting the strength of nails and hair.
Various human studies show that taking a biotin supplement regularly can help strengthen the nails. Some scientists say that a dose of 2.5 milligrams of biotin regularly can enhance nail strength in a few weeks. Biotin can be found in:
- Cooked eggs
- Brewer’s yeast
- Nuts and Nut Butters
- Sardines
- Soy and other beans
- Whole grains
- Bananas
- Cauliflower
- Mushrooms
- Vitamin B9
Folic acid or Vitamin B9 is important for cell growth. This means that it can help in growing the nails also. Folic acid can be attained from foods like eggs, green leafy vegetables, beetroots, and citrus fruits. To ensure as well as promote healthy growth of nails, one must consume around 400-500 mcg of folic acid.
- Vitamin C
Do you remember your mother asking you to eat oranges to avoid catching a cold? That was a good reason. Oranges, or any citrus fruits for that matter, are rich in Vitamin C, which is good for combating bacteria. It is a strong antioxidant. It is important to consume foods that have Vitamin C or you should take added Vitamin C supplements as the body does not generate this Vitamin. This vitamin is found in blueberries, green leafy vegetables, strawberries, and tomatoes.
- Avoid glue-on nails as well as poisonous polishes
Researchers found that daily use of glue-on artificial nails can weaken real nails and make them susceptible to breaking. The better option is to paint your nails with nail polishes that have no or less toxic chemicals, like:
- Toluene
- Dibutyl Phthalate
- Formaldehyde
Find water-based formulations that are toxin-free. Some popular nontoxic nail polish brands are Suncoat and Acquarella.
- Good grooming
Regular nail grooming practice can help in boosting the strength of your nails, supporting growth, and reducing breakage. Some of the important ways to keep your nails in a well-maintained stage include:
- Keeping the nails clean and dry, which decreases the growth of bacteria
- Using sharp manicure clippers or scissors to trim your nails across, and then using them to round the nail tips to make it soft curve
- Moisturizing your nails and hands with a lotion, ensuring to rub it into your fingers, mainly at the base where the cuticles are placed
- Avoiding nail-biting or cutting your nails too small
- Orange juice
Vitamin C in orange juice can help in the production of collagen that keeps your nail healthy and strong.
How to use it?
Squeeze out the juice from an orange into a bowl. Soak your nails in it for about 10 minutes and wash them. Make sure you moisturize them correctly after that.
How often should you apply orange juice?
Once a day.
- Change your Nail Polish Remover
When your manicure shows signs of chipping, it is too easy to pick up a bottle of nail polish remover. But those nail polish removers that contain a high concentration of acetone is harsh on fragile nails and can dry them nearly immediately- flaking, splitting, and cue peeling.
Conclusion
Your nails reflect your entire health. It is important to follow a healthy diet if you want fast-growing, strong, and healthy nails. That includes eating a well-balanced diet containing fresh fruits, veggies, lean sources of proteins, and enough carbohydrates, and a lot of healthy fats.
However, sometimes nails need some extra care to become stronger and healthier. That is where home remedies can prove to be helpful. Keep in mind, you cannot get your nails to grow faster magically. But, if you take proper care of them, they will grow stronger and last for a long time, making them less prone to breakage.