Vegan friendly tips for healthy nails

By: Vanessa Steed

​A quick Google search will reveal many different ways to strengthen and repair your nails, unfortunately though, most of the products and methods that come up are not vegan-friendly. So what are we vegans to do? Put up with weak or damaged nails forever? Luckily the answer is no. There are quite a few methods and products that can allow the vegans among us to have strong and healthy nails.
 
The Quick Fix - Nail Strengthener

Nail strengthener is perfect for those of us who already have damaged nails from incorrect nail polish removal. It does not actually repair your fingernails, but it does protect them and makes life much easier while they grow out at their natural strength.
 
When you do a bit of digging around, you quickly find that not only do most of the big brands of nail polish products contain animal ingredients, but they are also full of dangerous chemicals. Finding a vegan-friendly nail strengthener is not easy.
 
But they are out there; you just have to find them - I can take some of the hard work out of this for you: here is a list of my favorites:
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●Karma Organic
●Deborah Lippmann
●Zoya
●a.dorn
●ORLY
 
Most of these brands also make vegan-friendly and non-toxic nail polish, so you can still keep your nails looking beautiful while staying faithful to your values.
 
The slower (but more reliable) methods

The following tips will not fix your nails overnight. They work by giving your body what it needs to grow new robust and healthy nails. It may take weeks or months to see the benefits of these methods, but they are well and truly worth it.
 
Eat Silica Rich Foods

Silica is an essential nutrient for our bodies, among its many benefits is the fact that it naturally strengthens your nails, hair, and skin. Foods that are rich in silica include: cucumbers, tomatoes, millet and leafy greens.
 
Increase Your Protein Intake

Our nails are made from a protein called Keratin, and without enough protein in our diet, our nails will not have the proper nutrients to grow healthy nails. Luckily protein is quite easy for a vegan to consume and it can even be delicious! Make sure you eat more foods such as green peas, Quinoa, nuts, nut butter, beans, chickpeas and non-dairy milk.
 
Take Vitamin B7

Also known as Biotin, Vitamin B7 is an absolute superstar when it comes to healthy hair, skin, and nails.
Biotin commonly added to lotions and hair products, but it is commonly believed that it is not absorbed very well through from these products. It should be ingested to get the full benefit so make sure you either take a vitamin B7 tablets or eat more B7 rich foods such as spinach, mushrooms, avocado and cauliflower.
 
Stay Away from Foods that Deplete your Body's Minerals
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There are some common foods that can inhibit your body's ability to absorb important nutrients such as calcium, zinc, magnesium and sulfur. Trans fats have this adverse effect on our bodies and are found in fast foods and some processed foods. Sugar is another food that can have this negative effect when consumed in large quantities.
 
Bio

Vanessa is a mum, a wife and a lover of all things to do with nails and nail polish! She has worked in the beauty industry for over 10 years but is currently an at-home mom looking after two young kids. You can find more of Vanessa’s writing at https://www.diygelnailkits.com/