Maintaining the overall health of your nails goes way beyond their aesthetic appeal. While healthier nails do look better, they also work better to protect the tips of your fingers and toes from trauma and discomfort. They can also be a good indicator of your general health and well-being, with brittle, uneven, and discolored nails potentially signaling certain health conditions. Here are a few things you can do to keep your nails strong and beautiful!
Stick to a Balanced Diet
Just like the different parts of your body, your nails derive nutrients and minerals from the food that you eat, making your diet a significant contributor to the state of your nails. Nails need essential nutrients like protein, biotin, and various vitamins and minerals to grow properly, so make sure that you incorporate these things into your daily life as much as you can. Some sources of these nutrients include eggs, lean meat, nuts, vegetables, and fruits.
Stay Hydrated
Your nails and your skin are very similar in that they can be drastically affected by your hydration levels and water intake, which can affect the strength and resiliency of these things. Dehydration can negatively affect your nails by causing dryness, cracking, breakage, splitting, and basically making your nails more susceptible to damage. Make sure that you’re drinking enough water and fluids throughout the day to maintain nail brittleness and weakness.
Be Gentle with Your Nails
Without realizing it, you may be doing certain things with your nails that are actually damaging them. Here are just a few examples of these activities that you should avoid doing:
- Using Your Nails as Tools: If you’ve ever tried to open up a can with the help of your fingernails, then you might actually be inadvertently compromising the health of your nails.
- Nail Biting and Picking: Not only do fingernail biting and picking ruin the appearance of your nails, but it also negatively affects their overall health and puts you at a greater risk of infections.
- Not Protecting Your Nails: It may be impossible to completely avoid the use of harsh chemicals, such as those that can be found in many commercial cleaners, but make sure that you at least wear protective gloves to spare your nails from the damage. Similarly, when wearing close-toed shoes, make sure that you always wear socks to save your toenails from the repeated friction that they can experience with movement.
Have Regular Manicures and Pedicures
Many associate manicures and pedicures with simply enhancing the appearance of their nails, but these beauty treatments actually do more than that. They can make your nails healthier over time not only by deep cleaning, trimming, and shaping your nails but also by adding an extra layer of protection in the form of nail polish. Nail polish can protect your nails from daily wear and tear, especially with certain polishes that are more durable and longer-lasting.
This may not be that easy for many people, especially those who live hectic lives and have unpredictable schedules. When you’re already struggling to get things done, the last thing you want to do is book an appointment and drive down to a local nail salon. Fortunately, you can have the salon experience delivered right to your door with an at-home manicure service instead. Schedule a session today at https://www.luce.sg/services/home-manicure-pedicure.
Moisturize Your Nails
Many of us never skip out on moisturizing our skin, but have you ever thought about doing the same for your nails? When your nails are dry and dehydrated, they can start to crack, split, and break, leaving them unsightly and potentially uncomfortable. To avoid this, make sure that you massage either a cream, lotion, petroleum jelly or cuticle oil to your nails daily to keep them looking and feeling their best.
Your nails play a bigger role in your overall health than you may realize. With these simple and easy lifestyle changes, you’ll be able to keep your nails looking healthy and beautiful!
