Brittle nails are a condition that affects 20% of the population, especially women, and one of the reasons it is worst in women is because men’s nails are physiologically stronger.
Clinically brittle nails are seen as:
- Peeling exfoliation of the nails with longitudinal lines or parallel grooves in the nails.
- White or yellow spots due to prolonged use of nail polish or permanent or semi-permanent manicure.
Brittle nails can be idiopathic, meaning this is spontaneous and with an unknown cause (known as brittle nail syndrome) or secondary to something external such as frequent hand washing, contact with chemicals, and semi-permanent manicure, systemic diseases, and some medications.
To treat them, the first thing we need is to identify the cause:
- Use commercial lacquers that harden them containing silicon.
- Hydrate the nails with occlusive products (overnight and wrapped in paper) for faster results.
- Suggest some actives such as petroleum jelly, lanolin, sweet almond oil, glycerin, and urea).
- Avoid excessive handwashing water dries out the nails more.
- Rest from nail polish.
- Supplementation is indicated if there is any existing nutritional deficit.
Home Remedies for brittle nails:
The use of natural masks with vegetable oils has proven to be an excellent therapy to counteract nail problems and reduce nail dryness.
In this sense, one of the most recurrent ingredients is olive oil because it has proven to be very beneficial for the skin and nails’ health since it contains essential fatty acids and vitamins that nourish them in a remarkable way.
The best way to use olive oil is by soaking your nails in half a cup of olive oil for 20 minutes.
Also, Garlic is one of the most popular ingredients for nail care and strengthening. It has sulfur compounds, as well as antibiotic and antioxidant qualities.
Therefore, it is considered one of the best allies to strengthen them and prevent the appearance of fungus or infections.
Just add two crushed cloves of garlic to your nail polish and apply a thin layer every day for a week.
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