Grow Long, Strong Nails

Growing long and strong nails is a multi-step process. As long as you take good care of your nails, you can grow them to the length you desire. You need to start by making sure you stop bad nail habits. After that, taking appropriate vitamins and manicuring properly will help you grow long, strong nails.

Steps

Stopping Bad Habits

  1. Stop biting your nails. Biting your nails is detrimental to your health. Although a regular nervous habit for many, it can cause bacterial skin infections on your hands and in your mouth. If you have dry or loose skin around your nail beds, make sure to clip them away rather than biting them off.[1]
    • Try keeping your nails neatly polished or add nail art, so you’ll be less apt to biting.
    • Chew gum when you’re bored.
    • Don't bite the skin around your nails. You may convince yourself that by only biting the skin around your nails, you're not actually harming the nail. This is false and will only cause your nails to weaken through the added moisture from saliva and make your nails prone to breaking.
    • Choose one nail a week that you won’t bite. Gradually add more “no-bite” nails to wean yourself off of the habit.
    • Consider talking to a therapist about anxiety and boredom issues if your nail biting is severe.
  2. Stop wearing acrylics and gels. Rushed removal of acrylic or gel nails leaves your nails dry, brittle, and unlikely to grow. Even proper removal can damage your nails because it occurs with soaked nail-beds. When your nail beds are wet, they are most sensitive.[2]
    • If you wish to get gel or acrylic manicures, try alternating. Get a traditional manicure between your gel or acrylic manicure.
  3. Stop picking at your chipped polish. Picking at your polish often removes the top layer of your nail bed. This forms a weak base for your nails.[2]
  4. Stop skipping base coats and top coats. It is easy to skip base coats or top coats when you’re in a hurry and want your polish to dry fast. However, when you skip these, you’re damaging your nail. They protect your nails from staining; plus, they help the polish adhere to your nails, so that it chips less. If it chips less, you’re less likely to pick at it and further damage your nails. [3]
    • Carry pre-moistened nail polish remover packets in your purse for quick removal when your nails start to chip. This way, you won’t have to worry about picking at your nails.
  5. Stop using your nails as tools. Peeling labels, scrapping glue, or unfastening a key ring are all things that can easily damage or break your nails. You might not even realize you’re doing it, but if you want to grow strong nails, you need to start to notice.
    • The best way to stop this is to slow down. Have scissors available, or another tool, to help you open, scrape, or peel anything you need during the day.

Getting Proper Vitamins

  1. Get plenty of Vitamin H (biotin). Biotin promotes the growth and strength of nails, hair, and skin. Aim to consume between 30 and 40 micrograms per day either through food or supplements. Whole grains, mushrooms, bananas, salmon, and avocado are all great sources of biotin.[4]
  2. Eat foods with folic acid. Folic acid, or Vitamin B9, helps prevent damage to your nerve cells and keeps red blood cells healthy. It is the best vitamin for nail growth, and it is impossible to intake to much because your body naturally excretes the excess. Fish, red meat, cheese, and fortified soy products are high in folic acid.
  3. Intake Vitamin A. Vitamin A is going to help the strengthening of your nails. The daily recommended dose is between 700 and 900 micrograms a day. Sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, and leafy greens are rich in Vitamin A. [5]
  4. Get plenty of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is most commonly known for aiding in immune health. This means that it helps recovery inside the body. This recovery helps promote nail growth and gives them strength. Oranges, kale, strawberries, and bell peppers are high in Vitamin C.

Manicuring Properly

  1. Shape and care for your base. In order to grow you nails long and strong, you need to start with a proper base. This means you need clean and healthy nails to begin with. File them into shape and keep your cuticles trimmed.
    • File them properly. Start from the outside edge and file toward the center. Going back and forth in a repetitive motion will weakens your nails.[3]
    • Choose the right nail shape to promote growth. A basic round shape is easier to grow out. If you shape a square nail, you’re more likely to use it as a tool.
  2. Care properly for your cuticles. Soak your nails in warm water for 5 minutes to loosen your cuticles. Put a cuticle remover on your nails and use a cuticle stick to push the dead skin back. Rinse off the remover and debris. Do this up to 4 times a week.
    • For added cuticle health, put hyaluronic acid on and around your cuticles after pushing them back.
    • Keep them moisturized. Applying moisturizer around your cuticles will prevent hangnails and broken nails.
  3. Apply strengthening treatments. Several strengthening treatments exist. Once you’ve shaped a proper base and correctly cared for your cuticles, apply the one that fits your budget and schedule.[6]
    • Serums are expensive but often produce the fastest and best results in strengthening nails.
    • Creams are perfect for everyday use. You can buy intensive protein treatments in the form of a cream that you put on your nails in the morning and before falling asleep at night.
    • Strengthening polish will help keep your nails from chipping. It is very affordable and easy to use.

Tips

  • Always carry a nail file. If one of your nails snags or breaks, file it rather than ripping it off.
  • Stay away from taking prenatal vitamins. Although these are rumored to help you grow longer nails, it puts you at risk of digestive issues.
  • Just leave you nails alone and they will grow by themselves.
  • Mix hot water and coconut oil, dip your hands in it for 5-10 minutes, and dry. Then rinse your hands with cold water.
  • Massage your cuticles 15 to 20 seconds every night before going to bed in order to improve blood circulation around the nails.
  • Nourish your nails and cuticles by massaging tea tree oil into your nail beds.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.shape.com/lifestyle/beauty-style/5-sneaky-nail-saboteurs
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.today.com/style/10-awful-habits-are-destroying-your-nails-how-break-them-2D79619959
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.julep.com/blog/bad-habits-how-to-stop-nail-biting/
  4. ↑ http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/vitamins-minerals/biotin-how-much-do-you-need-how-much-is-too-much.html#b
  5. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/vitamin-a/dosing/hrb-20060201
  6. ↑ http://www.nailsmag.com/list/topic/nail-strengtheners
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