5 Ways You’re Damaging Your Nails on a Daily Basis

Contrary to what you think of your younger sibling, your nails are actually the biggest tatter tales. They tell on our bad habits!

Despite their hard exteriors, nails can be quite fragile. Because they’re at the tip of our fingers, they come under a lot of pressure and easily show when our health is not kept in check. Here are some ways you’re hurting them (and their feelings):

Nail polish and nail polish removers dry out your nails. When you go on a mani-pedi streak, you hurt your nails by not giving them time to rest from the chemicals.

Choose the right nail polishes – ones that contain protein can assist in strengthening your nails. Alternatively, give your nails a break and lay off the manicures from time to time. This way, you can also keep an eye on your nails which can tell you when your immune system is strong or not.

Texting does a lot of good for your social life, but not your nails! The click-clack sound you make on your touchscreen not only aggravates people at the dinner table, but also your nails.

Trim your nails enough so that you’re able to type with the pads of your fingers, not your nails.

Another common reason for brittle nails is dry nails. A major reason for this is frequent wetting and drying of hands (and nails), which decrease your skin’s and nail’s moisture levels.

Start wearing gloves when you wash your dishes. If you don’t like the feeling of latex gloves, be diligent in applying hand lotion or moisturisers frequently. Otherwise, moisturise once in the morning and once at night with deep moisturising creams.

Chewing your nails injures them; causing them to be ragged, disfigured, and brittle. Weakened nails are susceptible to breakage, so they easily fall victim to household chores like dish washing and can opening.

If you find the habit too tough to kick, keep your nails short. Shorter nails are less susceptible to breakage. Besides that, you can also use bitter or foul tasting nail polish or hand moisturisers. The bad taste gives you an extra incentive to avoid putting your hands into your mouth. For other ways to prevent brittle nails, read our story here.

Insufficient nutrients such as iron, calcium, protein, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E leads to unhealthy and brittle nails. Iron, especially, forms haemoglobin which transports blood cells packed with oxygen to your nails. Inadequate iron means slow and stunted nail growth.

Eat all the good stuff – mushrooms and spinach contain iron, while a balanced diet with lots of vegetables, fruits, and protein will give you pretty nails!