What Are the Causes of Brittle Nails & Hair?

Healthy hair and nails are indicative of good health. When hair and nails become dry and brittle, it is a sign that something is wrong. Take the time to figure out why your nails and hair are dry and brittle. When you understand the cause, you can begin to work on a solution.

Dietary Causes of Brittle Hair

• Malnutrition will result in brittle hair. People who have eating disorders, such as anorexia, will often have brittle hair as a result of their body being nutrient deprived. Diets lacking in omega-3 essential fatty acids, mostly found in fish, can result in dry, brittle hair as well.

Environmental Causes of Brittle Hair

• Chlorine in pools is a major culprit behind brittle hair as it can cause the hair to become extremely dry. When your hair is wet, nutrients are removed from the hair. This makes it much more susceptible to breaking. In addition, salon treatments such as bleaching, dyeing or straightening make your hair very dry and cause it to become brittle. Excessive blow drying or ironing will cause hair to become brittle and break as well. The sun can also damage your hair, and excessive exposure may cause it to become brittle.

Medical Causes of Brittle Hair

• Brittle hair can also be the reaction to certain illnesses, such as systematic lupus erythematosus and thyroid disorders. Medications can also lead to brittle hair, such as the thyroid drug synthroid.

Dietary Causes of Brittle Nails

• If you are missing certain vitamins and minerals from your diet, you will experience brittle nails. Zinc and iron are important minerals for maintaining healthy nails, and if you are missing them from your diet, you will probably have brittle nails. In general, malnutrition will result in brittle nails. Also, if you have too much selenium in your diet, then your nails can become dry and brittle.

Environmental Causes of Brittle Nails

• Brittle nails are most often the cause of extreme dryness. Repeated washing with soaps and detergents is an everyday routine for most people, yet it can be damaging to your nails by drying them out and making them brittle. If your job requires you to come into direct contact with oils, greases or other industrial solvents, then you might experience brittle nails. Painting your nails with polish and then removing the polish with acetone is especially damaging and drying to nails. This is also true for acrylic nails and the glues used to attach and remove them from your nails.

Medical Causes for Brittle Nails

• Several medical conditions have brittle nails as a symptom. Low thyroid function, lung disorders, skin diseases, endocrine disorder and tuberculosis all cause brittle nails. Some people may have a genetic disposition to brittle nails and as they age, their nails become more brittle.