Vitamins for Nails: Finger Nails speak a lot about your health

Fingernails say a lot about your health.

Don't you feel like you have your life together when your nails are thriving? Same. There's just something about the feeling of long and strong nails with a fresh paint job that can turn your entire day around. On the other hand, breaking a nail is downright discouraging, but if you feel like your nails are always breaking or have been short and stubby forever, don't give up hope just yet.

One of the best things we can do for A+ nails is taking vitamins. Vitamins for nails contain the nutrients to strengthen brittle digits and give you the length you're after. Think of having strong nails like having healthy hair—nutrients are so necessary.

"If you notice chipping and frequent breaking of your nails, this is a sign you may be nutrient deficient,"

"You may also notice that your skin is dry, your hair is brittle, and your nails are cracked as the deficiencies typically happen at the same time."

What vitamins help your fingernails?

First of all, supplements encompass more than just vitamins. You might see people use the terms interchangeably, but supplements are defined, by law, as products that are ingested and meant to, well, supplement or add to your diet.

These products include vitamins, minerals, herbs, and nutrients.

Okay, then what can I take to make my nails stronger?

Sorry to break it to ya, but I've got bad news: "We would all have strong nails if supplements lived up to their marketing hype,"

"But the truth is that taking supplemental vitamins is unlikely to be of value since the body has a limit on how much of these ingredients it can actually process and use." Basically, you can't exactly stock up on vitamins and get double the benefit (and trying to do so can actually be really dangerous).

And since the FDA doesn't regulate supplements the same way it regulates drugs or medications—i.e., it doesn't regulate them at all—you might be asking yourself what this means for you and your nails. And the answer is mainly just a lot of marketing hype and sometimes empty promises.

It's not realistic to think a supplement or vitamin will instantly solve your nail issues. "Every individual is different, and their health concerns can change on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis, depending on a variety of factors like stress levels, hormones, and diet,"

Although for most people, taking nail vitamins isn't likely to be detrimental to your health, they can build up in your system (depending on what you're ingesting), potentially causing some serious health effects.

Simple advice before reaching for a supplement: focus on improving your diet first. "When we get our vitamins from whole foods [that are unprocessed and unrefined] rather than supplements, we reduce the risk of ingesting toxic doses of vitamins," she says, "and instead get the benefit of other naturally occurring ingredients in food, like phytochemicals, antioxidants, and fibre—all of which promote optimal nail health."

So, what vitamin are you lacking when your nails split?

Nothing is more cringe than a torn or split nail, but thankfully, with the right foods, you can often prevent it from happening. A diet low in nutrients (i.e., iron, vitamin A and C, biotin, and collagen), can contribute to short, dehydrated, broken nails since they're all essential for proper nail growth. "Iron deficiencies are definitely a common cause of brittle nails,

Luckily, "iron supplements can improve your nail strength, preventing breakage and splitting," he says, so if you suspect your levels might be off, make an appointment with your doc or derm for a little blood test. It's fast and easy, and it'll give you a proper read on your vitamin levels (and give you a chance to chat about supplements in the first place).