Taking good care of your nails not only keeps them healthy and strong but can also support your overall health.

Basic nail hygiene habits like trimming, moisturizing, and applying a protective top layer can help you avoid nail and health conditions, as well as issues like ridges, dents, and unusual coloring or shape.

Do: Practice Regular Nail Hygiene

Keeping your nails in great shape has more than just aesthetic benefits. Regular nail hygiene also supports nail and overall health.

Start by trimming and filing your nails. Cut straight across the nail before using a file to slightly curve the edges. This helps keep nails strong and minimizes the chances of damage or snags.

For regular upkeep between trimmings, you can lightly smooth and shape any uneven nails or rough edges by filing. Just be sure to file in the same direction, as dragging the file back and forth can weaken your nails.

Do: Keep Fingernails Dry and Clean

Making sure your nails are dry and clean goes a long way toward strengthening them and maintaining their health. Excessive exposure to water makes nails soft, weak, and prone to breakage.

Consider wearing rubber gloves to protect your hands when wet or underwater for prolonged periods (like cleaning or working). Keeping nails free of dirt and bacteria build-up can help limit the spread of certain infections, like pinworms (contagious diseases caused by a parasite).

Do: Use Moisturizer

Keeping your hands and nails moisturized improves their appearance and keeps the nails and surrounding skin hydrated, healthy, and flexible. Moisturizing is especially necessary in certain circumstances, like when the air is dry and after removing nail polish.

Experts recommend trying a cream or lotion containing lanolin or alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs). These acids gently exfoliate dry, rough nails while adding moisture.

A Word From Verywell

Apply petroleum jelly to your nails to help lock in moisture and provide a protective barrier to the nails and surrounding skin.

Do: Apply a Protective Layer

Whether your nails are polished or polish-free, try applying a nail strengthener as a base or top coat. This can help protect your nails from breakage.

One study found that using a water-based nail strengthener that contains hyaluronic acid helped boost nail growth. You might also consider applying one coat of a nail strengthener with nylon or protein once a week.

Do: Consider Biotin Supplements for Brittle Nails

Biotin (vitamin B7) is known for strengthening hair and nails. This supplement may help promote nail growth and firmness, particularly in people with brittle nails.

It’s sometimes used to treat nail conditions like trachyonychia (characterized by rough nails), which are linked to alopecia (a condition causing hair loss). Research showed people with brittle nails who used biotin supplements increased nail thickness by 25%.

Don’t: Bite Your Nails or Pick at Cuticles

Biting your nails and picking your cuticles are often a side effect of anxiety or stress. These habits can damage the tissue underneath and surrounding your nails, causing pain, bleeding, and uneven and split nails.

Trauma to your cuticles, which act as barriers to prevent infection, can lead to paronychia, a bacterial or fungal infection that develops around the nails. If a cuticle bothers you, try carefully clipping it with a clean, sanitized cuticle-trimming tool.

Don’t: Pull Hangnails

A hangnail develops when the skin tears near the cuticle and nail. It’s a common condition that’s more likely to occur when the skin on your hands becomes irritated and dry.

While it can be tempting, you should never pull, rip, or bite at the area because hangnails can easily become infected. Instead, wash, sanitize, dry, and moisturize your hands first. Then, sterile cuticle clippers will be used to trim the hangnail carefully.

Don’t: Use Harsh Nail Care Products

Frequent use of nail polish, acrylic nails, and acetone-based nail polish removers can weaken and dry out the nail’s structure, making it more fragile and prone to breakage. Consider regularly giving your nails a break from polish or artificial tips to allow time for repair.

Don’t: Ignore Nail Problems

While some nail changes are normal or cosmetic, they can also be caused by serious underlying health conditions that require medical treatment. Discuss any changes to your nails’ shape, texture, or color with a healthcare provider, especially if other symptoms accompany the nail issues.

Tips for Getting Manicures and Pedicures

In addition to maintaining healthy nails at home, many people pamper themselves with manicures and pedicures. Some expert-backed tips for your next visit to the nail salon include:

• Check the salon for cleanliness and disinfection: Ensure that the stations are clean, the technicians wash their hands between clients, the pedicure bowls are thoroughly disinfected, and the tools are sanitized.
• Don’t cut or aggressively push back your cuticles: This prevents inflammation and infection.
• Consider purchasing tools: Bring your own tools to the salon, especially if you go frequently.
• Prevent nail discoloration: Ask for an extra layer or base coat to further protect your nails.
• Do not opt for artificial nails: If you are prone to fungal infections or have brittle nails, consider wearing artificial nails.
• Consider traditional nail polish rather than gel: It may cause brittleness, peeling, and cracking.
• Don’t pick off gel nail polish: Instead of picking off gel polish, have it professionally removed.
• Take a break between manicures: Spacing out manicures gives your nails time to breathe.
• Keep nails hydrated daily: Apply a moisturizing product like petroleum jelly to minimize brittleness and protect nail polish from chipping.
• Only soak your fingertips in acetone when removing polish: Avoid exposing your fingers or entire hand to the remover.

People with foot health issues may want to consider getting a medical pedicure from a podiatrist (a healthcare provider specializing in foot and ankle conditions).

When to Contact a Healthcare Provider

Abnormal changes to your nails, like their color, texture, or shape, may not always be a cause for concern. However, in some situations, you’ll want to contact a healthcare provider, such as if you notice:

• Your nails are extremely brittle and crack easily.
• Your nail health does not improve with consistent at-home nail care.
• Pain, discoloration, or swelling around the nail area may indicate an infection.
• You experience nail lifting, pitting, or dents, which might indicate an injury, infection, or health condition like psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, or alopecia areata.
• You have curved or clubbed nails, which may indicate an underlying health condition.
• You notice a change in the color of your nails, such as green, black, or yellow, which could indicate infection or disease.
• There is a changing dark streak on the nail, which could be a sign of melanoma (a type of skin cancer).
• You experience symptoms like fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, skin rash, and numbness in the fingers or toes.

If you have diabetes or circulation issues, regularly check with a healthcare provider about any nail issues.

Summary

Taking good care of your nails can positively impact your overall health. Nail hygiene habits like shaping and filing regularly, applying moisturizer, taking a biotin supplement, and refraining from picking at your cuticles are key for keeping your nails healthy and strong.

See a healthcare provider if you notice any abnormal nail changes, like inflammation, discoloration, or pain, as these may be signs of an infection or underlying health condition.