Medical experts consider the nails as the window to your overall health. One look at the nails is enough to say whether there is anything wrong with your health. So, having healthy nails has double benefits. While having healthy nails is critical, you should understand that brittle or damaged nails have various causes. Surprisingly, the most apparent reason is having a bad manicure.
Besides a bad manicure, here are a couple of reasons you have unhealthy nails:
First, genetic conditions are the prime reasons for unhealthy nails. Of course, you cannot do much about this. But, you can improve your nail habits. We shall discuss some tips in this article that should help you.
The second, incorrect nail maintenance, like wrong washing procedures, improper drying, and exposure to harsh chemicals, can weaken your nails considerably.
The third, nutritional imbalances are also one of the prime causes of nail damage.
Tips to Have Healthy Nails
We share six excellent tips to grow healthy gel nails. Use high-quality gel polishes to maintain healthy nails and have a great time.
The shorter your nails, the better they are
Nails keep growing over time. Longer nails look beautiful, but they are more prone to damage. So, we recommend keeping your nails short. However, it depends on your comfort levels. You can extend them to half an inch over your fingertips. Anything more than that can invite danger.
We do not suggest cutting the nails every time. Instead, you can trim them, smoothen the edges, or even file them into shape. Cutting your nails can be harmful, especially if you have brittle nails, because it subjects the nails to strain and thus, break off. Filing the nails is ideal because it prevents ragged edges that can snag onto your clothing and other materials.
Improve your dietary habits
We have said earlier that unhealthy nails indicate problems with your health. Therefore, the best way to grow healthy nails is to improve your health. So, you must adjust your diet to strengthen your nails and make them healthy.
Nails require adequate proteins, calcium, vitamin A and zinc to form healthy nail beds. Similarly, vitamin B12 and iron are essential to improve blood health and prevent pigmentation and blue-toned nails.
Improving dietary habits by including these ingredients in your food can help maintain your nail health.
Avoid using harsh soaps
Washing hands has become critical today, primarily because of the pandemic. So yes. It is a healthy practice to wash hands. However, we caution against using harsh sanitizers, soaps, and detergents that can harm your nails and skin. It is better to use soaps that have hydrating properties rather than those that remove moisture from your skin and nails to make them brittle.
We recommend using gloves when washing your dishes because it ensures less exposure to water.
Moisturize and protect your nails
The pandemic requires you to wash your hands frequently. Of course, you cannot avoid that, but you can take appropriate care to prevent the harsh chemicals in the soaps from dehydrating your skin and nails. Dehydrated nails become brittle and break easily. Therefore, we suggest using moisturizers to maintain the skin and nails healthy.
It is advisable to use moisturizers that absorb quickly and moisturize the skin well. Secondly, please avoid moisturizing the nails against the directions of the cuticle because it can damage them and be painful. Cuticle oil is one of the best moisturizers available that simultaneously moisturizes your nails and strengthens the cuticles.
Using nail strengtheners is better
People with brittle nails can use nail strengtheners to improve their nail health. The nail strengthener is similar to a basecoat application you can have twice daily. Usually, nail strengtheners contain hydrolyzed keratin protein. Keratin is found in your nails and hair. They protect your nails by creating a barrier. Using nail strengtheners can help make your nails strong and healthy.
Nail serums containing collagen and keratin are also helpful. Besides, using high-quality gel polishes on your nails is equivalent to protecting them.
Give your nails a break after a manicure
The gel manicure is not a problem because it beautifies your nails. However, removing the gel polish can be challenging. Nail polish removers contain acetone, a compound responsible for dehydrating the skin and the nails. Continuous exposure to acetone can be harmful. The nails become dry. So, we recommend not rushing into a new manicure immediately after removing one. A break for a week should be perfect, allowing the nails to recover well.
Final Thoughts
We have discussed six excellent tips to help you get healthy gel nails. Use these tips to improve your nail health. Then, you can apply high-quality gel polishes on the nails to enhance your beauty quotient to the next level.