The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Iodine
Posted by Stephanie (Loganholme, Qld. Australia) on 09/24/2006
★★★★★
Iodine cures brittle and easily broken finger nails. It makes the fingernails hard, chip proof and unbreakable. Dip your fingernails in colorless iodine once a day for 1 week; then once a week for 3 to 4 weeks; then once a month. It dries almost instantly. It begins hardening the nails under the cuticle and as the nail grows out it stays hard and unbreakable. Once the new hard nail reaches the length you want, you will never again have chipped and broken nails. No need for all those expensive formulas sold in beauty parlors and chemist shops.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Joy (Il) on 01/11/2016
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar is one amazing product to strengthen weak nails!! I've had soft, yet brittle nails that break easily all my life. To make matters worse, I also had copious amounts of painful hang nails. A few months ago, I began taking apple cider vinegar for an unrelated problem. Within three weeks my nails were strong and the hang nails disappeared. To prove to myself that it was the vinegar, I stopped taking it for a month, and sure enough, my nails again became soft and brittle. Another round of apple cider vinegar for a few weeks gave me beautiful nails. I'm convinced!
Daily apple cider vinegar will be a part of my health and beauty regimens forever. I take about one tablespoon of vinegar daily in tomato juice. If you'd like to make the concoction more palatable, you could try mixing in some natural horseradish and worstershire sauce (don't use Heinz because of the unhealthy ingredients) like a bloody Mary (minus the vodka, okay?). It is delicious prepared this way, but I don't always have the time.
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Oceanna (Wa) on 08/11/2018
★★★★★
Brittle Fingernails and Hangnails
I've battled brittle fingernails and hangnails for years. A few weeks ago I began massaging undiluted Tea Tree Oil into my fingernails and the skin surrounding them in the morning and at bed time. The Tea Tree Oil is absorbed quickly. My nails look hydrated and healthy, with no peeling or chipping since I started this. Improvement was visible from the first application. I've had a couple of hangnails since but nowhere near as often as before.
Vitamin E
Posted by Marta (Denmark) on 05/11/2018
★★★★★
Hello! I take vitamin e for many years. Originally I take it to strength my nails but it's doing good for my hair too, stronger, shiny. I take 400 mg of natural Vitamin E. I don't rub into my nails like many people do because taking it internally is better I think.
ACV and Coconut Oil
Posted by Adrian (S. Florida) on 06/14/2014
How do you take the apple cider vinegar and coconut oil? Together - ingest or put ON nails. Please tell me~ thank you.
Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Michelle (London, UK)
★★★★★
Blackstrap Molasses works for me! After the first fortnight of drinking a cup each morning with the juice of half a lemon, my skin felt really soft and had lost its dryness and my nails are growing stronger and more uniform. This is in addition to having a lot more energy, I have also managed to stop smoking and not experience the side effect of constipation. This remedy is the cheapest but most effective way of taking varied supplementary vitamins.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Cindy (Newtown, Pa) on 09/07/2015
★★★★★
I have had weak nails all my life and started taking apple cider vinegar tablets for other health reasons and discovered that my nails are stronger than ever before! I am thrilled! Raw apple vinegar is pure torture and didn't even work when I tried to drink for a couple weeks. The tablets worked immediately and help regulate blood sugar levels, sugar cravings, acne, etc.....a lifesaver!!
Garlic
Posted by Jackdblack (Madison, Wisconsin, USA) on 12/23/2014
★★★★★
I have checked the posts here but I have not seen garlic. You see, my mom used to rub our nails with peeled, raw garlic everyday. She said that her mother used to do the same to her and it made her nails stronger.
When I was a young kid I had thin, weak toenails that bend on their own when they grew longer. My mom's garlic remedy paid off as my nails became thick and stronger. I want to share this home remedy as it might work for you too!
Lemon Juice
Posted by Rekha (Bangalore, India) on 06/04/2008
★★★★★
Apply a little juice from a lemon to your finger nails every day. It makes them strong and they grow doubly fast! I was a compulsive nail biter since childhood and had very brittle nails. I kicked the habit and tried this remedy and now my nails are long and strong.
Iodine
Posted by Stella (New York) on 06/15/2020
I had two friends that were covered with skin tags neck and upper shoulder back.
They did not drop off. I have one and had it most all my life. I am now 80. They said it was nothing to have them burnt off. Do not take the doctors word for it.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Judi (Phoenix, AZ) on 03/21/2006
★★★★★
I take apple cider vinegar and honey daily. 1 tbs. of each helps weak, cracked, short fingernails to grow.
MSM
Posted by Belle (Los Angeles, CA)
★★★★★
I recently started to take MSM to help with neck pain. While it's too soon to tell if it is helping, I can report that it is making my nails grow like crazy!
Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Jaleeah (Oakland) on 01/23/2016
★★★★★
I bit my nail for 55 years because they were very thin. I didn't like when they were growing - they would bend backward. By applied Tea tree oil twice a day the nail is hard and my grew back beautiful. People thought I had on fake nails.
Garlic
Posted by Zarah22 (Scranton, PA) on 12/30/2014
★★★★★
Used raw garlic on my little girl's nails and it does make her nails stronger. I rubbed it on her nails after bath in the morning and before bedtime. I saw improvement after 2 weeks of continuous use. Highly recommend it!
Lemon Juice
Posted by Leah (New York, Ny) on 03/13/2011
★★★★★
Hi, I started putting apple cider vinegar on my nails and it has really kept them strong! I was very surprised.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Jacqueline (Perth, Australia) on 11/21/2012
★★★★★
Worked for me too - was a fantastic side effect when I started using apple cider vinegar for other health issues. I have have lovely long and strong finger nails for the first time in my life :-)
Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Kristi (Covington, La) on 07/23/2014
I have been doing a lot of research recently on Blackstrap Molasses. All recommendations (I have found) for health issues for both humans and dogs say to use 1 tablespoon daily.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Camille (Boston, Ma) on 02/15/2016
Sounds wonderful. Very interested to know how much ACV and coconut oil you take daily? Thanks.
ACV and Coconut Oil
Posted by Oweno1 (El Paso, Texas, Usa) on 05/11/2014
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar and Coconut Oil : This combination works speedily. I have suffered from fungus on my fingernails for several years. I stumbled across this site and began treating myself with ACV, later as I began to learn more decided to cook with Coconut Oil, then even ingest it as a supplement. This remedy sped my healing. I had been taking meds for this disease for a couple years and it would be a temporary partial fix. (I gave up on the meds) The ACV and Coconut Oil work fast and beautifully! The itching stops within days, the cracking stops thereafter and within weeks your nails will grow smoothly. It took a while, if you skip a day or two don't fret, just keep at it. The ACV taste terrible, so on occasion I skipped. LOL My nails are becoming stronger by the week and the cuticles are now connecting with the nails beautifully. I am no longer embarrassed of my hands. Please try this! ACV works, faster with Coconut Oil and as bonus my adult acne has cleared! My case was so bad it took about six months plus. Never really kept records but noticeable by the week.
Fish Oil
Posted by Anna (Brooklyn, NY) on 04/03/2009
★★★★★
Fish oil made my nails stronger in a matter of days. Take the prescribed daily dose.
Biotin
Posted by Karen (Chicago, IL) on 02/15/2009
★★★★★
My fingernails were soft and frequently broke. I starting taking 1000 mcg biotin twice a day, and within 2 months, they became rock solid. I stopped taking biotin for a while, and my nails returned to being soft. When I started taking the pills again, my nails toughened up. Karen
Silica
Posted by Kay (Fl) on 05/31/2014
Be mindful of Silica dosages, side effects, and warnings!
Silica is also used to breakdown/dissolve hard tissues like fibriods, cysts, tumors, etc, which may also may unlease thier contents, including toxins, infectious agents, cancerous tissue, etc. I began taking silica (oral, homeopathic) in attemps to relieve painful fibroids and troublesome scar tissue under my foot; but the silica first dissolved an age-old cyst imbedded under my scalp (which I didn't know was there; leftovers of a decades-old boil that was removed completely, intact). When the silica dissolved the cyst it spilled the (previously contained) infection into surrounding tissues (infecting nearly my entire scalp). I've been fighing/treating this scalp infection for well over a year now, and it's been a painful, difficult, and troublesome battle every day, including hair loss!
