If your nails are soft or weak, it may be due to the state of your health, genetics or due to lifestyle and habits, such as frequent contact with chemicals, water or wearing artificial nails. There is much that you can do internally to naturally bolster the strength of soft or weak nails, particularly in terms of diet and supplements. You can reinforce your nails from within by consistently eating the right foods, as well as vitamin and mineral supplements.
Step 1
Eat a varied diet of fresh, minimally processed foods. To increase the strength and overall health of your nails, your diet must include vegetables, protein and whole grains.
Step 2
Include plenty of proteins and whole grains in your diet. These are vital to the improvement of weak, soft nails. Protein-rich foods include eggs, milk, cheese, poultry, lean beef and seafood. Fish, in particular, offers additional benefits in the form of omega fatty acids, which moisturize the nail bed. While gelatin, long considered a cure for weak nails, does provide protein, there are other forms of protein that supply it more effectively. Good sources of whole grains include wheat, barley, oats and millet. These are excellent sources of silica, a trace mineral that helps the body utilize calcium and improves the strength of nails. Note that whole grains are not the same as refined or "enriched" grains, which have had their nutrient-packed outer layers and germ stripped in processing.
Step 3
Take an all-natural, high-potency multiple vitamin and mineral complex in the morning and evening. Check that your formula contains specific vitamins and minerals to improve weak and soft nails. Vitamin A helps the body process protein, needed to sustain the nail bed and ward off hangnails. Vitamin B guards against nail ridges and fragility. Biotin (also known as vitamin B7) reinforces weak, split-prone nails. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, which is vital to nail strength. Zinc aids your body's utilization of enzymes and minerals, and increases nail strength.
Step 4
Try nail-strengthening herbs to improve weak, soft nails. Take horsetail, nettle or oat straw, either as a tea or in pill form. These herbs contain an abundance of the natural form of silica.
Tips and Warnings
- Use a brush-on nail reinforcer, such as Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Nail Hardener or Nail Tek II Intensive Therapy For Soft Peeling Nails. Keep your nails short. This will prevent nails from catching on things or being weakened from the stress of everyday activities. Be sparing with the buffer. While buffing is a nice way to smooth ridges and improve the sheen of your nails, it thins the nail bed.
Things You'll Need
- Multiple vitamin and mineral complex
- Horsetail, nettle or oat straw tea or supplements
- Nail reinforcer (optional)
References
- "Earl Mindell's New Vitamin Bible"; Earl Mindell and Hester Mundis; 2004
- "Better Nutrition"; Silica Natural Beauty's Best Friend; Karyn Siegel-Maier; May 2000
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