Nails are composed of keratin and minerals. As they are meant to give protection to the tips of our fingers they should be strong and flexible at the same time. There must be a certain amount of vitamins (A mostly), zinc, iron, calcium and iodine in our body for the nails to be healthy. Whenever these substances become scarce, the nails show a warning in their appearance.

Here are some tips for us to detect health problems by just looking at our nails.

A lack of vitamin B causes nails to become fragile. Horizontal or vertical ridges may appear as well. Horizontal ridges may also show some hormonal imbalance, while the vertical ones may suggest iron deficiency too.

When nails become thin, brittle and split, we are dealing with a deficiency in Vitamin A, proteins and Calcium.

White spots on nails show a lack of iron and zinc while hang nails are the result of a Vitamin C and folic acid deficiency.

A fungus infestation under the nail can indicate an insufficient intake of Vitamin B, but it can also be the result of a long time treatment with antibiotics. Even artificial nails can cause such problems; that’s why doctors recommend that we should apply essential oils to the nails before applying the artificial nails.

Nail problems are not always an indicator of an internal dysfunction. External factors can be equally detrimental: chlorine in swimming pools, detergents, disinfectants, even the wrong kind of nail varnish remover can cause damage to nails. When we have to use such substances we had better use protection rubber gloves, of the surgical type, rather than expose our nails to dangerous agents.