A GUIDE ON NAILS

This is going to be a long post but I am sure that you will read something new, and maybe even scary.

Most girls that I know have problems with their nails. Their nails are extremely soft, even so soft that they can bend them over, they break and peel very easily. I, myself, used to have this problem back when I was small and used to bite my nails.

PEELING, BRITTLE & SPLITTING NAILS
What causes the problems? To sum it up - the nail plate is made up of several layers of a protein called keratin. Those layers, ideally, are sealed together to form a unified nail. Some nails can't hold on to moisture. Repeatedly wetting and drying your hands can cause nails to dry out but too much moisture can also weaken the nails, making them soft and causing them to split.
Why it happens? Peeling can happen if your hands are in water a lot, or exposed to cold, dry air, and it can also mean that you're lacking linoleic acid which can be increased by taking in more vegetable oils. You could also be lacking iron in your diet, and that can also cause cold hands and feet, pale skin and headaches.

It is very important to care for your nails by filing, moisturizing but it's even more important to care for them within by drinking lots of water and eating healthy.
Nails, skin and hair are all connected to vitamin B and your organism might be lacking it which may be the cause of bad skin, hair and nails. But, before you buy vitamin B in pills as a supplement, try eating more foods that contain a high level of vitamin B. You can find a whole list of those here:
http://www.bdiet.com/goodfoods.html
Getting enough calcium, zinc, protein and vitamins A and C is important as well.

Always, and I cannot stress this enough, try to go for a natural remedy for any health problem that you have, because most people don't know that most artificial remedies you buy in the store are practically poisons. Right now I'm in the process of constantly analyzing product ingredients before I buy them and replacing all the bad ones that I own.

NAIL STRENGTHENERS CAN KILL YOU!
Yes, I am serious and I know that this will come as a shock to many of you.
Most nail hardeners contain an ingredient called FORMALDEHYDE. This ingredient is also the main ingredient in products that are used for a brazilian blowout, a procedure becoming more and more popular around the world. The products' labels say that they "contain no formaldehyde," as opposed to being "formaldehyde-free". But the products do contain methylene glycol -- a liquid form of the chemical that emits formaldehyde gas when heated.

The short-term health effects of formaldehyde exposure, as http://www.cancer.gov reports, are:
"When formaldehyde is present in the air at levels exceeding 0.1 ppm, some individuals may experience adverse effects such as watery eyes; burning sensations in the eyes, nose, and throat; coughing; wheezing; nausea; and skin irritation. Some people are very sensitive to formaldehyde, whereas others have no reaction to the same level of exposure." 

But the long-term health effects are much more worse. Formaldehyde is a carcinogen, which means that it can cause cancer and it is actually linked to breast cancer. So, if you're using a nail strengthener, find its ingredients. Try to stay away from formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl phthalate because they mess with your hormones, your respiratory and neuro system. You can start your own research on these three ingredients and read terrifying stories from women who have had very bad experiences from exposure to these ingredients.

Home remedies:
I have not tried these but I have found them on various internet sites where people claim that they work.
-Soak nails in lemon juice for 15 minutes everyday.
-Use a clove of garlic occasionally. Rub it in your fingernails and if you find that it smells bad, the smell of nail polish will neutralize that.
-Use a little bit of olive or jojoba oil after you do the dishes, clean, etc. - it really strengthens the nails and provides moisture for dry cuticles.

Other ways of caring for your nails:
- don't bite them.
- don't cut your nails, file them instead.
- invest money in a good glass file, you will see how much better it is than a metal or a cardboard one.
- try to file your nails in one direction.
- use hand creams or natural oil on your hands and cuticles to keep them soft and moisturized.

Please, do take this seriously, we daily ingest many dangerous chemicals in the tiniest amounts, but their long-term intake can have serious and lethal consequences.