Dry & Brittle Nails

Brittle nails are usually not associated with a medical disease. Brittle fingernails are a common condition, occurring in about 20% of people; more women than men develop this issue. Brittle nails usually break or peel off in horizontal layers, starting at the nail's free end.

The signs and symptoms of brittle nails include:

• peeling at the nail tips
• easy breaking
• inability to grow the nails out

What Causes Brittle Fingernails?

Everyone has brittle nails to some extent, some more than others. Aging can cause slowed nail growth and dull, brittle, or yellowish nails as the flow of moisture and natural oils to the nail bed declines. A lack of moisture or too much moisture can worsen an already brittle condition. Dry heat, detergents, nail polish remover, or harsh chemicals encourage cracked and dry brittle nails. On the other hand, too much moisturizer, hand lotion and a lot of time underwater leaves nails too soft for tearing.


Dry, brittle nails is a problem that thousands of women face. Nails dry-out in the winter because of the extra hand washing to ward off the seasonal sicknesses combined with the dry air generated from the use of heaters. A healthy nutrition intake helps to maintain your fingernail health and provide a cure for dry, brittle nails. An inadequacy of B-complex vitamins, specifically biotin, will create ridges along the nail bed. A diet deficient in calcium can also be responsible for dry, brittle nails. Quite a number of vitamins and minerals have been proposed for the prevention of brittle nails. The nutrition needed to prevent and treat dry, brittle nails and hangnails include a diet rich in vitamin C, folic acid and omega-3.

For people with mild or intermittent brittle nails, a cosmetic moisturizer may be enough to keep the skin and nail from feeling dry. Use a glass file or an emery board instead of a metal nail file. Also, make sure you file only in one direction. Use therapeutic moisturizers, which have been shown to act as a barrier that keeps water from evaporating from the nails. Calcium-rich foods include all dairy foods, especially yogurt, dark green leafy vegetables, almonds, beans, and sardines.

Refrain from biting your nails. To help, kick this habit keep nails short, and paint them with a dark colored polish. (Every-time you bite you'll be conscious of chipping the polish). Using nail polish remover more than once a week, especially one containing acetone, can cause your nails to become dry.

Nails, should be neatly filed and shaped on a regular basis. For under the nail cleanliness use a nail brush and for smooth and shining nails use a nails buffer. Try a cuticle softener, for it might prove worthy.