Why are your nails breaking and peeling?
January 4, 2023Brittle peeling nails trouble many hands, for a variety of reasons. Whether they look unsightly, the nail polish does not stick to your nails properly, or that the individual damages can also be painful. But why is this happening?
First things first, a short lesson in biology. As we explained earlier – the nail plate consists of keratin cells, which are stacked on top of each other in approximately 50 layers. Water gets between and through them, and with it other elements to which we expose our nails.
However, the keratin that makes up our nails is a naturally dry, hard protein. For this reason, the body naturally supplies the nails with bodily oil from the nail bed to keep them flexible.
The problem is that keratin has one big weakness – water. Water gets into the keratin cells and through the entire nail plate. After soaking, nails increase their volume by up to 1/3, making them softer and squishy. It takes approximately 1-2 hours for the excess water to evaporate from the nails after soaking. However, it also takes the natural sebum with it. Therefore, the more we soak our nails in water, the more we dry them, and the more the keratin nail plate becomes harder and fragile.
But there is a solution – nail oil. Water dehydrates your nails, but nail oil nourishes them. It acts as a glue that holds the individual layers of the nail plate together, thus preventing splitting. With regular use of nail oil, nails become more flexible, stronger, do not break and it prevents hangnails.
Tip
Choose from our variety of cuticle oils to keep your nails hydrated and prevent breaks.
Have a great time painting your nails.