Home Remedy--Weak Nails

Good Morning!  Here are some tips if you have weak, brittle finger nails.

Weak Nails

• To strengthen and shine nails, combine 2 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. castor oil, and 1 tsp. wheat germ oil and mix thoroughly. Pour into bottle. Shake before using. To use, rub a small amount into your nails. Leave on 3-5 minutes and tissue off. Follow up with more plain castor oil, if desired.
• Soak nails in lemon juice for 15 minutes everyday.
• Soak nails in iodine (if not allergic) for 30 minutes then take it off with acetone.
• Blanch lemon grass and drink several times a day to treat the nails with natural treatment.
• Mix 2 teaspoons of tea with a bit of salt, some oil drops and some wheat oil drops. Apply some on the nails, wait 5 minutes and wipe off.
• A regular soaking with vegetable oil is very effective. It replenishes the moisture lost from having your hands in and out of water frequently. In fact, vegetable oils are better than many commercially sold nail care products because they don't have the alcohol-containing fragrances that can dry out nails.  Messy soaking in oil isn't necessary: Just brush on the oil and massage it into the nail.  And don' t forget to put a drop of oil on the underside of the nail at your fingertip.
• If you're plagued by brittle nails, trim them shorter. Longer nails are just more likely to crack or tear. Trim your nails right after washing or bathing, when they're softer and less likely to crack or break.
• Regularly massage your fingertips to improve blood circulation around your nails. Three or four times a day--or at least in the morning and evening. If you use some petroleum jelly while you're at it, you'll moisturize as you massage.
• Chow down on cauliflower. A little-known nutrient called biotin can thicken nails to help prevent splitting and cracking. "Biotin is absorbed into the core of the nail, where it may encourage a better, thicker nail to grow," says Richard K. Scher, M.D., professor of dermatology and head of the Nail Section at Columbia University-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. Cauliflower is a rich source of biotin, as are legumes such as peanuts and lentils. One study showed that people consuming 2,500 micrograms (2.5 milligrams) of biotin daily had marked increases in nail thickness after six months. To get this much biotin, you'll need to take it in supplement form.

Hm, I think I'm going to try the vegetable oil and biotin supplements. 

Thanks for visiting!

Tags: home remedy, weak nails