Nails do more than work to peel off price tags or look eye-catching in bright red polish. They provide a great deal of information about your health, your diet and your habits. Sometimes, your diet and habits could use some adjusting to get your nails back on track to the healthiest they can be. Nails that are weak and brittle definitely need some TLC, while those with ridges may or may not be indicative of anything other than genetics.
Light and Brittle
Light, brittle nails that easily break, chip or flake off are likely lacking moisture, the Women Fitness website reports. Nails tend to dry out when you are constantly putting your hands in water, such as from hand-washing dishes or other tasks. The keratin in your nails expands when it's wet, and then shrinks when it dries, making the nail weak and brittle. Nails also often become weak and brittle from being too long or improperly filed.
Ridges
Ridges on nails can mean a couple of different things, the MayoClinic.com notes. Ridges that run vertically down your nail from the base to the tip are not a concern, while ridges that run horizontally, from side to side, can be. No one is exactly sure what causes the vertical ridges, but they usually show up as people age and seem to run in families. Horizontal ridges can point to an underlying health issue, such as malnutrition or a respiratory disease. See your doctor if the direction of your nail ridges is a concern.
Diet
Adjusting your diet often clears up brittleness, weakness and ridges, both Women Fitness and MayoClinic.com say. Strengthen weak, brittle nails by adding some zinc, readily found in whole grains, mushrooms, beans and legumes to your diet. Brittle nails also benefit from biotin and iron. Get biotin from bananas, strawberries, watermelon, strawberries and grapefruit and iron from greens and red meat. A deficiency of vitamin B can lead to nails that are fragile or marked with ridges. Add vitamin B with walnuts, brown rice, spinach, walnuts and carrots.
Moisture
In addition to wearing rubber gloves to protect your hands in water, Women Fitness and Mayo Clinic both provide other tips to add moisture to your nails and make them stronger. Soaking your nails at least 10 minutes each night in baby or olive oil will add moisture, as does using moisturizer on your nails and cuticles a few times a day, especially after water exposure. Apply moisturizer at night and sleep with a thin pair of cotton gloves on your hands for even more benefits. Nails stay strongest and healthiest when they are short and you are able to avoid drying agents, like nail polish removers with acetone. Find one that is oil based instead.
Crack Repair
A quick fix for repairing nail cracks in weak or brittle nails includes an unused tea bag, fast-drying glue, a toothpick and buffer, Women Fitness points out. Make a small teabag bandage with a small piece of the teabag about 1/2 inch long and as wide as the crack. Apply glue over the nail's crack and, after the glue is dry, dab a bit of glue on the center of your teabag bandage and around the bandages edges. Flatten your bandage over the crack, folding excess under the nail. Smooth it all down with a toothpick and buff it when dry. Polish your nails to hide the bandage if desired.
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