Improving Nail Health

Good nail health starts from the inside out. Proper nutrition and hydration are essential, then expand your skincare routine to include your nails.

This article does not address serious nail issues that can indicate disease. There are too many to cover here, and I am going to discuss hygiene/skincare and not underlying health problems.

Your nails will reflect vitamin deficiencies. Eating right is the first step in nail health as no amount of external care can correct a lack of vitamins. If your lifestyle does not support a healthy and varied diet, you should take a multivitamin. As an example, if you do not eat a lot of meat or dairy, you could easily lack certain vitamins like B12. Vitamin B12 deficiency is serious and manifests in a whole host of symptoms, including brittle, pale, yellowish or concave nails. Improving your nutrition and hydration can help fix weak, brittle and ridged nails.

External nail health is important even if you cover your nails regularly with polish or fake nails. Keeping your nails covered constantly can lead to growing nail fungus or weak, yellow nails. To have healthy nails, it is important to take regular breaks from getting your nails done.

The cuticle grows your nail, so external nail health starts here. While you want to keep your hands and cuticles clean, over washing can lead to peeling nails or separation of the layers. Your skin provides a natural oil to your cuticle and nails. Over washing or use of chemicals can dry out the nail bed. When cleaning, use gloves to protect your hands and nails from the chemicals. This will also ensure that you don’t absorb anything into your skin. After washing, use lotion on your hands and rub it into all of your cuticles and nails. This doesn’t have to take a lot of time. With practice, it is easy to swipe the lotion across all your nails quickly. Your nails will hold onto water after soaking (you’ve probably noticed that they are softer after a bath or shower). This means that using lotion after washing will help lock in moisture. There are special cuticle oils available, like sweet almond oil. Oak Manour lotion is made with almond oil so it is great for nail health.