You can tell a lot about a person just by looking at his nails. Well-groomed nails indicate that a person is well kept and has good hygiene habits, and that he has a keen eye for details. Brittle or cracked nails can symbolize bad grooming habits and a poor diet. The nails also serve as good indications of someone’s health. Yellowish nails may be symptoms of hepatitis or jaundice. Brittle nails could symbolize undernourishment or unequal vitamin distribution.

Bad nail-grooming habits can completely invalidate all the efforts that you are doing to take care of the rest of your body. The state of your fingernails say a lot about your over-all grooming routine. People are bound to notice unsightly nails, no matter how flawless everything else could be.

Maintaining healthy fingernails is actually quite easy. Once you have incorporated your nail-grooming habits to your regular routine, you will be able to maintain healthy nails without even exerting too much effort. There are different precautionary steps that you can take to protect your fingernails from future damage. You can also take different steps to maintain the health of your fingernails, and to bring previously damaged nails back to their natural state.

Prevention

Like your hair, your nails also get most of their nourishment from your diet. Brittle nails could be an indication that you are not eating healthily enough. Take in more protein-filled food if you notice that your nails are starting to show problems. Increase the amount of fish, nuts, liver, and vegetables in your diet to prevent any damage from getting worse. Try to reduce the amount of sugar and alcohol that you take in. Minimize your ingestion of food that are rich in calcium and zinc, as well.

Chapped nails may also be a sign of dehydration. Increase your intake of water and fruit juices to keep your nail beds from hardening. You should also get into the habit of moisturizing your nails properly. You may use any brand of moisturizer or petroleum jelly (Vaseline) to keep healthy cuticles.

Do yourself a favor and wear gloves when you do household chores. This will not only protect your nails, but the skin on your hands as well. Active agents in detergents, soaps, and other cleaning material can damage your nails. They can take away moisture from your nails, and rip and peel the skin surrounding them. Dirt and soil may also get underneath your nails, and cause an infection.

Taking daily vitamin supplements will nourish your nails from within. Vitamins are very important because they help your nails grow strong. Deficiencies in your Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Calcium intake will cause your nails to go dry and brittle.

Choose the best-for-value prodcuts from all the nail care products available in the market. There are different nail polish brands that incorporate moisturizers and hardeners into the formulation of their products. This means that you can nourish your nails and color  them at the same time without having to worry about their health. Avoid using a nail polish remover that has acetone as a component because it will cause your nails to dry up and lose moisture.

You should also refrain from using your nails too much. Try not to use them for  opening cans, for typing, or to accomplish other tasks. This will keep the ends of your fingernails from going flat.

Maintenance

Get into the habit of regularly buffing your nails with a fine abrasive wand. This will rub off all the dead skin on the surface of your nails and make them shinier. You should also use a fine nail file to maintain their shape. Using one that is too sharp or too coarse may damage the ends of your nails.

When you feel any strain on your fingers, massage them from the tip to the stump, then back again. This will increase circulation, and relieve the uncomfortable feeling. Rub your nail beds and cuticles for at least 30 seconds to stimulate them to grow faster and to increase blood flow in those areas.

Use a base coat and a nail hardener before you apply your nail polish. These will protect your nails from getting damaged by chemicals in your nail color. They also help in locking in your nails’ natural moisture.

Continue using nail care brands that have given you good results in the past. This will prevent any adverse effect that you may experience from switching brands. Your nails get accustomed to the formulation of the products that you regularly use one them. Using a new product or brand might cause allergic reactions or infections.

Discontinue using products temporarily if you have open wounds near the area of your nails. Instead of giving you healthy nails and nail beds, they may only make the condition worse.

Getting regular manicures and pedicures will also help you  maintain your nails. Nail treatment specialists can recommend and administer treatments that will protect your nails from getting damaged.

There are many nail serum choices in the market that will help you maintain the texture and strength of your nails. Always choose the mildest formulation to avoid allergies. Choose a nail serum that is made from natural formulas, if you can find one.

Believe it or not, water is one of your nail’s worst enemies. Water draws moisture out of your nails if you soak them too much. If you need to engage in any activity that involves prolonged contact with water, moisturize your nails or cover them with a nail hardener.

Repair

Broken nails are very common for people who have brittle nails. This means that their nails are not strong enough to stand the pressure exerted on them by different manual activities. People often think that the only way to deal with a broken nail is to wait for it to grow back. However, different breakthroughs, which provides other solutions for dealing with a broken nail, have been done in the nail care industry.

Specialists in the nail care field have found a nail glue formula that is like Crazy Glue for your nails, minus the risks of infections and allergies. The glue package usually includes a small bottle of the formula, a few sheets of nail-mending paper, and a small brush applicator.

Simply dab a small amount of the glue to one piece of the nail, and re-attach it to the other end. Cover the break with a small piece of the nail-mending paper. Add another layer  of the glue on top of the paper to secure it.

After the glue has dried, cover the nail with hardener and clear polish to finally hold the pieces firmly in place.

Fake nails and nail extensions may also be used to fix broken nails. Instead of using a nail-mending paper, you may use extensions that are specifically designed to feel and to look like real nails. Use nail glue to attach the extension to the base of the real nail and wait for it to dry.

You can completely avoid having to deal with broken nails by immediately fixing your nails once they start to show signs of brittleness. Hydrate your nails using moisturizers and nail serum to bring them back to their normal state. Apply nail hardener to the surface of your nails to keep them from breaking.

If you only experienced a break on the upper part of your nail, you can save yourself the favor of repairing it by simply trimming it and waiting for it to grow back. Soak your nails in extra virgin olive oil for ten minutes a day to infuse more nutrition and moisture to them.

The one single rule you should remember, however, is to avoid prolonged contact with water if you are in the process of mending your nails. If you follow this, and even just some of the steps we have just discussed, you should be able to keep your nails healthy.