DIY matte nails-THS. Photo: Shutterstock

Mumbai, India (BBN) – When the temperature drops, our skin gets drier. Wintertime dryness is not restricted to just your face or hands but it affects your nails too.

Dry nails become fragile and brittle and break off easily. If you are too concerned about aesthetics this could bother you a lot, reports thehealthsite.com

Often women like to flaunt manicured nails trimmed and decked up. But during winters, nail care could mean more TLC. Repeated wetting and drying of hands make your nails prone to this dryness making them brittle. Some kitchen ingredients can at times come handy to tackle brittle nails.

Usually, wintertime dryness that leads to brittle nails doesn’t indicate a health crisis.

However, nails can also at times predict your health status. Here Dr Narmada Matang, Dermatologist, Neo Skin Clinic, Powai tells us how to keep your nails from breaking this winter:
• If you have brittle nails, choose a hand cream or lotion designed for heavy duty moisturising. Choose lotions or creams with alpha hydroxy acids or lanolin and massage them over your nails.
• Wear gloves while doing household chores to protect them from repeatedly getting wet. Too much of wetness and drying robs the moisture of the hands and nails and makes them brittle.
• Avoid using acetone-containing nail paint removers, detergents and harsh chemical while cleaning. They make your nails week.
• Shape and file your nails with gentle nail file and keep them rounded and curved at the tip. Frequent filing of the nails give them shape and helps control brittle nails. While buffing the nails avoid too much brushing as this can lead to brittle nails.
• Consuming oral biotin capsules prevent nails from becoming fragile and brittle. However, do this after consulting your doctor or a dermatologist.
• Always apply a base coat for protection. This keeps the nails safe from environmental damages and also gives them a natural-looking shine.
• Apply petroleum jelly on your nails and cuticles and let it set. Do this before taking a bath. Wash it off with a cleanser. Keep doing this for a couple of weeks for the best results. This is the cheapest and effective remedy for brittle nails in winter.
BBN/MMI/ANS