Nails that are compromised due to disease, your beauty routine or just the way you wash your dishes can become soft, brittle and peel away easily. Peeling fingernails cannot protect your fingers as they ought to, increasing your risk for infection. Modifying your habits and making sure you eat right can be home remedies for peeling fingernails.
Step 1
Wear rubber gloves. To protect your nails when you wash dishes, clean your bathrooms or perform other tasks that cause your hands to get wet, wear rubber gloves. The American Osteopathic College of Dermatology (AOCD) explains that your nails can become softer and more prone to splitting and peeling when they repeatedly get wet, dry off and become wet again.
Step 2
Take a break from nail polish if you find your fingernails are peeling. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that prolonged exposure to nail polish and nail polish remover can weaken your nails, causing them to peel. Go "au naturel" for a while to determine if this is the root of your problem.
Step 3
Treat peeling fingernails with lotions that act as a strengthener and a humectant. The AOCD suggests applying a moisturizing lotion that contains either alpha hydroxy acids or lanolin to your nail beds daily.
Step 4
Eat a balanced diet to remedy peeling fingernails. Malnutrition can cause some people to develop peeling, brittle or discolored nails. According to The World's Healthiest Foods, nails are made of protein, so eating lean proteins can be beneficial to nail health. Drinking plenty of water keeps nails hydrated. A biotin supplement---a form of vitamin B---can also help.
Step 5
Visit your doctor. If your home remedies do not successfully eliminate your nail peeling, make a doctor's appointment to. Fungal infections, as well as autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis can cause your fingernails to break, pit and peel. Prescription medications may be required.
Things You'll Need
- Rubber gloves
- Lotions
- Lean protein
- Biotin supplements
Member Comments
Nancan August 19
CALCIUM! After several years of peeling nails & doing everything suggested above, and faithfully trying a half dozen nail strengtheners to little effect, it finally dawned on me that I was not getting enough high quality calcium. I do almost no dairy, and was menopausal. After buying a very good calcium citrate, taken twice daily, my nails are better than ever. I use oil to moisturize, and buff to a high shine.