It so happens that the nails given by nature do not please the hostess with either beauty or strength. A good nail master will help to cope with the first of these problems, but you can fight for your health and strength yourself.
There are a number of salon methods for strengthening thin and weakened nail plates, therefore, competent specialists can completely entrust nail care. But, of course, not every girl who dreams of beautiful hands has enough time and money to regularly visit the salon. Fortunately, there are many well-established products that have an effect on home use.
This article talks about the causes and problems of thin nails, about comprehensive care, popular products and salon techniques. Try it and your nails will definitely be grateful to you.
Thin Nail Problems
Why is reinforcement needed at all?
The thinner the plate, the more it suffers from mechanical stress. Fragility, brittleness, creasing - these problems are familiar to girls whom nature has not endowed with strong nails. The fact that on such a basis manicure is very poorly complements the list of problems: the varnish exfoliates, becomes covered with a mesh of cracks.
Nails break always at the most inopportune moment. Yes, and how they break! With damage to the fusion zone, forming wounds with bruising and sharp corners. It’s not only ugly, it also hurts.
So, the problem must be fought.
Folk remedies for strengthening nails
People have long noticed that some natural products have a positive effect on nails. If the problem of thinning and brittleness is familiar to you, start with proven remedies for many generations of beauties.
- Baths with sea salt. Surely you noticed that after relaxing on the sea your nails become strong? This is all thanks to the healing means of water. Dilute 2 tablespoons of sea salt in half a liter of warm water and immerse your fingers in the bowl, or rather the whole brush. The components of the composition take care not only of the nails, but also of the skin.
- Lemon juice. Wipe your nails as often as possible with a slice of citrus fruit with a fresh slice. It is important that the nails are clean, without varnish.
- Sage broth. Many herbs useful for teeth have a healing effect on nails. Brew a spoonful of dried sage with a glass of boiling water, then dip in a water bath for 20 minutes, wrap tightly and let cool slightly. Steam your hands until the broth has completely cooled to room temperature. In the same way, you can use oak bark, along with sage or alternately.
- Olive oil. Just rub it on your nails before going to bed. This product is one of the best cosmetic products. It is useful not only for nails, but also for the skin of the hands.
- Beeswax. Melt a small piece in a water bath, and then, until it has cooled, add a few drops of any oil: olive, burdock, nettle. Apply warm wax to your nails, like a regular varnish, with a brush or a cotton swab. Leave it overnight. This tool perfectly helps to overcome the problem of delamination.
Drugs from the pharmacy
Having even a modest amount in your wallet, you can make many useful purchases for health and beauty in a regular pharmacy. Try the following recipes to strengthen your nail plate.
- Iodine. Another valuable component of sea water. Apply the drug on your nails with a cotton swab or stain them with an iodine marker at least once a week. Of course, the color will not be very pleasant, so you need to do the procedure before bedtime. By morning, iodine is completely absorbed, saturating the nail with useful substances.
- Clay. It can be added to any bath or make hand masks. A noticeable and quick effect is exerted even by the most budgetary species - white and gray.
- Essential oils: peach seed, burdock, pink, coconut, lavender. You can make masks by mixing different types of oils, you can add a few drops to olive or decoctions of herbs. Oils look after nails, not only strengthen them, but also give gloss.
- Burr oil. Everyone knows that this product is very useful for hair. Unleash the full potential of burdock, use it for nails. Immerse the nails in the oil for 10 minutes, then massage your hands thoroughly with massaging movements and wait as much. To get rid of excess fat, wipe your hands with a napkin dipped in micellar water or alcohol-containing tonic.
- Solutions of vitamins A and E. No wonder they are called beauty vitamins. Aevit is one of the most useful acquisitions in a pharmacy! You can use vitamins A and E for eyelashes, eyebrows, hair, skin and, of course, nails. A couple of times a week, carefully rub a drop of an oily solution of vitamins into your nails.
The advantage of folk and pharmacy products is not only their availability and low price, but also that they can be perfectly combined with each other. For example, to strengthen the nail plates in a bath with sea salt, you can add a teaspoon of clay, 5-6 drops of lemon juice and iodine, and at the end of the procedure, rub the nails with a mixture of oils.
Smart Enamel
Not everyone believes that pharmacy funds are enough. Some girls trust industrial cosmetics more. Consider several popular tools for strengthening the nail plate.
The list opens with the famous brand “Smart Enamel” - one of the best-selling. Note that this is a series of products for the beauty and health of nails, developed by the American company Frenchi Product, Inc.
The tool for strengthening the nail plates is called “Nail Strengthener”. It is available in a transparent bottle with a capacity of 15 ml.
Reviews about it are mixed: enthusiastic diluted with disappointed. Many users note that the tool completely copes with the task, the nails become thicker and stronger, the detachment completely disappears. But there are those who have not noticed any effect at all. Well, we are all different.
Active components - calcium, vitamins A and B groups, proteins. Cost - within 150 rubles. You need to apply the drug daily, the course is 2 weeks. It can also be used as a base for regular varnish.
Strengthener from OPI
Original Nail Envy by OPI is another popular product. Many users note that it not only strengthens the nails, but also greatly affects their growth. Suitable for those who dream of a great length. Packed in small bottles of 15 ml. For some, this is a drawback, but many note that packaging is convenient: the product does not deteriorate and does not dry out, it can be used completely. The brush is small, very easy to apply. The active ingredients are multivitamins and calcium. The product contains formaldehyde, but in small quantities (and yet for some, this may cause a refusal to purchase).
Apply the product every other day for two weeks. Already in the middle of the course you can detect positive changes.
Iron Hard by El Corazon
The name of the product is translated as "Iron hardness." The reviews of most users confirm that the manufacturer has not exaggerated: after two weeks of use, it is possible to notice the first results.
Before applying the product, the nails must be completely trimmed and filed. Apply Iron Hard daily. It is enough to apply one coat.
As the main drawback, many note the presence of formaldehyde, and the concentration reaches 2%, which is much higher than safe norms (0-0.2%). Someone, learning about this, forever parted with the tool, and someone is ready to put up with this fact, because Iron Hard really works and gives a quick effect.
Another drawback - the tool is not so easy to buy. Many say that he has to be chased.
Mavala scientifique
Another popular tool that prevents delamination and strengthens the nail plate. The advantage of Mavala Scientifique is that it does not require daily use. Apply the product twice a week.
Before use, the nails must be cleaned, thoroughly disinfected, and if necessary treated with a buff. The product must be applied so that it does not get on the skin or on the cuticle, but only on the nail plate.
In the reviews, many note that there is an effect, the nails look well-groomed and healthy.
Eveline Formula 8 in 1
The manufacturer claims that the tool has not one, but as many as 8 effective mechanisms: combats delamination, makes the plate thicker, gives a uniform dullness, smoothes the surface, makes the overgrown edge hard, prevents delamination, eliminates dullness and eliminates brittleness.
For many of these points, most users agree. Some say that this is the best way to strengthen the nail plates.
The advantage is the low price, ease of use, accessibility (you can buy Eveline products in almost any cosmetics store). Apply the product daily, the course is 2 weeks. It is acceptable to use as a base for ordinary varnishes, but it can affect the color of the coating.
IBX
This tool has an even more pronounced effect. It penetrates into the deep layers of the nail, strengthening the plate from the inside. The effectiveness can be compared with an expensive salon procedure.
But this product is suitable only for those in whose arsenal there is a special lamp for drying gel products (ultraviolet, hybrid or LED).
Apply the product in stages, drying each layer and removing stickiness. Having laid out 3 thin layers, you can proceed to the decorative coating with gel varnish. The advantage of IBS nail strengthening is that it works for a long time - all the while the manicure is worn. The effect is noticeable after the first application.
Base plate reinforcement
This method is suitable for those who do not want to wait. It is used by both professional masters and girls who have independently learned how to work with gel products at home.
It is not possible to describe all products that are suitable for this. When choosing a base, give preference to the Hard or Strong series (many brands have them: Kodi, Haruyama, Cosmo, Rich World and others). Rubber bases are best suited for reinforcement.
Aligning and strengthening the nail plate under gel polish is a must. If the base is applied incorrectly, the manicure will quickly become worthless.
Apply the base with trampling movements, with a standard or synthetic flat brush, trying to prevent the product from falling under the side rollers and cuticle. The butt of the nail "sealed" - is covered with a layer of base. Before drying, the fingernail must be turned down so that the material is evenly distributed and leveled. You need to dry the base without saving time - 1 minute in lamps of 36 watts or less; 45 seconds in more powerful.
Acrylic powder: use to strengthen the nail plates
This product is unique in its own way, because it can be used both for design and for strengthening. Powder allows you to get a non-plastic monolithic surface that adheres well to the nail and creates a smooth, even surface.
For strengthening, you can use transparent or white powder. It is mixed with the base in approximately 1: 3 ratio (exact proportions cannot be specified, because products of different brands have different viscosities). Suitable not only rubber thick, but also liquid base products.
If you practice strengthening the nail plate with powder, the drying time of the material must be doubled! Otherwise, after a day, the material will exfoliate.
There is another way to strengthen the nail plate with acrylic powder. Apply the base and simply sprinkle the surface with powder using a pusher or tips. Drying nails, as with mixing, should be twice as long as usual - 1.5-2 minutes.
How to strengthen nails with gel
Products for nail extension, of course, will cope with the strengthening of the nail plate. The gel is better to use single-phase. A base gel of a three-phase system is also suitable.
It is applied with a special flat brush on the nail treated with a primer, in layers. Each layer is polymerized in a lamp (from 1 minute to 4, this information is indicated on the package).
When strengthening the nail plate with a gel, it is not necessary to seal the ends, it is better to do it at the very end with varnish or top, and this is for aesthetic purposes only.
Diet and healthy habits
It is important that the menu has enough vitamins necessary for healthy nails. These include A, E, Group B. You can not underestimate the role of food rich in animal protein: meat, dairy products.
With a properly composed diet, the problem of brittle and weakened nails can be overcome much faster.
In no case should you peel off and break off the gel coatings - this is the main cause of nail damage and brittleness. Only special fluids or apparatus can be used for removal.