How to grow long nails at home – secret life hacks

Long, well-groomed nails are the pride of every woman. But the rapid pace of modern life, inappropriate nutrition and an abundance of everyday housework often hinder the process of growing nail plates. They become brittle, stratify and grow very slowly. This article will help you find out what steps you can take at home to make your nails strong and long.

How quickly can nails grow?

Everyone's nails grow at approximately the same rate – 0.1-0.15 millimeters per day. Accordingly, it will take a month and a half to grow them to 5 millimeters. However, the use of different methods that stimulate growth and strengthen the structure of the nail plates will help to achieve the desired length faster.

The main root cause of the fact that it is difficult for girls to grow long nails is the fragility of the plates. As soon as the free edge of the marigold reaches a few millimeters, it is very easily damaged. If the appearance of one nail is damaged, it must be shortened. And having trimmed just one nail, you can no longer leave the length on the rest – they also need to be trimmed. Therefore, the main task of the girl is to strengthen the marigolds, to prevent their fragility. There are several methods for this, with a description of which you will read in this article.

Some interesting facts about the speed and characteristics of nail growth:

1. Studies that have been carried out over the past century prove that the growth rate of nails in modern people is higher than that of people who lived in the 40-60s of the last century.

2. It will take different times to grow your fingernails and toenails. Fingernails grow much faster, about twice. At the same time, the nail plates on the legs may stop growing altogether, which, however, does not cause any particular inconvenience to the person. It's just that under certain unfavorable circumstances (wearing tight shoes, constant exposure to cold temperatures, lack of light, fungus), individual toenails seem to freeze in their development.

3. Nails are most difficult to grow on the little fingers, as these are the fingers that grow more slowly than others. But on the middle toes, the marigolds grow on the contrary most quickly.

4. For most women, the nails growing on the index, middle and ring fingers most often break – they need to be carefully protected.

5. It is much more difficult to grow nails in winter than in summer, since in the cold season this physiological process slows down for natural reasons. The best time to tackle this issue is mid-July, besides, at this time the first fresh fruits and vegetables begin to appear on sale, the use of which will help get rid of spring beriberi. By the end of summer, you will be able to grow gorgeous nails, and you only need to maintain this result in the coming months.

How to grow nails – we use vitamins and minerals

Poor condition, slow growth of the nail plates are external symptoms that something is wrong with the body. In most cases, such violations indicate a lack of vitamins and minerals. Therefore, growing long healthy nails simply will not work if you do not start with the main thing – with proper nutrition. In your diet, be sure to include foods rich in B vitamins, as well as C, E and A. These are the main nutrients that help form healthy, shiny, strong nails without any flaws. Eat meals made from these foods more often:

1. Carrots, liver and high fat butter – they contain vitamin A, which normalizes the process of nail growth.

2. Citrus fruits, apples, gooseberries – they contain vitamin C, with a lack of which the nail plates become thin, fragile, brittle, it becomes almost impossible to grow them.

3. Milk, eggs, meat, herbs – these products contain B vitamins, which help to strengthen nails and accelerate their growth. Also, these vitamins stimulate the processes of assimilation of trace elements by the human body.

4. Fresh fruits and vegetables, vegetable oil – they contain vitamin E, which is a natural antioxidant. It prolongs youth, removes toxins from the body, stimulates blood circulation, which has a positive effect on the growth of nail plates.

It is impossible to grow long nails if there is a mineral deficiency in the body. The main substances that are responsible for the active growth of the nail plates are iron, calcium and zinc. They can enter the body in sufficient quantities with the regular use of such products:

1. Fruits, especially bananas and apples. And also fresh fruit juices, mashed potatoes, cooked with your own hands.

2. Milk, especially goat milk. And also all fermented milk products.

3. Cereals and cereals, especially buckwheat.

4. Meat and fish.

In addition to saturating the body with vitamins and minerals through food, consult a therapist – let him prescribe you to take a certain multivitamin complex. You can also try to use phytopreparations – teas from medicinal plants, aqueous herbal infusions, balms. There are even special dietary supplements, the composition of which is developed in order to solve the problem of nail and hair growth.

If you are seriously going to grow long nails, then you need to approach the problem comprehensively, that is, you need to normalize all aspects of your life. The reason that the marigolds are too brittle, their condition is unsatisfactory, can be anything – from constant stress to a lack of fluid in the body. Therefore, if possible, follow the recommendations of the experts:

1. Stop drinking and quit smoking. Reduce the amount of coffee you drink. Alcohol and coffee interfere with the effective assimilation of vitamins, in particular vitamin A. Smoking as a whole has a negative effect on the state of the body, harms the nails, which may begin to turn yellow.

2. Drink plenty of clean water. With dehydration, all organs and systems suffer. Nails lose their elasticity and firmness, become dry, break off easily, so it is impossible to grow them to the required length.

3. Avoid stress, anxiety, conflict. It is known that disturbances in the functioning of the central nervous system directly affect the condition of the hair and nails.

4. Increase your physical activity, but avoid overwork. Jogging or other exercise can help improve blood circulation and normalize metabolism. This also has a positive effect on the condition of the nail plates, the rate of their growth.

Normalizing your lifestyle is the first step towards your goal if you want to grow long and beautiful nails that adorn your hands.

How to grow long nails with grooming treatments

Take good care of your nails and they will grow faster. The first thing to do is to give the free edge of the marigolds a rounded shape. Firstly, thanks to this they will look well-groomed. In addition, the oval shape visually lengthens the nails and fingers, making them more graceful. Secondly, due to the absence of sharp corners, the likelihood that the nail will catch on something and break is reduced.

You can give the nail plates a rounded shape in this way:

1. You need to take a fine-grained nail file, shorten all the nails to the same length. For this purpose, you can also use nippers – clippers, which cut off excess tissue in one motion. But it is not worth using nail scissors, as their blades severely injure the nails, which will become problematic to grow.

2. Applying the nail file consistently to one and the second sides of the nail, give it a square shape.

3. Attach the nail file to one side of the plate at an angle of 45 degrees, round off the nail, moving the file only in one direction – from the base to the center. Perform the same steps from the other side of the marigold. In this way, a symmetrical oval can be formed.

4. You need to file dry nails, otherwise their edges will 'crumple' with a file, and the chances of growing them will be much less.

A procedure such as physiotherapy, which improves blood circulation, will also help to grow long nails. There is nothing difficult in this, you just need to gently massage your fingers in the cuticle area. This must be done every day in the evening, giving each finger 2-3 minutes. It is easy to increase the effectiveness of massage and heal tissues if you use vegetable oils or special preparations during the procedure. You can use the tools recommended by experts:

1. Vitamin E Nail & Cuticle Oil from Sally Hansen.

2. Nail and Cuticle Beauty Oil from Zeitun.

3. Cuticle gel with oriental summer scent from ONIQ.

4. Cuticle cream from the EVE LOM brand.

Our experts reported that girls who play the piano or type a lot are more likely to grow long nails as they also get a great massage during these activities.

Baths will help to grow long nails

Baths that are done once a day or several times a week are another effective way to help grow long nails. For the procedure, you will need 15-20 minutes of free time, a deep container, preferably a ceramic one, as it will keep the temperature of the liquid well, as well as ingredients for preparing healing solutions. And additional accessories – paper napkins, a towel. And hand cream or cuticle oil – they are applied to the skin of the hands after the procedure.

Here are some recipes that you can use to make nail baths (the standard time for the procedure, unless otherwise indicated, is 15 minutes):

1. Take some vegetable oil. It can be both sunflower and olive oil. But it is better to buy castor or burdock, as they are more useful for tissues. A few drops of iodine are added to the oil (do not overdo it, otherwise the nails may stain) and the same amount of glycerin. The mixture is heated to a comfortable temperature in a water bath, after which it is ready for use.

2. Warm up a glass of water, dissolve 15-20 grams of sea salt and a few drops of iodine in a liquid.

3. In a glass of warm water, dilute one tablespoon of baking soda, add a little iodine.

4. Make a decoction from a mixture of medicinal plants. For example, you can use pharmacy chamomile, coltsfoot, calendula, St. John's wort and burdock root, or just chamomile if there are no other herbs at hand. You will need one spoon of such a mixture, which must be poured with boiling water, darkened in a water bath for ten minutes and allowed to cool to room temperature. You can add a few tablespoons of dry white wine and the same number of spoons of natural honey to the broth.

5. Take a lemon, cut it in half, and stick the fingertips of one hand into the pulp of the first half, and the fingertips of the other hand into the pulp of the other citrus half. The procedure is carried out for two to three minutes.

6. Take a lemon, squeeze all the juice out of it, chop the pulp. Add half a glass of warm water and a few teaspoons of sea salt. It is recommended to keep your hands in this composition for 10 minutes.

7. You can make nail baths or masks from milk and juice of different vegetables or fruits. Make your own recipes using foods you are not allergic to.

Paraffin therapy is a quick way to grow long nails

Paraffin therapy, if carried out several times a week, can significantly speed up the processes of regrowth of the nail plates. And improve their condition, strengthen, get rid of fragility, eliminate stratification.

The benefits of paraffin therapy are as follows:

1. Paraffin, hardening, creates a dense film on the surface of nails and finger skin. The result is a sauna effect, and the heat is distributed evenly, deep into the layers of tissues.

2. Dry heat improves the quality of blood circulation. As a result, oxygen enters the tissues, and also nutrients. Also, metabolic processes are improved, toxins and decay products are more efficiently removed.

3. Paraffin helps to lighten the tissues, due to which the marigolds, growing back, acquire a natural healthy shade.

4. If you make paraffin masks with the addition of various useful components to the composition, the effectiveness of the procedure increases, which allows you to grow long nails faster than in a month.

5. When the paraffin hardens, it shrinks. It acts like a massage on the skin and other tissues of the fingers.

What can be added to paraffin to make the mask as useful as possible:

1. Liquid vitamins A, E, B6, B9, etc., produced in ampoules and sold in pharmacies.

2. Vegetable and essential oils. For example, tea tree oil, flaxseed oil, rice oil, cocoa butter, rosehip oil or grape seed oil.

3. Natural honey.

4. Citrus zest.

5. Aloe vera juice or fruit, berry juice.

How to make paraffin masks to grow long nails:

1. Take 20-30 grams of cosmetic paraffin and melt it in a water bath. The product should turn into a liquid state, while its temperature will be at the level of 50 degrees.

2. Add a small amount of other ingredients that you bought for this purpose to the paraffin.

3. Dip a spoon into the container, take a small amount of paraffin and drop it on the skin on the inside of the wrist to check the temperature of the product. You can cool the paraffin slightly if it is uncomfortable.

4. Dip your fingertips in paraffin so that the hot composition completely covers the surface of the nails.

5. After the paraffin has set and completely dries, you can put on thick gloves on your hands to keep warm as long as possible. The duration of paraffin therapy is 2-3 hours. If possible, leave the product on your skin and nails overnight. In the morning, you can easily remove the wax crust by picking it up with the tip of any object with a flat edge.

Even better, instead of paraffin, use natural beeswax or honeycomb with honey residues. The cost of such a tool will not be much more expensive than a refined oil product, but it will bring many times more benefits. You need to use wax in the same way as paraffin – heat in a water bath, add additional components if desired, dip your fingertips and hold the 'mask' for several hours or overnight. The only thing to consider when using wax is that it has a higher melting point than paraffin wax. It must be heated to 60 degrees and used with extreme care so as not to burn the tissues of the hands.

Natural beeswax is a real source of vitamins and a variety of biologically active substances that get into the skin and nail plates. That is, they will strengthen the tissues, restore their health and help grow long strong nails.

If you are afraid to work with hot paraffin or wax, because you are not sure that you can protect yourself from burns, it is recommended to use cold paraffin, which is also called paraffin cream. With its help, you can carry out cosmetic procedures even if you have contraindications to thermal effects and thermal procedures. Such a remedy costs several times more than a conventional pharmacy counterpart. But it is easier to use it, and the composition already contains additional useful components that will help grow long and strong nails. It is necessary to use cold paraffin in the same way as hot, only it does not need to be preheated, which saves time. The duration of the therapeutic procedure is 20-25 minutes. The use of gloves (you can buy special thermo accessories) is mandatory.

Protection to grow long nails

If you want to grow your nails and admire the result of your efforts for a long time, take care of protective measures:

1. A nourishing or moisturizing cream, which should be used every day in the morning before going outside, will help protect fabrics from the negative effects of environmental factors.

2. Always wear warm gloves on your hands so that your nails do not suffer from cold and frost. It is desirable that they are made of natural materials – wool, leather, cotton, which will allow the fabrics to breathe.

3. Always wear rubber gloves when doing any household chores or gardening. Especially if you use aggressive chemicals. However, the use of rubber gloves, inside of which your hands sweat, is not necessary if you replace the detergent preparations with mustard, natural laundry soap. The latter can be used to make both washing powder and dishwashing liquid.

4. If you are using decorative varnish, try to give them time to rest from the decorative coating during the time it takes to grow your nails. It is also recommended to abandon the use of drugs such as shellac, gel polish and acrylic powder. By themselves, they do not pose a threat to the health of the nail plates. But the methods that are used in order to remove the persistent decorative coating will definitely not bring any benefit. Both the impact of removers and sawing are negative factors that inhibit you on the way to your goal if you want to grow long nails.

5. For a manicure with a decorative finish, use a base, such as Essie's As Strong As It Gets. You can also apply a finish with the same functionality.

6. If you are using nail polish or permanent coat removers, make sure they are free of acetone or similar harmful substances.

Purchased products to help grow long nails

There are a large number of products on the market that are designed specifically to help you grow nails of the desired length. They contain many useful components that help to strengthen the nail plates, stimulate their growth. Our experts advise you to try one or more drugs from well-established brands such as Artdeco and Vivienne Sabo or:

1. Healing Nails Finger Glove from Holica Holica.

2. Sally Hansen Maximum Growth product for the protection and growth of nails.

3. Two-phase serum Green Tea Hyaluronic Shot from ANNY Cosmetics.

4. Growth Extract from Dance Legend brand.

You can also use varnishes that promote nail growth instead of the usual decorative coating, for example, Help Me Grow from the Essie brand. Or varnishes that strengthen nails with high quality, which cannot be grown due to the fact that they break or exfoliate. For example, our experts recommend trying the healing drug Dr. Rescue 3-in-1 from Maybelline New York.

How to quickly 'grow' one nail if it's broken

There are situations in life when all the nails managed to grow without any particular problems, but one of them suddenly breaks before going to a responsible event. In this case, it is necessary to trim the undamaged nail plates so that they are no longer than the broken piece. But after all, a manicure, created with such difficulty, will come into complete disrepair. To avoid this, and for a short time to 'grow' the broken nail, you can use one method. However, keep in mind that it should not be used if the fracture is too large, as well as when the nail plate is injured close to the growth line.

How to quickly grow one long nail in extreme conditions – express method:

1. Treat the damaged nail with a nail file and buff so that there are no sharp corners and the surface becomes slightly rough.

2. Take a tea bag, cut it open, pour in the tea leaves. Cut a small strip from the bag that will match the tip of the broken marigold, covering the gap.

3. Take rubber glue like Moment. In no case should you use 'hot' glue, which is sold in tubes weighing one gram, has a transparent and fluid consistency, forms a matte whitish film on the surface. You need to apply the thinnest layer of rubber glue to a piece of paper from a tea bag and press it to the place of the chip.

4. Take a thin brush, dip it in the glue, apply another layer over the paper 'patch' of the nail. You need to try to make this layer as even as possible so that it does not stand out on the surface of the nail plate. The second layer of glue is applied only after the first is completely dry. That is, in about 10-20 minutes.

5. Polish the surface of the reanimated nail plate using a file with the smallest abrasive particles.

6. Cover the surface of the rescued marigold first with a clear varnish, then with a varnish of the color that covers the surface of the rest of the fingers.

This method will help save your manicure for one day, after which you will need to give all the nails the same length, focusing on the damaged element. Then you will need to grow your nails again.

How to Grow Long Nails with Fungus

Fungal diseases most often affect the toenails, not the hands, but there are situations when the infection also penetrates into the tissues of the upper extremities. In this case, the nails cease to grow normally, begin to exfoliate, turn yellow and generally look quite unpresentable.

To cure nails from mycotic lesions, it is recommended to consult a doctor – a mycologist or at least a dermatologist, podiatrist. He will prescribe medications, and in case of severe injuries, special procedures, for example, laser treatment. After that, you can try to regrow long and healthy nails. This process will not be complete without the use of vitamins A, E and B, biotin, calcium and iron, as well as foods rich in gelatin (a collagen substitute).

How to grow long nails if you're used to biting them

The habit of biting nails is a problem not only for children and adolescents, but also for older people. But unlike babies, adults understand that if they chew on the nail plates, they will not be able to grow. And yet, if you are prone to such actions, breaking the habit is very difficult. The advice of our experts can help you with this:

1. Cover your feet with decorative varnish regularly. One look at your perfect manicure can stop the urge to take your fingertips into your mouth.

2. Treat the nail plates regularly with something sour or bitter. For example, you can use lemon juice. This substance, when it gets on the oral mucosa, will help you remember in time that you don't need to bite your nails, because you want to grow them.

3. Always have chewing gum handy. You bite your nails, most likely under stress. Therefore, when another traumatic situation arises, you can chew gum instead of nibbling marigolds. The effect will be almost the same, but the tissues of the hands will not be negatively affected and will be able to easily grow back to the length you need.

What to do if you can't grow your nails – an alternative method

If you can't grow long nails, you can resort to modern methods of the nail industry. That is, to make the extension of the nail plates using shellac or gel polish. The advantages of these methods are undeniable:

1. If you use the services of a qualified experienced master, then at first glance no one can distinguish extended marigolds from natural ones, not even another manicure master.

2. Nails can be given any shape – round, almond, square or rectangular. The most natural look is the shape of the nail plates, which is inherent in you by nature. If you grow too long and sharp nails, everyone will understand that they are artificial.

3. The color of extended nails can also be anything from white to black, including the most natural combinations of pale pink, beige and white tones. In the latter case, others will have the feeling that you managed to grow beautiful long nails on your own.

4. The duration of the 'wearing' of artificial marigolds is up to four weeks. If high-quality and safe materials are used during the extension process (as well as during the removal of the coating), the procedure can be repeated on the same day. But experts still recommend taking breaks. You can wear long extended nails for a month, then flaunt short, well-groomed nails for one to two weeks, and again go back to a long manicure.

5. Under the polymer coating, your marigolds are protected from negative external influences and gradually grow back, as nothing prevents this. Natural fabrics will not break off, exfoliate, removing shellac or gel polish, you will find nail plates grown by 3-4 millimeters, which are ready for a new manicure.

6. You can artificially grow or grow nails in just one or two hours, instead of a month. This is an advantage for those girls for whom it is important to get results and put their nails in order as quickly as possible. For example, if there is not much time left before an important and responsible event, which you need to attend.

7. It's easy to get used to extended nails, it will take several days. After one or two days you will no longer feel gel polish or shellac, acrylic, you will behave completely naturally, as if a manicure was done on your own nails.

8. You can perform extensions not only in the salon or nail bar, but also at home. To do this, you will only need to buy a special UV lamp. As well as gel polishes of the desired colors, a small number of special accessories and a means for removing polymer or acrylic coatings from nails. Of course, before you learn how to perform a manicure as well as a professional, you will have to practice. To do this, you can use special mini-mannequins in the form of separate marigolds. As a result, you will be able to save on salon procedures and no longer wonder how to grow long nails.

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