Nails peel in layers when the nail plate dries out and its layers lose their grip on each other. Repeated wetting and drying, acetone, filing back and forth and picking at polish are the usual causes, and it is rarely a vitamin problem. Wear gloves for wet jobs, file in one direction, stop picking, and oil peeling nails twice a day for a month while they recover.
- The layers separate when the nail dries out, and water, acetone and rough filing do it fastest.
- Gloves, a fine file used in one direction and leaving polish alone remove most of the cause.
- While peeling nails recover, oil twice a day for a month before you judge it. The nail you can see was made two to three months ago.
- Peeling is rarely a vitamin problem. If it came on suddenly or hurts, see a GP.
What is a nail made of, and why do the layers separate?
A nail is made of many thin layers of keratin pressed together, a bit like the pages of a closed book, and the layers separate when the nail loses the moisture that holds them in place.
The tip is the oldest part of the nail, so it has had the most dishwater, filing and knocks. That's why the layers let go there first: a rough edge that catches on your knitwear, then a flake that lifts a little further each week.
How does the wet dry cycle make nails peel?
Water is the biggest culprit, because a nail swells when it is wet and shrinks as it dries, and doing that over and over pulls the layers apart.
Each round is tiny. But add up the dishes, the school lunchboxes, long hot showers, a swim and every hand wash in a day, and that's a lot of rounds. Here's what I'd change:
- Wear gloves for dishes and cleaning. Water and detergent are a double hit on a nail, and gloves take out both.
- Dry your hands properly, then oil your nails. Oil helps hold the moisture in once the water has gone.
- Rinse after the pool or the beach, then dry and oil. Chlorine and salt water both dry nails out.
- Go easy on the hot water. Warm does the job on most dishes.
The first thing I ask a client with peeling nails isn't about vitamins. It's who does the dishes at home.
Do acetone, gel removal and picking make nails peel?
Yes: acetone, picking and prising off gel all take layers of the nail with them, which makes them the quickest way to turn a dry nail into a peeling one.
Acetone dissolves polish and gel, and it strips the nail's own oils along the way. Use it when you need it, keep the soak as short as the job allows and oil straight afterwards. Picking is the one I plead with clients about. When polish or gel peels off in a sheet and leaves a shiny white patch underneath, that patch is nail, not polish.
Do
- Soak gel off properly, or have your tech do it
- Oil your nails after acetone
- Smooth a rough edge with a fine file
Don't
- Pick or peel off polish and gel
- Scrape or prise gel with a metal tool
- Leave an acetone soak on longer than it needs
How should you file peeling nails?
File in one direction, from the outer edge towards the middle, with a glass or fine grit file, because sawing back and forth rips the layers open instead of smoothing them.
A coarse emery board is the usual offender, so retire it. Here's how I'd do it:
- Start with dry nails. Wet nails are soft and tear more easily.
- Use a glass or fine grit file. It smooths the edge instead of snagging it.
- One direction only. Stroke from the outer edge towards the middle and lift the file at the end of each stroke.
- Leave the surface alone. Buffing a peeling nail thins it further.
What is the daily oil habit, and how long before the peeling stops?
Oil peeling nails twice a day for a month while they recover, then judge it, because that is long enough for the new nail coming through to show whether the habits are working.
Oil replaces some of what water and acetone strip out. Work it into the nail, the free edge and the skin around it, morning and night.
I used my serum on my own clients for years before I offered it to anyone else, and the pen is the easiest way to keep the habit going, because it lives in your bag: the Body Collective Nail Growth and Strength Serum pen. A new pen can take 20 to 40 clicks to fill the first time, so don't panic if nothing happens straight away. After that, one click a day covers ten nails.
Here's how the first few months go:
- Day 1
- Gloves on for wet jobs, file in one direction and hands off the polish. This stops new damage straight away.
- Days 2 to 14
- Oil twice a day while the nails recover. Most people notice softer cuticles within days and visible growth within one to two weeks. Results vary.
- Around 1 month
- Time to judge. If you have kept the habits up, the edges should be catching less and the new nail should be coming through smoother.
- Months 2 to 3
- The nail you can see was made two to three months ago, so this is when most of the old, damaged nail has grown out or been filed away.
Is peeling a sign of a vitamin or mineral shortage?
A vitamin or mineral shortage is rarely the answer in the peeling nails I see, but I am a nail technician, not a doctor, so I cannot say for you.
If peeling hasn't settled after a few months, or you feel unwell as well, a GP can check your general health. I don't recommend supplements for nails.
Myth: Peeling nails mean you are short of a vitamin.
Fact: Most of the peeling I see in the salon comes from water, acetone, filing and picking. If you are worried, ask your GP rather than guessing at supplements.
One more thing, because it matters:
If it came on suddenly, hurts, is discoloured, thickened or lifting, see a GP, dermatologist or podiatrist.
If it turns out to be everyday dryness, a daily oil is where I'd start, and the pen is below.
Nail Growth, Strength & Repair Serum | Easy Twist Pen
A$16.95
A twist pen that lives in your bag, so the oil habit actually happens, hand blended on the Gold Coast.
Add to cartSweet almond oil is a nut derived oil; people with nut allergies should talk to their doctor first.
Questions about peeling nails
Why do my nails peel at the tips?
The tip is the oldest part of the nail, so it has been wet, dried, filed and knocked the longest, and its layers lose their grip first. Dishwater, acetone, a coarse file and picking at polish all speed it up. Wear gloves for wet jobs, file in one direction and oil the tips twice a day while they recover. If it came on suddenly or hurts, see a GP.
Can a vitamin or mineral shortage cause peeling nails?
Most of the peeling I see comes from water, acetone, filing and picking rather than from vitamins, but I cannot answer for you, because I am a nail technician, not a doctor. If you are worried, ask your GP, who can check your general health properly. I do not recommend supplements for nails.
How long does it take for peeling nails to stop?
Give peeling nails a month of twice daily oil while they recover before you judge the habits. A fingernail grows about 3 mm a month and the nail you can see was made two to three months ago, so damaged tips take a few months to grow out or be filed away. Results vary.
