Five great tricks to fix all of your REALLY annoying nail problems
The causes of various nail problem are often mistaken for something their not. And with so many remedies and quick-fixes out there, it can be hard to know what is good for what problem.
Well, Cosmopolitan spoke to nail technician, Lynn Gray, and she promises that whatever nail problem you may have, there is probably a solution. Consider her your nail knight in shining armor…
If you have strong but flaky nails…
"It's characterised by a flaky, pastry-like appearance of the nail, and you can see the separate layers coming apart. Most people tend to reach for nail hardener, but this can often make the problem worse," said Lynn.
"You need to hydrate the nail plate and give nails the nutrition that they're lacking… A nail serum massaged into bare nails once or twice a week is the answer."
If your nails just WON'T grow…
"If it seems like your nails never, ever get any longer, this could be down to bad circulation in your hands. If you have cold hands, your nails won't grow as fast. One way to encourage growth is to treat them daily with a product enriched with proteins and vitamins.
"Massage into the root of the nail to help feed it, whilst increasing circulation and therefore stimulating nail growth."
If you have weak and bendy nails…
"Weak nails usually occur after taking off gel nails, extensions, or similar," says Gray.
"For this type of problem you do need to use nail hardener, but make sure you only apply once or twice a week; otherwise you could end up overdoing it and creating more problems."
If you have discoloured nails…
"Nails turn an unnatural colour as a result of a few different things: smoking, illness, or by not wearing a base coat with a strong nail polish colour," says Gray.
"To brighten and lighten the nail, try making a homemade scrub using lemon juice."
If your nails break easily…
"Nails that snap and break easily are often inflexible and too hard. There is a misconception that nails like this need to be strengthened with a hardener; however, this isn't the case," Gray says.
"A hardening treatment will only make the nail break more often and lower down, which can be painful. Instead, you need to treat this with a product that strengthens while increasing flexibility."
