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Nail nuances

Insider Secrets to Guarantee Longer, Stronger Nails

09 Aug, 2016
By BeYou[tiful]
Have you despaired of being able to grow your nails much longer than a couple of millimetres? Or has your manicurist ever given you a disapproving look on the state of your stubby, broken down and brittle nails? Everything from dehydration to vitamin deficiencies and even the shape of your nails can lead to breaking and flaking problems.

First off, don’t ever be fooled into thinking that you can make our nails grow faster. It can vary from person to person, but fingernails grow on average just 3 mm per month (toe nails take bit longer at 1mm per month). So it takes about 6 months for a finger nail to grow out from base to tip. That’s not going to change - ever.

But what can change is how they are treated. Healthy nails are guaranteed to grow longer and stronger. All they need is a little TLC. Read on for a few all-natural pro secrets which can make all the difference to your nail woes.

Secret #1: Add Moisture

If your nails are always breaking and splitting it’s likely they are dry and brittle and not in a healthy space. You are always moisturising your face and conditioning your hair - your nails need the same type of TLC. A 10-minute soak in any form of oil can be your solution (add a bit of lemon to help brighten your nails). Olive oil is one of the best, but you can also try coconut oil, castor oil or any oil found in nature.

Pro Tip: To help condition both your nails and your cuticles, you can also rub a little oil into your nails every night before going to bed.  

Secret #2: Look After Your Cuticles

One of the absolutely worst things you can do is to constantly hack away at your cuticles. I know many salon manicurists always trim them so you think it’s okay to do the same. But this causes more damage than you think. Your cuticles are there to protect the nail bed. So if they are gone you are open to attracting nasty bacteria - possibly an infection. This can also start a viscous circle. Your body goes into protection overdrive, grows the cuticles back with a vengeance and they land even thicker and tougher than before.

Pro Tip: Moisturise regularly either with olive oil or cuticle cream, and gently push the cuticles back with an orange stick.

Secret #3: Avoid Water and Chemical Damage

Did you know that if you expose your nails to too much water it leads to weaker nails? And if you have had a nail soak, don’t even try a manicure for at least 24 hours after. As the nails dry out they contract and can make your brand new manicure go pear shaped. Even worse is exposure to the harsh chemicals in household cleaning products. So if you regularly wash the dishes always wear gloves. And be careful of excessive use of hand sanitizers as they can also dry out the nails.

Pro Tip: Always moisturise nails after use (this also helps soften your cuticles). Chemicals and water can dry out and weaken nails.

Secret #4: Don’t Use your Nails as Tools

Admit it – we all do it. It’s so easy to use your nails to open that can of cool drink or type on a keyboard with the tips. You are just opening yourself to splits and breakages. Don’t use your nails for anything you can do with your fingertips. My greatest challenge is when I start lugging around heavy stuff like suitcases or boxes.  If you are like me and always in a hurry, without fail one of your nails will catch and tear or even worse, get bent back (ouch!) which weakens the whole nail.

Pro Tip: As soon as you rip or tear your nail, trim it back to avoid it getting worse - even if this means you have to go with short nails for a while (sob!).  Keep your nails healthy in the meantime.

Secret #5: Balance Your Diet

You’ve all seen those vitamins which promise stronger nails and hair. Turns out they could help – you just need to check out the ingredients. Small scale studies have shown that Biotin, a vitamin B, could help strengthen brittle nails making them less likely to split or break. If you’re into eating the right foods to help, Biotin can also be found in eggs (especially yolks), almonds, mushrooms, sardines, cauliflower, berries and avocados. Zinc can also keep nails from weakening.

Pro Tip: Don’t forget that nails are made out of protein (a tough one called keratin) so make sure your diet includes protein rich foods such as eggs, meat and beans for healthy growth and strength.

Secret #6: File Right

We all do it. Filing back and forth over the nails to speed up the manicure time. Don’t - it causes more harm than good. It leads to teeny tiny chips which is maybe why your nails keep on splitting and cracking. Even though it takes a little longer, it’s best to file only in one direction - from the outside edges towards the tip of each nail. Try not to use heavy duty nail files as these can also be a bit rough on the nails (softer emery boards are best).

Pro Tip: Even though you want them to grow, you still need trim your nails every few weeks to prevent damage and breakage.

Secret #7: Reduce Remover Damage

Even though acetone is not dangerous, it’s actually worse for your nails than nail polish. Super dry and damaged nails can become more brittle with acetone exposure. But before you panic and think you have to keep your normal manicure going for two weeks, if you are finding once a week usage is not causing any damage to your nails, then carry on as normal.  Experts just warn of excessive use to reduce drying, peeling and breakages (to look after cuticles as well). The use of a 10-minute pure acetone soak to get rid of gel nails can really dehydrate the nails so get this done by a pro and follow with a dose of natural oils.

Pro Tip: Look for a gentle remover to reduce acetone exposure even if you have to work a bit harder to remove polish. Add a couple of drops of natural oil to your acetone to help add back moisture.

Secret #8: The Nail Shape Difference

Squoval, stilettos and coffins. So many nail shapes flooding our feeds we don’t know which one to choose. But if you want to grow your nails there’s only one way to go - and that’s round. The corners of square tipped or pointed nails are much more likely to chip, catch and break which just means you have to file them down and are back to square one again. Rounded or almond shaped nails have no corners which means less breaks. And less breaks mean longer nails.

Pro Tip:  Round and oval shapes are also best if you have chubby or short fingers and want to make your hands to look longer and slender.

Secret #9: Always Keep Them Painted

On the very rare occasions when I leave my polish off for longer than a day or two, my nails immediately go into reverse. It explains why I had such weak and brittle nails when I was younger – it was only when I started working that I started wearing polish regularly. And that’s when my nails got a lot stronger. It’s quite simple. With a base and top coat as well as two layers of colour, you are actually adding four layers of protection to your nails. More protection means less breaks. Even though they give you long wear, be aware that gel nails have their own set of problems.

Pro Tip: You’ve heard a lot about the unhealthy nasties in polish. Avoid ones with formaldehyde, toluene and sulphonamide. Fortunately, most good brands no longer include these ingredients.
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