Strong Healthy Nails

For quite some time I suffered from weak nails that would not grow. They were always dry and thin. They would break easily and grow with ridges instead of being smooth. My nails were very unattractive, and I wanted to do something about them. So I did some research on natural and simple ways to improve my nails.

Nutrition For Healthy Nails

I found that the best way to improve my nails was to increase my intake of the vitamins and minerals essential to developing strong, growing nails. Different nutritional books I've read listed the following vitamins and minerals as being essential to nail development:

Vitamin A, Calcium, and Protein- They can prevent dryness and brittleness. They thicken nails, making them strong and allows them to grow.

Iron and B Vitamins- They can prevent those ridges that form in the nails and make the nails grow out smooth.

A good source of these vitamins and minerals can be obtained from foods such as dairy products, beans, poultry, liver, and vegetables. It is also good to take nutritional supplements containing these vitamins and minerals. There are vitamin supplements that are formulated for nail care. I use one from GNC, General Nutritional Center. It works well for me.

Hydration

Hydration is important for preventing nails from cracking and breaking. So it is important to drink plenty of water. Drink the typically recommended eight cups of water throughout the day. As the nails grow they will not break and will become longer.

Nail Protection When Doing Household Work

When doing house work such as cleaning dishes, doing laundry by hand, doing house cleaning, and even gardening I always wear rubber gloves. The chemicals in soaps, detergents, cleaning fluids can damage the nails. However, when your hands start to sweat within the gloves take them off and put on a dry clean pair. Wearing gloves wet on the inside is a invitation for fungus and bacteria.

Creams

After bathing and or washing hands always rub a cuticle cream on and around the nails. The cream moisturizes the nails, preventing them from drying and cracking.

Grooming

Long finger nails are attractive, but in my opinion it is better to keep them trimmed and cut short. After trimming the fingers nails always file them, keeping them trimmed quite short so they will not crack nor chip. Around the base of the toe nail dead dry skin tends to accumulate and harden. This accumulation of dead skin holds fungus and bacteria. So every time one bathes be sure to scrub around the base of each toe nail.

By being careful about what you eat, and how you protect your nails when doing work you can improve their health and appearance.