“I’ve always had strong and long nails, until now. They keep breaking and have become very fragile. I would like to know if anybody has any advice about what products will really strengthen my nails.”
Stop bad habits
Your nails could be breaking for a variety of reasons. Let’s start with the basics:
- Do you use your nails as tools (to pry open soda cans, etc.)?
- Do you wash dishes without wearing gloves?
- Do you like to grow your nails long?
- Do you bite your nails or pick at your cuticles?
If you answered “yes” to any of the questions above, you’re putting your nails at risk. All of these activities can cause nails to wear thin and split as well as damage the nail bed, so if you do them, stop immediately and follow celebrity nail artist Deborah Lippmann’s advice: “Think of hand care the same way you think of skin care.”
Baby your nails
Every time you put on hand cream, use it to moisturize your nails too. Use a cuticle oil to moisturize the cuticle, which is the tissue that overlaps your nail plate at the base of your nail. It protects the new keratin cells that slowly emerge from the nail bed, according to Mayo Clinic experts. For intense night treatment, slather on a moisturizer before bed and cover hands with cotton spa gloves (Try Sephora Moisturizing Gloves, $8).
Always use a top coat
Extend the life of your polish and protect unpolished nails with a good top coat. Celebrity nail artist Jenna Hipp recommends Orly Magnifique, $5.99: “Definitely a must-have for consistently beautiful and luminous nails. Not only does this refresh your nails, its formula works to make nails stronger.”
Avoid products that contain sulfonamide or formaldehyde and keep nail polish remover use down to twice a month max. (Removers strip natural oil and moisture from your nails, which can cause them to separate, split and peel over time.)
