The Best Home Treatments to Cure Damaged Nails & Dry Cuticles

Do you know how to care for nails and cuticles so they are smooth, strong and look gorgeous? Why don't you check our round-up of the best home treatments for damaged nails and dry cuticles? They will bring life to the most damaged nails due to gel. Beautiful nails and neat hands show that you really care for your looks and presence. Find the best ways to enhance them.

HOW TO CARE FOR NAILS - 10 RULES FOR HEALTHY & STRONG NAILS

1. EAT MORE PROTEINS. What you eat directly affects the state of your skin, hair and nails. If you want to nourish them from within, increase your protein intake by eating lean meat, poultry, fish and legumes. Nails additionally need more calcium and vitamins A, B and C. Other ingredients essential for strong nails include biotin, folic acid, silicon, zinc and magnesium, as well as valuable unsaturated fatty acids. 
2. AVOID DETERGENTS. Most cleaning products markedly worsen the condition of your nails. They contain synthetic, toxic ingredients largely worsening the appearance and health of nails as well as hands. That is why wearing rubber gloves while cleaning the house is a must letting you avoid direct contact with detergents.
3. DON'T OVERGROW YOUR NAILS. Long nails look lovely and feminine but they are surely exposed to faster damage and breakage. If your nail plates are weak, don't wear too long nails. Cut them regularly and ensure repair.
4. USE AS LITTLE NAIL POLISH REMOVER AS POSSIBLE. Removers contain lots of toxic substances which leave skin dry and weaken nails, making them brittle. Cut down on them for the sake of your nails. Reach for a nail polish remover as rarely as possible, ideally, once a week tops.
5. APPLY OILS TO NAILS. The best repair treatment you can present to your nails. Oils (e.g. jojoba oil, castor oil or argan oil) are full of essential vitamins and healthy fatty acids, repair nails and make them stronger, leave nail plate more elastic and keep it smooth. These natural substances  keep nails from splitting and breaking, condition the cuticles and are all natural - without notorious formaldehyde included in many nail conditioners.
6. GET A GOOD NAIL FILE. A mineral or glass file makes the best choice because it neither tears the nails nor causes micro-damage of the plates (this kind of damage usually makes nails split because water and detergents reach the breaks; physical damage additionally worsens the state of nails).
7. ENRICH YOUR HAND LOTION. Give it a bit magic by mixing it with a few drops of natural vegetable oil before application. Silky smooth skin and stronger nails? It’s a sure thing!
8. USE NAIL POLISH PRIMER. It is an excellent way to nourish and protect nails. Most enamels contain harmful substances whereas intense pigments get into the nail plate to permanently change its color. To avoid damage, use color-less shield which reinforces and repairs nails. A clear primer must have high quality, abound in nutrients and be formulated without formaldehyde.
9. APPLY COLOR-LESS NAIL TOP. Even if you don't use any enamels, keep your nails smooth and neat, ensuring protection against damage at the same time. A clear conditioner protects against splitting, damage and breakage.
10. DRINK HERBAL TEAS. Horsetail and nettle brilliantly enhance the looks as they are abounding in minerals essential for flawless skin, stunning hair as well as healthy nails. Drink herbal teas every day for three weeks.

TOP 15: the best home treatments for damaged nails

Don't waste time on salon appointments, struggling to get a convenient date. You can repair damaged nails on your own. All you need to do is make use of the below treatments. Before you start DIY therapies, trim your nails and file them with a mineral file to get rid of sharp edges.

1. Olive oil nail soak

Float a bottle of olive oil in hot water to warm it up; add 2-3 drops of vitamins A and E (available at the chemist's) to the oil. Soak your nails in the mixture for a couple of minutes. Repeat the hot olive oil nail treatment regularly, ideally twice a week.

2. Apple and lemon nail soak

This appetizing nail therapy is a simple way to make nails lovely and free from yellowish stains. All you need to do is grate half of an apple and mix it with fresh lemon juice. Enrich the mixture with jojoba oil and soak your nails in it. Do the treatment a few times a week to see strong, beautiful nails in no time. This treatment will let you get rid of the unwanted yellow nail shade.

3. Beauty oils go solo!

Rub castor oil (top choice for nail care) or equally effective liquid wax, that is jojoba oil, into nail plates and cuticles twice a day. Argan oil is also cut out for nail repair, having strongly-antiaging and revitalizing effect.

4. Linseed nail soak

Linseeds work like a brilliant multi-functional conditioner that you can mix with natural beauty oils to present new quality to your cosmetics. Natural linseed gel fights brittle fragile nails.

Pour a half litre of water over 2-3 tablespoons of linseeds and boil until getting a gel. Drain the seeds and soak nails in the gel mixture for around fifteen minutes after it cools down.

5. Egg yolk and lemon treatment

Mix a yolk with a teaspoon of olive (or jojoba oil) and a few drops of lemon juice. Apply the pulp to nails and rinse using lukewarm water after fifteen minutes. It is an amazing conditioner for weak, extremely dry, discolored nails.

6. Egg yolk as a base for beauty oils

Mix yolk, a teaspoon of jojoba oil, a few drops each of vitamin C and E, a teaspoon each of honey and castor oil. The resulting pulp is thick enough to stay on your nails, not dripping down. Apply to nails and hands, rinse after fifteen minutes or so.

7. Aloe vera serum for fragile, brittle nails

Thick leaves of this plant conceal great power thanks to nourishing, revitalizing and moisturizing ingredients. Aloe also has anti-fungal, antibacterial and antiviral effect. Aloe nail conditioner is one of the easiest to make: cut off one Aloe leaf and rub its flesh into the cracked cuticles and nails.

8. Garlic nail treatment

Mix a teaspoon of olive oil with a pressed garlic clove. Rub the conditioner in to nail plates and leave in for around ten minutes; rinse with warm water. The treatment aims at strengthening brittle nails and fighting fungi.

9. Nighttime argan oil nail treatment

Mix argan oil with 2-3 drops of lemon essential oil. Rub into hands and nails before sleep and put on gloves. It is a strong and effective repair treatment for damaged, dry and brittle nails and cracked cuticles. The conditioner moisturizes, boosts elasticity and brighten yellow shade on the nail plate.

10. Lanolin conditioner for brittle nails

Precisely mix a tablespoon of lanolin with yolk and a teaspoon of almond oil. Apply your homemade nail conditioner to nails and hands. Rinse it after fifteen minutes or leave for the whole night like argan oil treatment. It is a game-changing remedy for brittle, fragile nails due to gel.

11. Treatment to whiten your nails

Lemon treatment is the fastest way to get rid of nail polish stains and discoloration. Sweep a lemon slice across the nail plates and then rinse hands with warm water and apply a nourishing cream or natural oil. Repeat daily.

12. Nail-strengthening treatment with essential oils

10 tablespoons of argan oil, 3 drops each of lavender oil, lemon oil and eucalyptus oil. Mix all ingredients, pour the mixture into a dark glass bottle. Rub the mixture into nail plate three times a day. This conditioner will effectively reinforce nails, prevent infections and fungi so using it for toenails is a good idea too. Argan oil nourishes, moisturizes and stimulates nails to grow, softening cuticles at the same time.

13. Honey nail treatment

Heated honey and lemon juice make rough skin on the hands smoother, repair and enhance nails as well as prevent skin from losing moisture. The ingredients soften and moisturize.

14. Gelatin nail soak

Prepare food gelatin following instructions on the packaging. When it's still warm, soak nails for three minutes or so. Next, wash and dry hands, apply favorite hand lotion or natural oil.

Gelatin lets you fully repair your nails as it's a mix of proteins and peptides, strengthens connective tissue and delivers elasticity to skin, nails and hair.

Moreover, gelatin is rich in biotin and mineral salts that are essential for nourishing nails. Use it even every day and spot the difference in a flash!

15. Milk, olives and... potato for stunning nails

You can improve the condition of hand skin and dry, damaged nails by mixing two potatoes, two tablespoons of olive oil and a spoon of milk. Apply the treatment and rinse using warm water after fifteen minutes. Repeat several times and you'll see far healthier and smoother skin and nails.

How to care for nail cuticles?

They are equally important but we often skip them. If cuticles don’t look nice, your nails and hands won't look good either. Neat and nice cuticles are the key to beautiful mani.

Why nail cuticles get damaged?

They are fragile and incessantly exposed to cracking. Detergents and physical damage make them look awful and ragged. Wrongly-performed manicure (e.g. over-cutting) is another thing making cuticles look bad. 

Cuticle-related problems often result from atopic dermatitis or eczema. Dry cuticles around nails may be also caused by weather conditions (minus temperatures, cold air, wind, heat). We're often guilty of making them dry, forgetting about a lotion after hand washing.

Ways to repair dry nail cuticles

What's best remedy for dry cuticles? Natural beauty oils, of course. They don't only moisturize, prevent dryness, repair and nourish with the power of vitamins, plant sterols and flavonoids but also (thanks to unsaturated fatty acids) protect from further damage. At the same time, they nurture nails and are a common ingredient in finest-quality nail conditioners.

A nutrient-rich hand lotion is your ally when caring for cuticles - use it as an intensive repair treatment; apply a thick coat of the product to hands and cuticles before sleep.

Give up on cutting cuticles with nippers. Use a wooden pusher instead; it's far more delicate. Always remember to apply a cuticle softener first. To keep cuticles from drying, moisturize your nails: use one vegetable oil or mix a few to get the most powerful repair mixtures which additionally make nails stronger.