Brittle nails causes, prevention and treatment

Brittle fingernails can be painful and it is also not a pretty sight. In order to prevent and treat brittle nails, let's first learn the causes of brittle nails.

Causes of brittle nails:

1. repeated wetting and drying of fingernails
2. repeated or excessive exposure to harsh solvents (detergent, soap and even nail polish remover)
3. Harsh treatment of hands and nails due to work (e.g construction, gardening and other manual labor)
4. underlying medical condition, such as Raynaud's disease, low thyroid function, skin diseases (psoriasis, lichen planus, alopecia areata) , endocrine disorders, tuberculosis, Sjogren's syndrome, malnutrition and even Selenium poisoning.

Here I'll only discuss the remedy for brittle nails caused by the first three causes above and not due to underlying medical conditions.
Tips to prevent brittle nails:

1. Wear rubber gloves when doing any work that exposes your fingernails to water, detergent or other solvents such as washing dishes, washing cloths, gardening, etc.
   
2. If you are doing the work mentioned above for a longer duration, consider wearing a thin cotton glove under the rubber gloves to absorb the perspiration from the hand to avoid moisture on the nails.
3. Do manicure often and always keep your nails nicely trimmed to prevent crack or tear.
4. Consider to trim nails right after shower or bath to achieve a more even and neat cut. Also use good quality ones to get a nice clean cut everytime. I recommand using Seki Edge Stainless Steel Fingernail Clipper as it one of the best to do the job.
   
   
5. Avoid habits of nail biting or using your nails to pick on things such as removing staplers, twisting screws etc.
6. Ensure you are getting enough nutrients so that the body can produce strong and healthy nails. Also message your fingers and nails several times a day to promote blood circulation in that area. This will help in absorption of nutrients.
7. If your nails are dry, apply moisturizer or olive oil on it and message them in.

Treatment for brittle nails:
Taking biotin supplements helps in promoting thicker nail, faster growing nail and reduce nails tendency to split or break. You can read more about Biotin for hair skin and nail in my previous post here. Non the less, do consult your doctor before taking it as a safety measure.
 Example of biotin supplement