Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Get rid of bad habits
• Part 3 of 3: Taking care of your nails properly
• Tips
• Warnings

Growing your nails long and strong is a multi-step process. As long as you take good care of your nails, you can grow them for as long as you want. For starters, you will have to break some bad habits. Subsequently, by getting enough vitamins and taking proper care of your nails, you can eventually get beautiful long nails that are also healthy and strong.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Get rid of bad habits

1. Stop biting your nails. Nail biting is harmful to your health. Many people do it automatically when they are nervous, for example, but you can get bacterial skin infections on your hands and in your mouth. If you have dry or loose skin around your nail beds, cut those particles away instead of biting them off.
   • Try to keep your nails neatly painted and, if you want, decorate them with nail art too. You will then be less likely to bite on it.
   • Chew gum when you're bored. If you don't have gum, play around with a ball, coin, or something similar.
   • Don't bite the skin around your nails. You may think that just biting the skin around your nails won't damage your nails. Unfortunately, this is not true and it makes your nails weaker; the extra moisture from your saliva will cause your nails to break down faster.
   • Choose a nail every week and make sure you don't bite on it. To help yourself from nail biting, always add an extra "bite-free" nail.
   • If you have a lot of problems with nail biting, make an appointment with a therapist. You can discuss with him or her whether you may be experiencing anxiety or tension, or any other causes of your problem.
2. Do not wear acrylic or gel nails. If you remove acrylic or gel nails too quickly, your nails can become dry and brittle and chances are they will stop growing properly. And even if you remove them properly, your nails can get damaged because your nail beds are wet during removal, making them very sensitive.
   • If you'd still like to wear gel or acrylic nails, alternate them. Regularly have a regular manicure in between a manicure with gel or acrylic nails.
3. Stop picking at your flaky nail polish. Picking off your nail polish often removes the top layer of your nail bed, weakening the base of your nails.
4. Never paint your nails again without also applying a base and top coat. If you're in a hurry and want to let your nail polish dry quickly, skip the base or top coat quickly. That way you only damage your nails. You protect your nails against discoloration with a base and a finishing coat. In addition, these layers ensure that the nail polish adheres better to your nails, making it less likely to peel off. And if your nail polish is less likely to peel off, you are much less likely to pick it and damage your nails even more.
   • Carry some nail polish remover pads in your purse so that you can always get your polish off quickly when it starts to peel. This way you avoid picking your nails.
5. Don't use your nails as tools. Peeling off labels, scraping glue or loosening a keychain are all things that can easily tear or break your nails. You may be doing those things without even realizing it, but if you want strong nails, you have to pay attention to them. Also try to avoid prolonged contact with water. Water can soften your nails, making them very weak and flexible.
   • The best way to get rid of this habit is to cut back gradually. Always have scissors, a knife, or something else on hand for anything you need to open, peel, or peel during the day. Avoid doing things that could bend your nails. Paint your nails with clear, colorless nail polish to avoid biting them.
   EXPERT TIP

   Make sure you get a lot of vitamin H or biotin. Biotin promotes the growth and strength of your nails, hair and skin. Try to get between 30 and 40 micrograms daily through your diet or with the help of supplements. Good sources of biotin include whole grain cereals, mushrooms, bananas, salmon and avocado.

6. Eat foods with folic acid. Folate, or vitamin B9, helps prevent nerve cell damage and keeps red blood cells healthy. This is the very best vitamin if you want long nails, and the great thing is that you can't take too much of it because your body naturally excretes the excess. Products containing folic acid include fish, red meat, cheese and fortified soy products.
7. Get enough vitamin A. Vitamin A helps make your nails stronger. The recommended daily amount is between 700 and 900 micrograms per day. Sweet potatoes, carrots, squash and leafy greens are rich in vitamin A.
8. Also take plenty of vitamin C. Vitamin C is mainly known to increase your resistance. This means that it also helps your body to recover, including the growth and strength of your nails. Vitamin C is found in oranges, kale, strawberries and peppers, among others.

Part 3 of 3: Taking care of your nails properly

1. Shape and nurture your base. To grow your nails long and strong, you need to start with a good foundation. This means that you have to start with clean and healthy nails. File them in the right shape and also keep your cuticles neatly trimmed.
   • File your nails properly. Start at the outer edge and file towards the center. If you keep filing back and forth, your nails will weaken.
   • Choose the right shape for your nails to make them grow faster. A round basic shape is easier to grow. If you file your nails square, you are more likely to use them again as a tool.
2. Take good care of your cuticles. Soak your nails in warm water for five minutes to loosen your cuticles. Do this no more than four times a week. To remove the dead skin from your cuticles, apply a cuticle remover to your nails and use a cuticle pusher to push back the dead skin. Rinse off the remover and leftovers (it is recommended to do this once a month).
   • For extra healthy cuticles, put some hyaluronic acid on and around your cuticles after pushing them back.
   • Keep your cuticles hydrated. By applying moisturizing cream around your cuticles, you prevent broken nails and so-called compulsive or bad nails.
3. Try a strengthening treatment. You can strengthen your cuticles in different ways. Once you have formed a good foundation and taken care of your cuticles, apply the treatment that fits your budget and schedule.
   • Serums are relatively expensive, but they often provide the fastest and best results when it comes to strengthening your nails.
   • Creams are ideal for everyday use. You can buy protein intensive treatments in the form of a cream that you put on your nails in the morning and before you go to sleep.
   • Strengthening nail polish can help prevent your nail polish from flaking. It is not expensive and easy to use.
   • Protect your nails by always applying a base coat and a top coat and by using nail hardeners.
   • Just keep in mind if you use nail hardeners and the like, your nails are more likely to crack or break, which can be quite painful.
   • You can also put jojoba oil on your nails to make them more flexible, so that your nails don't break as quickly, but rather bend.

Tips

• If possible, use nail polish without acetone. That is better for your skin.
• In an old nail polish bottle, put some olive oil and coconut oil, along with some lemon juice and some oil with vitamins E or D. This gives you a natural cuticle oil that you can apply directly to your nails.
• Always have a nail file with you. If one of your nails rips or breaks along the way, file it instead of biting or pulling it off.
• Improve blood circulation around the nails by massaging your cuticles for 15 to 20 seconds every night before going to sleep.
• Petroleum jelly can trap moisture and protect your nails from environmental risk factors. Smearing petroleum jelly on your nails every night for a month can make them grow longer and stronger.
• Leave your cuticles alone! Your cuticles provide protection against fungus and infections. They have been scientifically proven to make no difference to nail growth.
• Keep your nails painted. That way, they are less likely to break during the day. If you notice one of your nails bending with the polish, file it.
• Take care of your nails and your cuticles by massaging tea tree oil into your nail beds.
• Mix warm water with some coconut oil, soak your hands in it for five to ten minutes and dry. Then rinse your hands with cool water.
• Just leave your nails alone and they will grow on their own.

Warnings

• Never use olive oil. Olive oil just stays on your skin and nails but does not soak in. Only use pure jojoba oil. Jojoba oil comes closest to what we naturally produce. As a result, your nails will absorb it quickly and grow better.
• Never use salt on nails! That is very bad for them.
• Don't take prenatal vitamins. Although it is said that such vitamins give you longer nails, there is no evidence for this and they can cause digestive problems.
• Do not cut or file your nails too short. Cutting your nails too short can irritate the edges and cause them to grow less well.