Having long and healthy nails is something many women want, but it is not always possible to achieve. Sometimes harmful habits, poor nutrition or our job prevent us from having healthy nails. However, some homemade remedies can help us improve the state of our nails.
If you are tired of those short and brittle nails, oneHOWTO has effective solutions on how to grow stronger nails naturally.
How garlic helps nails
Garlic is one of the most famous natural ingredients to help our nails grow. There are many ways to apply it. One of the simplest is to crush one or two large garlic cloves and place the paste on our nails for 10 minutes, if possible every day.This mix is excellent to prevent the formation of bacteria, improve circulation and naturally grow nails. Also, the sharp taste of garlic on your nails is sure to prevent you from biting them!
Strengthen nails with lemon juice
Mixing garlic with lemon also makes an excellent home remedy for brittle nails. Crush a large garlic clove and leave to boil in half a cup of water.
Once the liquid has boiled, remove it from the heat and wait to cool. Then add a tea spoon of natural lemon juice. Mix everything and pour the liquid into an empty nail polish bottle. Apply the mixture every night before going to bed and see how, over the coming days, your nails grow healthy and strong.
Horsetail helps grow nails
Horsetail is a medicinal plant used frequently for aesthetic purposes. And it is a great ingredient to help grow your nails naturally. Prepare an infusion of horsetail, leave to cool, and dip nails in the solution for 15 minutes. You should repeat this procedure several times a week to achieve best results.
More natural remedies to make nails grow
- Milk and lemon juice: Another good and easy natural remedy to grow nails is to mix half a cup of milk with lemon juice. Submerge your nails in this liquid for 15 minutes and repeat at least three times a week. You will see how gradually nails strengthen and grow faster and healthier.
- Hardened garlic: Another good home remedy is produced when adding hardened crushed garlic to nail polish and allowing this to sit for a week. If you apply this mixture every day over your nails you will see great results. However many people prefer to skip this home remedy because of the strong smell of garlic. If it is not a problem for you, we recommend using this great natural trick.
- Olive oil: Dip your nails in olive oil or castor oil for 10 minutes. You could also mix a tablespoon of olive oil with a few drops of lemon juice and apply the mix on the nails - leaving it on for 20 minutes.
- Salt: Add a tablespoon of salt in a half litre of warm water and put your nails to soak for about 20 minutes.
- Onion: Put half a diced onion in a container, cover your nails with the pieces of onion and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
A healthy diet for healthy nails
Remember that to keep your nails strong and healthy, a healthy diet is fundamental. It should include high protein foods which are essential for nail growth.In many cases weak and brittle nails result from a lack of vitamins and nutrients which are essential for a healthy diet. It is advisable in these cases to review your diet and add foods that will help you strengthen your nails naturally.
For strong nails, eating foods that are rich in vitamin A, B, D, zinc, calcium and folic acid is especially recommended. The importance of consuming biotin is particularly notable. This is also known as vitamin B7 or vitamin H, and it contains excellent properties that favours healthy growth of both hair and nails. You will find this nutrient in foods such as liver, eggs, oily fish, cauliflower, nuts, strawberries, raspberries and bananas.
Protect your hands
Keeping nails dry is one of the essential things to keep in mind if you want to have stronger nails and prevent excessive weakening. If you are constantly in contact with water or other liquids and chemicals their structure will break more easily. For example, we advise you not to keep them under water when you have a bath. Protect your hands every time you clean or when handling strong products, like dish detergent or cleaning spray. The chemicals in cleaning products can dry out your skin and nails, weakening them significantly.
Having a good manicure at least once a week will help keep your nails strong and prevent them from breaking. Just make sure to resist the urge to scratch off your nail polish! Doing this also scratches off the top layer of your nail, which helps protect it.
It is also important not to use your fingernails to scratch or press hard surfaces as injuries and major breakages could occur.
Like the skin, nails also need to be well hydrated to stay strong and grow healthily. Nothing is better for this than applying a little moisturiser on them. You can use your regular hand cream several times a day to prevent them drying and looking rough. In the event that your nails break regularly you can buy lotions containing components such as keratin, urea, lactic acid or almond oil.
Besides hydrating it is important that you cut your nails regularly and appropriately so they grow strong and healthy. How should you do this? The best way is to use a nail clipper, make a straight and clean cut and then round off the edges with the help of a file. Avoid cutting the cuticles as these protect the nails from bacteria and ensure a healthy growth. You should them soften with a special oil made for this purpose and push them back gently with the help of a manicure stick.
Always try to choose good quality nail varnish and before applying them spread a layer of nail hardener to strengthen them. The hardener will also prevent these products from harming the nails excessively.
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