Nails do not lie to you. Nails are mainly made of a protein called keratin, which is also found in skin and hair cells. Nails are not only used to make art or scratch the skin, but also to protect our fingertips. In addition, our nails can provide us with clues about our health and diet.

If your diet is rich in healthy fats, many nutrients and plenty of water, your nails will be hard and shiny and will be white in the part where it is lifted. Around the nail is soft and in some people there is a white halo at the bottom of the nail.

If your nails are dull and weak and easily flaky and do not grow, the culprit is the lack of nutrients in fruits and vegetables. Nutrients such as phosphorus, chloride, and calcium are essential for maintaining nail color, shape, shine, and growth. When the body is deficient in these nutrients, it has to make choices and use them for vital organs instead of delivering them to the nails.

Excessive diets and severe restriction of foods can have a negative impact on nail health. Any diet that leads to chronic hunger or malnutrition forces the body to use fats and nutrients to protect the most important parts, including the brain and heart. Nails, hair and even the skin will receive less nutrients in this condition, which will make the nails dry and brittle and weak.

Gently apply pressure to your nails and then lift your hand to see what happens. Under normal circumstances, the nails should return to their original position and fill the pressure area. But if the capillaries under the nail lose normal blood flow, it takes half a second for the nail to fill the pressure, which can indicate a lack of water in the body.

Zinc deficiency

White spots on the nails are usually caused by damage during growth, but sometimes it can indicate a lack of zinc in the diet.

Just like creating white horizontal lines on the nails, which can be caused by trauma or uncontrolled diabetes, but may indicate a severe zinc deficiency in your body.

Iron deficiency

Are the edges of your nails turned like a spoon? Spoon-shaped nails are usually the result of severe iron deficiency. You may have this problem if your diet does not contain iron sources such as chocolate, spinach, lentils and tofu. Spoon nails can be caused by hypo-chromic anemia, which is accompanied by weakness and fatigue.

Protein deficiency

Another symptom of iron deficiency is the softening and thinning of the nails. Because nails are made from keratin protein, a diet rich in iron-rich protein such as red meat can help repair, grow, and strengthen nails. And are iron.

Cysteine ​​deficiency

Another possible cause of brittle and weak nails can be a very low amount of cysteine. This important amino acid is involved in the formation of the protein structure of nails, skin and hair. Foods containing soy, red meat, lentil sprouts and wheat bran can deliver this beta-gratin to your body.

Excessive consumption of mercury

Seafood lovers should be careful. If your seafood intake increases, especially fish that are high in mercury, you may see a horizontal white line all over your nails that indicates heavy metal poisoning, such as arsenic, lead, or mercury. Spotted fish, and big-eyed tuna have high concentrations of mercury.

Omega 3 deficiency

Omega 3 is found in salmon and sardines that should be used regularly. Weak and brittle nails can indicate omega-3 deficiency. This problem is more common in vegetarians. Of course, if they use walnuts, chia seeds and Brussels sprouts in their diet, they can provide the omega-3 needed by their body.

Biotin deficiency

Another cause of brittle nails and dark hair and itchy skin can be a lack of biotin or vitamin B7, which is found in egg yolks, sugar, nuts, nuts and sweet potatoes, and as a supplement for better and more growth. Used on nails and hair and skin care.

Excessive glucose intake

Excess glucose in the bloodstream causes the liver to try to balance the body’s insulin levels, which leads to yellowing of the nails and can be a sign of diabetes that has not yet been diagnosed.

Excessive consumption of refined carbohydrates

Another food group that raises blood sugar is refined carbohydrates. Like white bread, pizza, and pasta, which are quickly digested and raise blood sugar, eventually leading to unhealthy, yellowish-colored nails that grow little.

Lack of healthy fats

Our whole body needs healthy fats to grow and nourish cells. Dry, dull and brittle nails that do not grow indicate a severe lack of healthy and essential fats in the body. You can get avocado, eggs, olive oil and even cheese to get these healthy fats into your body.

With the rise of GMOs and synthetic ingredients, many consumers are taking note of the ingredients in the things that they eat, but more recently, they’ve been looking at their beauty products as well. However, just because a beauty product label has the words “natural” and “organic” on them, doesn’t fully mean that they are. So what does it mean when your beauty products have these claims on them? Let’s find out.

Concerning “natural”, this is a very general term that can be slapped on anything. This is because is has no legal definition, and therefore there is no standard or regulation put in place in order for a company to have that in their marketing. Therefore, your version of the word natural, may not be what the company or the manufacturer deem to be natural.

On the same hand, many brands that deem their products to be natural may also brand themselves as non-toxic or “safe.” While no doubt in some cases that using natural ingredients instead of synthetic ones may be safer, natural does not always mean safer. After all, heavy metals are naturally occurring in the earth, so if one were to show up in a natural beauty product, no one would be able to sue the company for false claims. The falsity of “non-toxic” is another eyebrow raiser as nothing on this earth is “non-toxic”. Even water, which is needed to keep basically everything alive, in large quantities can be toxic. But “non-toxic” makes everyone feel safer, so therefore it is used on many products.

Concerning “organic” products, the same rules do not apply to beauty products as they do for food. For example, for beauty products, organic only refers to agricultural ingredients that are in the product, not anything else. A product only needs to be 95% organic as well in order to bear the organic seal. However, the use of GMOs or non-approved ingredients for the other 5% is prohibited. If organic products are important to you, look for the USDA seal, as that is the only recognized seal that guarantees the use of organic ingredients. Anything else claiming to be organic but lacking the seal may not meet the requirements, and therefore should not be trusted to be organic.

Conduct research, look deep into beauty brands, and trust your own judgement when choosing products.

A rare condition called nail-patella syndrome affects about 1 in 50,000 people, but that number is still significant enough that symptoms and causes of this disease need to be shared. The condition is fairly easy to diagnose as those who have nail-patella syndrome often have missing or undeveloped fingernails and toenails. You may also have nail-patella syndrome if you exhibit the following symptoms:

• Discoloured nails
• Underdeveloped, small, or missing kneecaps and elbows
• Pain or discomfort in the knee or elbow area
• Bony structures on hip bones

Nail-patella syndrome is caused by a genetic mutation and often can be diagnosed in utero through ultrasound, but it may not be diagnosed until later on. With infants, doctors will look for missing kneecaps after the stage that they are meant to be developed, as well as a check for the bony growths on their hips. This can be done through x-ray and other bone-imaging procedures.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for nail-patella syndrome, but the symptoms are managed so that patients can have a decent quality of life. Thing such as Tylenol and ibuprofen can be used for pain in the joints, and for more severe cases, braces and splints can also be applied.

If you’re a newbie to nails, some of the terms that get thrown around the nail salon and internet can be confusing, leading many people to confuse certain terms with others. Even some experienced nail technicians are not able to properly articulate certain things and explain the difference between services. Luckily, here is a handy guide to help differentiate between different terms and products so you can walk into the salon confidently and able to tell the nail technician exactly what you want.

Acetone Vs. Non-Acetone Removers 

The clear difference between these two is the presence or absence of acetone. When it comes to removal, however, acetone nail polish removers are faster and more effective so you’ll often see these in salons where things move at a fast pace. Non-acetone nail polish removers take longer to completely remove the nail polish from the nail. Both products are equally safe to use.

Gel Nails Vs. Acrylic Nails

This is a common one to get mixed up with as both gel nails and acrylic nails are part of the same family. Therefore, you may hear acrylic nails referred to as monomer and polymer or liquid-and-powder nails so the difference is more clear. To help the clients choose, the difference between the two depends on the client’s lifestyle. Acrylic nails are better for those who are using their hands a lot as the material is more sturdy, while gel nails are better for those who are continuously exposed to materials such as cleaning supplies and hand sanitizer.

Hard Gel Vs. Soft Gel

Soft gel can be compared to temporary hair colour as it is able to be soaked off and changed whenever the client feels in need of a new colour or style. Hard gel is solvent resistant and a more permanent choice, much like semi-permanent hair colour. The only way to remove hard gel is to file it down to a very thin layer, and then allow it to grow out.

Traditional Polish Vs. Longer-Wear Polish

Traditional polish is the polish that we all know and love: the drugstore and dollar store brands that give us a beautiful colour for 2-3 days before the inevitably need a touch up due to chipping. However, longer wear polish has a gel component to it that makes the nails last longer, about five to seven days after application. Longer wear polish is great for toes as they are protected and chip less often, giving the user about 4-6 weeks of wear before it needs to be touched up again.

LED Vs. UV Lamps 

Both lamps are completely safe for use when using them to cure nails. Despite the name difference, both lamps actually use UV, but the amount of UV is the variable. The amount of time it takes to cure a nail is the main difference too, with LED-style lamps being the ones able to cure nails faster.

We hope that this comparison list has made things a bit more clear on the more common mistakes that people make when explaining different terms. Feel free to do your own research for any terms and products that may be missing from this list.

And, as always, don’t forget to keep your nails strong and healthy in between tour spa appointments by using Plei Nail Strengthener.

We can’t all afford to go to the nail salon every couple weeks, so some of us resort to doing our nails at home. However, sometimes it doesn’t always work out, but here are some helpful tips to help make that at home manicure look like you just walked fresh out of a nail salon.

1. Pick a Simple Shape

Stilleto nails are really cool to look at, but a pain to do at home. If you’re looking for something classy that will last a long time, try a rounded or almond nail for your DIY manicure. They’re less likely to snag on anything and break, especially if you use your hands a lot.

2. Proper Preparation

Nail salons typically prep you by allowing your nails to soak in water before proceeding with the actual manicure. However, experts advise against this. Since water makes the nail expand, the nail polish is more likely to chip as the nail shrinks back down to size. Instead, opt for nail polish remover to cleanse the outside of the nail before applying polish.

3. Avoid Shaking the Polish

What?! You’re telling me that we’re not supposed to shake the bottles before using them? Yep, you heard me right! The reason for this is because shaking causes bubbles to form in the bottle, which then transfers to the nail and causes messy mistakes. Instead, roll the polish if it has separated, then let it settle. The metal ball found in all polish bottles will help move the product around as well.

4. Less is More

If you’re in a rush, you may be tempted to try and do your colour in one go with a thick coat, but this is a big no-no. Thicks coats are difficult to dry, prone to smudging, and just all around don’t look as nice as when you apply thinner coats. A good formula to work with is: base coat + two coats of colour + top coat. This will give you the best results.

5. Do Not Use Heat

Did you know that using heat can actually prevent the nail from hardening? For a quick dry, fan your hands and let the air dry them, or use a blast of cooler air to help speed up the process.

6. Fix mistakes ASAP.

Don’t wait until the polish has dried before you go in and correct your mistakes. Have a cotton swab and acetone at the ready to clean up anything that doesn’t cover the nail. 

And there you have it. All you need for a proper manicure at home that will look just as good as any salon. For best application, use Plei Nail Strengthener beforehand to apply polish to flawless looking nails.