Chipped Nails

Dear Beauty Expert,

i have naturally grown finger nails, by the time i have grown the nails to enjoy them they either break or chip. Though the most common problem is they start to chip from the sides and eventually rip off. What is your advice in maintaining strong and healthy nails.
Chipped nails

Firstly the facts:

Your nails grow from the area under your cuticle. As new cells grow, older cells become hard and compacted and are eventually pushed out toward your fingertips. Nails grow about 0.1 mm a day, which means that it takes a fingernail about 4 - 6 mths to fully regenerate.

Common nail conditions: Reading the signs

Your fingernails hold clues to your health. Learn to recognize the signs that might indicate a health issue. Some nail conditions are harmless. These include vertical ridges, which are caused as you age, and white lines or spots. Spots usually result from injury to the nail. In time the white spots will grow out.

Other nail conditions can indicate disease. For eg, yellow or green discoloration in your nails may result from a respiratory condition, such as chronic bronchitis, or from swelling of your hands. Indentations that run across your nails, appear when growth at the area under your cuticle is interrupted. This might occur because of an injury or severe illness, such as a heart attack.

Caring for your nails

No nail care product alone can give you healthy nails. But following these simple guidelines can help you keep your nails looking their best:

•Don't abuse your nails. To prevent nail damage, don't use your fingernails as tools to pick, poke or pry things.

•Don't bite your nails or pick at your cuticles. These habits can damage the nail bed. Even a minor cut alongside your nail can allow bacteria or fungi to enter and cause an infection. Because your nails grow slowly, an injured nail retains signs of an injury for several months.

•Protect your nails. Wear cotton-lined rubber gloves when using soap and water for prolonged periods or when using harsh chemicals.

•Perform routine nail maintenance. Trim fingernails and clean under the nails regularly. Use a sharp manicure scissors or clippers and an emery board to smooth nail edges.

•Never pull off hangnails — doing so almost always results in ripping living tissue. Instead clip hangnails off, leaving a slight angle outward.

•Moisturise your nails frequently. Nails need moisture just like your skin does. Rub lotion into your nails when moisturising your hands. Be sure to apply a moisturiser each time you wash your hands.

Special considerations: Manicures and weak nails

•If you rely on manicures to make your nails look good, keep a few things in mind. Don't have your cuticles removed — it can lead to nail infection. Also, check to be sure that your nail technician properly sterilizes all tools used during your manicure. Using unsterilized tools may transmit viral infections, such as hepatitis B or warts.

•Weak or brittle fingernails can be a challenge to toughen up. The following tips can help you protect them, making your nails less likely to split or break.

•Keep your nails short, square shaped and slightly rounded on top. Trim brittle nails after a bath or a 15-minute hand-soak in bath oil. Then apply a moisturiser.

•Moisturise your nails and cuticles at bedtime and cover them with cotton gloves.

•Apply a nail hardener, but avoid products containing toluene sulfonamide or formaldehyde. These chemicals can cause redness or irritate the skin.

•Don't use nail polish remover more than twice a month. Instead, touch up the polish.

•When you do need a remover, avoid those that use acetone, which dries nails.

•Repair splits or tears with nail glue or clear polish.

•Dietary changes that supposedly strengthen nails don't work.

It's easy to neglect your nails. But a little basic nail care can go a long way to keeping your nails in healthy condition. Hope this helps!