The fingernails have a lot more to do than just act as a carrier for nail polish; they indicate many things about the condition of our health.
Taking care of our fingernails is important to maintain their good health.
Certain nutrients like zinc, biotin, and collagen are helpful in making the nails stronger and healthy.
There are also a number of other ways how one can maintain healthy nails, which we will discuss in this article.
Nails speak for uncontrolled health Issues
Nutritional deficiencies can affect the growth of the fingernails and unhealthy fingernails tell a lot about our health.
Several health issues and nutritional deficiencies can make the nails weak and unhealthy.
Taking a lot of micronutrients, vitamins, and proteins can promote the growth of fingernails and make them strong and healthy.
Scientists also read in the fingernails if there are any health issues like high levels of cortisol that could indicate stress or even tell if someone has diabetes.
Fingernail analysis can also help them to find out if an older woman had a fracture or not.
If someone has brittle nails, it could indicate hypothyroidism and almost half of the psoriasis patients have nail problems too.
Here are some tips for taking care of your nails to make them healthy and strong:
Take supplements for healthy nails:
Nails require sufficient amounts of protein for maintaining proper because they are made up of the protein keratin.
There are more nutrients that nails require like:
Collagen Peptides
These pure forms of protein contain amino acids that play a very important role in promoting nail growth and making the nails stronger.
When an individual takes sufficient collagen peptides, they can witness improved nail growth by 12%, decrease in nail-breakage by 42% and improvement in brittle nails by 64%.
Zinc
Zinc is present in abundance in our bodies, after iron.
But many people suffer from zinc deficiency which can prevent the body from absorbing the right amount of protein for building stronger nails.
Salmon, oyster, crab, lobsters, and beef are some of the excellent sources of zinc that one can have.
Iron
Due to iron deficiency individuals might develop weak or brittle nails, which can be fixed by taking foods that are rich in iron.
Taking Vitamin C along with iron will help in improving the iron absorption in the body and promote healthy nails.
Eating enough vegetables, red meat and cooking with cast iron can help in the process.
Due to iron deficiency individuals might develop weak or brittle nails, which can be fixed by taking foods that are rich in iron.
Taking Vitamin C along with iron will help in improving the iron absorption in the body and promote healthy nails.
Eating enough vegetables, red meat and cooking with cast iron can help in the process.
Calcium
Calcium is important for stronger nails and it must be taken with vitamin K2, which is found in grass-fed animal products like butter.
K2 helps in transporting the calcium to the exact places in the body where it is needed, like the nails.
Biotin
Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin, a member of the B-vitamin family that has been proven to strengthen fingernails.
Eggs, fish, seeds, meat, salmon, nuts, and sweet potato are foods rich in biotin.
Vitamin A
This nutrient is important for processing the proteins the body needs for building stronger nails.
A deficiency of vitamin A can cause unhealthy and weak nails. Take animal-based forms of vitamin A for best results.
Other tips for healthy nails
Keep the hands clean
Maintaining healthy nails includes taking proper care of the nails and the skin around it by keeping it free from dirt.
Apply soap to a toothbrush to gently scrub the nails and the skin around it to remove dirt and exfoliate the dead skin cells without using any harsh chemicals.
Trim the nails regularly
Taking proper care of your nails by trimming them every one to two weeks to prevent the accumulation of dirt inside them is important.
This helps in preventing breakage also.
Short and neat nails are easier to maintain and also stronger than long nails.
Do not cut the cuticles
Cuticles provide protection to the nails, where if the cuticles are cut, the breaks the seal, and make the nails open to all sorts of bacteria and increase the chances of getting infections in the nails.
It is the best to take care of the cuticles by massaging them with a cuticle cream or thick lotion at least once a week.
Take care of your nail tools
It is important to disinfect the nail tools before further usage every time by regularly cleaning it to keep it free from bacteria.
Wash the metal tools with soap and water followed by wiping them with rubbing alcohol to prevent the spread of bacteria.
Moisturize the nails
Like it is necessary for us to daily moisturize our faces before we go to bed, it is equally important to moisturize the nails with good moisturizers.
Using a mixture of avocado and almond oils to moisturize the nails, cuticles and the skin around it will keep the nails hydrated and healthy.
Using any other oil that is rich in nutrients can also be helpful.
Use protection
Whenever you have to do any work that involves harsh chemicals like gardening or washing clothes with detergents and such works, make sure that you use protection for preventing the harsh chemicals from affecting your nails or causing breakage of the nails.
Use rubber, plastic, or vinyl gloves to keep away dirt and chemicals from coming in contact with your fingernails.
In harsh winters and dry weathers, use a pair of mitten gloves to prevent the skin around your nails from getting flaky, dry, or scaly.
Conclusion
By maintaining a healthy diet with foods rich in protein, vitamins, and more other nutrients, you can help the nails to get healthier from within.
Taking care of the nails by following the tips mentioned above will keep them healthy from outside and make them stronger.
With the right combination of steps, you can achieve stronger and cleaner nails for a long time, effectively.
Like any other parts of the body, taking care of the nails is also equally important.
Follow the easy tips to get healthy and stronger nails right today.
This post was last modified on May 24, 2019 10:48 AM