How To Make Your Nails Stronger

Biting our nails not only tears off part of our fingernails but it can take a toll on the part of the nails that remain. Permanent damage to nail growth is rare as long as the nail bed isn’t damaged. But if you bite your nails down to the nail bed it can cause irreversible damage.

If you take a look at the picture above and below, you’ll see damage to the nails that remain. While this damage can typically repair itself if you stop biting your nails, continually biting your nails can make this difficult. Fingernails can be weakened in a number of different ways that should be avoided when possible.

Nails can be weakened with age but also through things that we can prevent such as exposure to harsh chemicals, constant wetting and drying of your nails, overuse of nail polish and even a lack of B Vitamins. Nails also get damaged through physical trauma such as closing your finger in a door or dropping something on it.

While nail biting has a temporary effect on nail health and may cause nail cracking and splitting, we can take preventative measures to protect fingernails from more serious damage thus ensuring long term fingernail health.

Nail Health

How can you strengthen your fingernails? There are several main things you should do and things you should try to avoid doing to protect your fingernails.

Avoid Biting And Picking

While not biting your nails won’t strengthen them per se, picking and biting them can weaken and damage them. Picking and biting nails may lead to cracking and splitting that will take time to heal and repair itself. If you regularly pick and bite your nails, they may not have the chance to recuperate and remain damaged.

Avoid Constant Wetness and Chemicals

You know how your fingers get shriveled up when exposed to water for a long period of time like when swimming? Constant exposure to water can additionally have a negative effect on your fingernails, too. If you work in a damp environment where your hands get wet regularly, if you wash dishes frequently, are a plumber, do frequent wet cleaning or are often in a swimming pool, this can have a detrimental effect on nails. Overuse of nail polish and exposure to harsh chemicals can also weaken your nails.

Nail Split

A fingernail will split down the middle or across the nail for a number of reasons as mentioned above but also due to an accident such as smacking it against something or closing your finger in a door. Fingernails grow at a rate of around 3mm per month and may take 6 months to completely grow out which is typically how a cracked fingernail will “fix” itself.

I’ve noticed nail splits on my left thumb from time to time down the middle of the nail. They typically disappear and heal on their own through regular nail growth to the point where I don’t even notice.

Nail Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a skin condition caused in part by your immune system that causes skin to multiply resulting in red, scaly patches. It typically occurs on your knees, elbow and scalp but can occur elsewhere on your body, too. People with psoriasis have been shown to be at a greater risk of experiencing nail psoriasis and it occurs among both men and women.

Research has shown that those with skin psoriasis also have nail involvement at a rate of 50% with men more likely to be affected. The rate at which people with psoriasis will at some point experience nail involvement is reported to be as high as 80% – 90%. The main symptoms of nail psoriasis are finger pain and the negative aesthetic look of your nails.

To help prevent nail psoriasis, keep your nails short and trim. Use a nail file to keep the edges smooth which may also prevent you from feeling like you need to bite them to keep them short. Also as mentioned above, limit your exposure to water and dampness as they have a weakening effect on your nails as does constant chemical exposure and overuse of nail polish.

Make My Nails Stronger

• Avoid biting and picking your nails as it can damage the nails and nail bed leading to infection.
• Wear gloves to avoid getting your hands and thus fingernails wet when possible.
• Avoid keeping your nails wet and damp and dry them off when appropriate.
• Limit your use of chemical cleaning products and wash and dry your hands after using chemicals.
• Reduce your use of nail polish as they are often toxic and are made with strong chemicals.
• Don’t get dehydrated. Not only does dehydration hurt your overall health, it can negatively impact your nails too.
• Ensure you are getting your daily requirement of biotin as it impacts nail and hair growth among other things. Eating a well-balanced diet comprised of meat, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts and seeds will accomplish this without much effort.
• While this won’t make your nails stronger, it will protect them: Avoid using your nails to open soda cans and things of that nature as the stress can crack or break them. Nail biters typically don’t have to worry about this since our nails are too short.

Conclusion

• Strengthen your nails with a well-balanced diet and protect them against self-inflicted damage like biting and picking them, banging them against hard objects or closing them in a door which leads to nail cracking.
• Avoid constant dampness and wetness of your nails as well as constant exposure to chemicals and overuse of nail polish.
• If you are a nail biter or picker, focus on strategies that might work to help you quit nail biting since it can damage fingernails and weaken them.
• Check out the article called How To Make My Nails Grow Faster to learn more about whether or it’s even possible.