I’m a firm believer that you are what you eat. Feeding your body nourishing and nutrient dense foods and looking after your inside can make you glow on the outside, a true indication of health. I’m lucky that I have super strong healthy nails, more so after adopting a healthier lifestyle. Here I share some of my tips on some foods and treatments, which will have your talons looking the epitome of perfection.
Eat plenty protein – your nails are made of protein so foods such as chicken, fish, eggs, liver, pulses, seeds and nuts will enrich your nails with fantastic nutrients to help build healthy nails.
Get a good dose of vitamins – as well as protein your nails need essential vitamins to grow. Dark leafy greens like kale and spinach are rich in vitamin C, dairy products such as milk are a great source of vitamin D. Veggies such as sweet potatoes and carrots are great for loading up on your vitamin A.
Drink water – your nails need to stay hydrated to stop them breaking and becoming dry. Drinking plenty of water will facilitate this as well as having the dual benefit of removing toxins from your body.
Ditch the diet – dieting and restrictive eating can slow down nail growth. Re-assess your diet to make sure that you are getting plenty of protein and nutrients and the correct number of calories to help your nails grow.
Omega-3 – oily fish such as salmon is great for providing a hit of omega-3 fats which helps to increase blood flow. This will ensure that nutrients and oxygen reach the nail bed to help your nails grow.
File your nails – it is tempting to file your nails by going back and forth with an emery board, but in fact filing your nails in one direction prevents them from splitting. I highly recommend the glass nail file by Nails Inc.
Don’t eat your nails – my Nan has bitten her nails for years and I have no idea why, maybe it’s an anxiety thing. It’s just one of those habits that I have never understood. Biting your nails makes them brittle and weak, preventing them to be strong and healthy.
Obviously giving your nails a good pamper now and then will work wonders to keep them looking good. I like to soak mine in warm water with olive oil and rubbing coconut oil into the cuticle is a nice treat to help grow healthy and beautiful nails.
Are you good at looking after your nails? Do you have any nail pampering tips that you would like to share?
I love it when my nails are painted and nicely filed but it doesn’t happen as much as I like! Red toenails are a necessity though!
I’m a nail biter. 🙁 What’s frustrating is that I could never understand why people did it, so I tried it and then it became a habit! I’m desperately trying to stop now so that I have nice nails for my wedding in six months time. I managed to stop for a month before our engagement party last Summer but gradually started up again.
I’m so rubbish with my nails. I file them occasionally…and that’s about it! If I paint them they look good for all of about two days then I chip them. Such an effort!
Great tips though. Protein is so important!
I don’t like after my nails at all but I am blessed with really strong healthy ones, I definitely noticed a huge difference since being Veggie/Vegan.
I take a strong daily Biotin supplement ( a kind of B vitamin ) for my hair and nails, and have done for years. You notice a big difference in the strength of both within a matter of days! Really recommend.