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Jun 24, 2025

Brittle Nails: Causes and How To Fix Them

Lindsay Curtis is a health & medical writer in South Florida. She worked as a communications professional for health nonprofits and the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of

Lindsay Curtis is a health & medical writer in South Florida. She worked as a communications professional for health nonprofits and the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Nursing.

Henry Arden / Getty Images

When your nails start to crack or break, it could be a sign of onychoschizia (brittle nails). There are a variety of options you can choose from to fix brittle nails, including applying moisturizer to your hands or taking biotin (vitamin B7) supplements.

Brittle nails affect about one in five people. Your nails can become brittle, thin, and soft due to factors like aging, nutritional deficiencies, underlying conditions, and damage from the chemicals in your household cleaning products.

Nails tend to become thinner and weaker as you age. The production of keratin—the protein that makes up your nails—slows down over time.

Other reasons your nails might easily crack include:

Consistent nail care can improve the health and appearance of your nails. Getting treatment for an underlying condition may also strengthen your nails.

If your brittle nails are the result of aging or environmental factors, dermatologists (who specialize in skin, nail, and hair health) recommend fixing your nails by:

It may take several weeks or months to improve your nail strength and health. Staying patient with yourself and being consistent with your nail care routine is key.

Unless you have an underlying condition that causes brittle nails, you can strengthen your nails at home. Here are some ways you can take care of your nails:

Brittle nails are common and do not usually require medical attention. Contact a healthcare provider or dermatologist if you have symptoms like:

A consistent nail care routine is usually enough to fix brittle nails. Treating underlying conditions that cause brittle nails can also improve nail strength.

You can prevent brittle nails by moisturizing regularly, wearing gloves while doing household chores, eating a balanced diet, avoiding nail biting and picking, and limiting your use of nail polish and acrylic nails. Talk to your healthcare provider if brittle nails do not improve at home.

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Chessa MA, Iorizzo M, Richert B, et al. Pathogenesis, clinical signs and treatment recommendations in brittle nails: A review. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2020;10(1):15-27. doi:10.1007/s13555-019-00338-x

MedlinePlus. Brittle nails.

Batory M, Namieciński P, Rotsztejn H. Evaluation of structural damage and pH of nail plates of hands after applying different methods of decorating. Int J Dermatol. 2019;58(3):311-318. doi:10.1111/ijd.14198

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Healthy habits: Nail hygiene.

American Cancer Society. Nail changes.