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So, I thought I'd bring you guys a quick little tip of the day about manicures. Don't your nails look amazing when you leave the salon and for like, the next day or so? And even if they're not chipped, after a couple of days they're just not as "wow!" as they were at first? Just add a layer of a shiny top coat and voila! They look freshly done again! Easy, I know, but sometimes you just don't think of doing anything to nails that someone else did. It's like almost taboo or something.

 
Splitting nails is a very frustrating problem, especially when you desire to have long, strong nails. The technical term for this condition is onychoschizia (on-uh-coe-scitz-ia). It includes splitting, (which a lot of people refer to as "peeling", brittle, soft or thin nails. So what's causing this problem?

There could be several reasons why your nails are doing this. If you notice your toenails aren't splitting then it's most likely an external reason and not a disease. If you notice that both sets of nails are doing this then it could be iron deficiency anemia, glandular diseases, tuberculosis, Sjogren Syndrome, malnutrition, skin diseases (lichen planus, psoriasis), or from oral medications with vitamin A in them.

More often than not it's due to external reasons, such as wetting and drying your nails too frequently, using harsh chemicals (acetone, nail hardeners), biting nails, or by using nails as tools (to open things, etc.).

So now that you can deduce what's causing it, what can you do to fix/prevent it? First of all you need to determine if your claws, I mean nails are dry and brittle or soft and brittle. Dry and brittle means they're not getting enough moisture so you should soak nails in water for about five minutes and put on a lotion containing lanolin or alpha-hydroxy acid. If they're soft and brittle that means they're getting too much moisture or are being damaged by chemicals (detergents, acetone, etc.) so try and wear gloves when washing dishes or other chores that require you to get your hands wet. Putting on a coat of clear polish can help too.

You can also try taking a Biotin supplement (1mg 2-3 times per day) but it can take at least six months to notice a difference, so you'll have to be patient.

How many of you have splitting nails? Have you tried anything that's worked for you? Leave a comment! Meow.

Images: Google Images     
References: www.MayoClinic.com
                       www.Livestrong.com
                       www.AOCD.org
                       www.SkinSight.com