Fall is one of my favorite times of year. The return to crisp weather, sweaters begin to appear, and of course, New York Fashion Week. However, the cooler temperatures and low humidity of autumn in New York means that my nails are at risk of becoming dry and brittle. Luckily, I’ve discovered a few tips and tricks over the years to strengthen weak nails.

What Causes Brittle Nails?

Onychorrhexis is the medical term for brittle, thin, or weak nails. If you have brittle nails, you’re not alone! Actually, 20% of the people have weak nails, and most are women.

Sometimes, brittle nails are caused by a medical condition like a vitamin deficiency or thyroid disease. Usually, however, weak nails are caused by external factors like a lack of moisture. If you have brittle fingernails but strong toenails, that’s a pretty good indicator that an external factor is to blame.

Brittle nails are often caused by repeated wetting and drying of the nails, as occurs with frequent hand washing and evaporation. The condition can become worse if you’re living in a dry climate or during the Winter. Trust me, I've learned the hard way being a New Yorker. 

How to Prevent Brittle Nails

With brittle nail season (AKA winter) coming on us soon, follow these simple tips to prevent brittle nails, dry hands, and cracked cuticles:

• The best way to prevent brittle nails is to simply use a gentle hand soap and apply hand lotion after washing – every single time.
• I also like to keep several tubes of my favorite hand lotion- it's water re-activated so it moisturizes more so after frequent hand washings. I keep several of them around so I always have some on hand (no pun intended!). I keep one tube next to my bed, one in my purse, one in my car, and one in my desk so my hands never dry out.
• Always wear rubber gloves while cleaning to prevent chemicals and hot water from drying out nails. Better yet, ask your husband to do the dishes to preserve your manicure! He's not going to like that but that's the deal in our house since I need to represent!
• Taking biotin supplements can also help to grow stronger nails. Bring it up to your doctor before beginning a vitamin regimen.
• It can be tempting to cover up brittle nails with acrylics or gels, but ladies, please don’t do this! Fake nails (gels, tips, acrylics...) are loaded with chemicals that will only make the issue worse, and nothing ravishes the nail like the removal process. The reveal can get ugly! 

How to Strengthen Nails

While these are all great ways to prevent brittle nails from occurring in the first place, none of these tips will actually strengthen your nails.

That’s why my number one secret for treating brittle nails is our Nail Recovery System, which has four full-size treatments that will actually work to put the strength back into brittle nails.

Here’s how it works: nails are made of a protein called keratin. When nails get dry and even as you age, this protein structure becomes weakened, leading to brittle nails. Our system works to restore weakened nails with protein peptides to reinforce the nail’s protein structure. Plus, we added Pentavitin, a moisture binding 'magnet', to keep nails flexible and moisturized. More flexible nails means less chipping, peeling, and breaking! End result (drumroll): naturally beautiful looking nails!

I love how the system gives my nails a high-shine finish, so they look healthy and fabulous.

Do you have brittle nails? Let us know in the comments!