Fingernails – why do they break? Methods for beautiful nails and groomed cuticles

Fingernails don’t have an easy life. They are pretty resilient but even fingernails will eventually weaken in the face of numerous treatments and chemicals we serve to them. On a daily basis, we subject them to all sorts of damages, not just the mechanical ones. Why do fingernails break and how to prevent it? Meet the methods for beautiful fingernails and cuticles.

Why do fingernails break?

The reasons can be many, from latent diseases, through stress and medication to more mundane causes. The main reasons for nails to break are:

• atmospherical factors (temperature changes, humidity, freeze, dry air),
• a diet poor in biotin, zinc, iron, silicon, and other vitamins B,
• poor hands and nails hydration,
• sloppy nails filing (the use of the wrong file),
• use of cosmetics with acetone,
• long-lasting soaking fingernails in the water,
• use of harmful detergents and other chemical substances.

The best methods for healthy and pretty nails

The food for fingernails, i.e. the diet for beautiful nails

If you want your nails to look nice, you should enrich your diet with food containing zinc and iron. Those are components that have very beneficial impact on the nails but also skin and hair. In other words, you won’t regret adding the set of vitamins and minerals to your diet. You’ll need quite a lot of those. Try including vitamins A, E, B1, B2, B3, B9, zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphor, and manganese.

Look for those vitamins in sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and dried fruits (make sure those are sulphate free).
Vitamins B are often found in grains, eggs, legumes, while magnesium and iron can be found in cocoa.

Manicure for beautiful nails

In order to avoid subjecting nails to unnecessary damage, you should follow a few rules:

1. Do not soak them in water for too long,
2. File them properly – always in one direction,
3. Choose a good-quality file – best glass one,
4. Use a special primer to nourish your nails – only on the primer proceed with nail polish.

Cosmetics for beautiful nails

The proper diet works on fingernails from the inside, you should use cosmetics to improve their appearance and condition also on the outside. Which product would be best? You should certainly try oils and moisturizing creams (have them in your bag at all times). Currently, even nails oils are placed in a handy tube with a small brush at the end which makes application super easy. The nails will also love natural oils such as castor oil, argan oil, or jojoba oil.

Gloves will protect your nails

Sounds like not a big deal yet it kinda is! When performing any house chores that could involve soaking the nails for a long time or the use of detergents, you should wear rubber gloves. Not only your fingernails will be grateful but your whole hands because they dislike any type of detergent.

You should also remember to wear gloves in the winter. When the temperature starts to drop, you should go for gloves right away.

How to groom cuticles?

The devil’s in the detail. That is why how hands look is not determined only by the appearance of the nails, but also the cuticles. How to take care of them? It is best to use the services of a manicurist – especially if your cuticles are very thick, dry, and rough. However, if you are quite skilled and you can do it on your own, do not hesitate. Cuticle nipper in hand and go for it. First, apply the special cuticle gel to soften them, then proceed to cut the cuticles out. Remember not to cut too deep. After the bath, when cuticles are softened and easy to push back, just rub them with the tip of the towel and they will come right off on their own.

Keep in mind to moisturize the nail plate and cuticles every two or three days to prevent them from drying.