Multiple studies have shown that about 20% of the world’s population experience nails splitting horizontally and vertically. Have you noticed recently that your nail cracked horizontally? Do not panic! This article will examine what causes nails splitting horizontally and how to minimize the damage and prevent it in the future. If you already suffer from it, we will give you an overview of how to fix a split nail horizontally.

What Causes Nails Splitting Horizontally

Nails could split both horizontally and vertically. Horizontal nail split is also known as onychoschizia or onychoschisis. Another common name for it is lamellar dystrophy. Typical symptoms of onychoschizia are fragile and thin nails, with primarily soft structure. It is known that women and elderly people suffer more from nails splitting horizontally. Have a look at what causes nails splitting horizontally below:

Nail Trauma or Injury

Have you recently locked your finger in a door or accidentally closed the drawer with it being left inside? Even if your nail is still on the finger, it is left traumatized in nine out of ten cases. “Traumatized” in this context means blood being stored under the nail, causing the so-called “subungual hematoma.” Additionally, in most cases, the nail bed will also split. This is one of the most common reasons for leaving nail cracked horizontally.

Imbalanced Diet

Think about nutrition as of decisive factor that causes nails to crack horizontally. Trust us, it is way easier to have a diet balanced with all the essential vitamins and elements rather than thinking about how to fix a split nail horizontally. Consuming the right amounts of vitamin B, E, certain and omega-3 will surely keep you safe from nails splitting horizontally.

Dehydrated Skin

When thinking about what causes nails splitting horizontally, pay attention to how often you wash your hands. The more often you wash your hands, the drier your skin gets, making your nails soft. Therefore, if you notice that your nail cracked horizontally, make sure to put cream on it. People who have constant contact with water due to work, experience nails splitting horizontally more often. If there is no way to avoid it, make sure you apply hand cream every time you wash your hands.

Contact With Chemicals

If you have been in regular contact with chemicals, it might be the cause why your nail cracked horizontally. Different types of salt, solvents, and acids in most cleaning products for home cause your nails to dry and change color, making them brittle and soft. Think about wearing gloves if you want to avoid your nails splitting horizontally.

Acetone-based Nail Products

An immense amount of nail care products is acetone-based. Nail polish removers, hardeners, and even nail polishes contain acetone. And acetone is exactly what causes nails splitting horizontally, leaving the nail plate dehydrated and cuticles flaky and irritated. Therefore, consider moving from acetone-based nail products when thinking of how to fix a split nail horizontally.

Health Problems

If you suffer from an autoimmune disease or have some other special conditions, they might be the cause of your nails splitting horizontally. Make a couple of blood tests and ensure your overall health is ok before searching for what causes nails splitting horizontally.

How To Fix A Split Nail Horizontally

Having listed all the possible reasons causing nails splitting horizontally, it is possible to move on the how to stop nails splitting horizontally. There are multiple ways for you to avoid your nails splitting horizontally:

Moisturize Your Hands

Since dry skin is the most common reason for weakening your nails and making them fragile, we advise always keeping a hand cream at hand. Apply a hydrating hand cream every time after washing your hands. Making this a habit might save you hundreds of hours of googling “how to stop nails splitting horizontally” and “how to fix a split nail horizontally.”

Keep Your Nails in Shape

Deciding how to fix a split nail horizontally might be a complex task. However, if you keep it shaped and cut, you will save the nail from further damage.

Wear Protective Gloves

We recommend wearing gloves to minimize contact with all solvents and detergents that damage your nails. Whenever you have a home cleanup scheduled, make sure putting gloves on is the first thing you do. Even though doing this might not explain how to fix a split nail horizontally, it certainly will protect your nails against further damage.

Switch to a Balanced Diet

Eat omega-3 rich foods and consume enough minerals. Make sure your plate is filled with greens and seeds, and you take the right amount of fish and peanuts to keep it all intact.

Avoid Biting Your Nails

As tempting as it may look, biting your nails will do no good for your nail bed. Avoid this at all costs if you don’t want to witness your nail being cracked horizontally. Covering your nails with gel-lack is one of the ways how to stop nails splitting horizontally. Having them covered with something hard to bite will do you a good service!

We hope you understood what causes nails splitting horizontally after reading this article! The better you identify the reason causing your nails to break horizontally, the easier it is to define how to stop nails splitting horizontally!