Along with hair and skin, nails are the first to lose out in the nutrition stakes when the body is lacking vitamins and minerals. Here\’s how to eat your way to better nails:\n\nSplitting: a lack of protein and the mineral silica can lead to nails splitting and flaking. \nEat: Cucumbers, brown rice, root vegetables, nuts and eggs.\n\nWhite spots: often down to a zinc deficiency or the bruising of the nail plate.\nEat: Zinc-rich food such as crab, herring and black-eyed peas.\n\nRidges: tend to increase with age, but they can also point to a lack of iron.\nEat: red meat, eggs and cherries.\n\nDryness: dry, dehydrated nails tend to break easily as they\’re lacking in protein. It can also be partly down to a vitamin B12 deficiency\nEat: tuna, salmon, liver and spirulina.\n

For DIY maintenance:

The file. File from the outside edge to the middle on the fingers, never from side to side, as it fan leave the nail edge open and prone to dehydration. For toes, file straight across in one direction to prevent ingrown nails.

The nourisher, cutlicle cream to maintain soft cuticles.

The treatment, to slough off dead skin cells and allow moisturiser to sink in more easily.

The buffer, to give a super-glass-like shine!

The crea, keep next to the bed, so you can apply it at night to keep your hands and feet soft!

Your daily nail fix: condition cutlcles, massage a cuticle oil into your nails. It feeds the nail base so a healthier, thicker nail will come through. Apply before going to bed, so it has hours to work its magic before being washed away.

Your weekly nail fix: revive a manicure or pedicure polish with a layer of top coat or colour.

Nourish nails - a DIY hand and foot treatment, including exfoliation, followed by a moisturising mask or cream will keep skin pristine and also condition and hydrate the nails.

Appear polished - even without varnish. For a glass-like shine, buff nails across from side to side with a soft-grit, natural nail buffer and it should last the life of the nail. If the shine dulls, buff the entire nail with the softest side of the buffer.