I wrote a post in the early days of my blog about how to grow nails. You see I had some broke down, peeling, breaking nails and some busted cuticles and I was on a mission to change that. Somehow the post has gotten deleted, but all the links to it remain, which can only be explained by the fact that there are aliens who live in the internet and screw things up just for fun. Seriously, ask anyone with a website, they mess with your stuff all the time. I’m kidding . . . sorta.

Anyways, a few people have pointed out that the post was missing and since my nails are WAY longer and healthier now than when I wrote that post, I figured it’s time to rewrite it anyway! I still have mostly the same advice with a few new additions.

The top picture was taken way before I even wrote the original post. I had already gotten my cuticles under control, but yet at that time that was as long as I could ever get my natural nails. The bottom is my nails today, and I have to file them at least once a week because otherwise they get too long and I get annoyed with them. So all of these changes have mad a pretty big impact.

SO let’s talk about how I did it!

Nutrition: Healthy nails (and hair btw) start with a healthy diet. I’m not a doctor or a dietician so I’m not going to tell you what a healthy diet is, but I will say that since I have concentrated on making sure that my diet was higher in protein and chock full of fresh vegetables, my nails have been growing like weeds. Healthy hair, skin and nails start as a reflection of a healthy body, so make sure you are putting quality foods in your face and you may notice your nails looking better and better.

Supplements: There is a lot of debate about whether or not supplements really help your nails. Some people say take nothing, some say to take a hair skin and nails blend, and some say to take biotin. On the recommendation of a friend who works in that field I take Biotin for my nails. I am not always consistent with taking it, but that kind of works out well because I can really see a difference in how hard they are and how fast they grow when I am taking it and when I am not. There is a difference for sure BUT I also really believe that supplements are just a helpful addition to a healthy diet and not a replacement for one though, so make sure you are starting with good nutrition first.

Maintenance: Maintaining your cuticles is a huge part of growing out your nails. Healthy cuticles are directly related to healthy nails, which is something I never realized for a long time. I have a post about how to heal cracked and peeling cuticles. If you have problem cuticles that crack and bleed and peel all the time, read that post first. It’s the first step on the road to healthy nails. If you have normal cuticles that just happen to get a little dry once in a while then you can do regular maintenance to your nails and cuticles and it will help quite a bit as well. Here are some do’s and don’ts

• Do some weekly (or at least bi-monthly) cuticle care. You can read HERE about how I do that at home.
• Don’t cut your cuticles! Gently remove them with a cuticle remover and either use an orange stick push them back very gently or scrub them as I mentioned in the post about my weekly cuticle routine.
• Do rub a little cuticle oil on to your nails and cuticles every day. I like to leave a tube of it in the living room so when I have a few minutes of downtime I can put some on and spend a few moments massaging it in. Not only will that keep them moisturized but the massaging helps with blood flow, which is good for the health of the nail bed and the cuticle.
• Don’t be afraid to go short. If your nails are peeling, bending, breaking, uneven, catching on things, putting holes in your tights and/or are generally in a state of disrepair, you MAY need to make them shorter and start fresh in order to grow them out. Things like peeling and split edges will only get worse if you don’t go a bit shorter to get rid of the damage. If your nails are damaged, I recommend shortening them until they are at least just to the end of your finger tip. I know it may seem counterintuitive because it probably took a while to grow them past that point anyway, but there is a reason they keep breaking. It’s better to start fresh and grow them out them out healthy and strong.
• Do remove chipped nail polish. Seriously, get it off as soon as you can. Chipped polish creates an uneven thickness which can lead to them breaking more easily, and it also tends to catch on things, which leads to more damage.
• Don’t peel your polish off! Whether it’s regular polish or gel, peeling it off will damage your nails. Just say no, even though it’s super tempting sometimes. Trust me I know the struggle.

Nail Shape: Something to make note of - if you wear square nails and you find that they keep breaking, try a more rounded shape. The blunt edge of square nails is prone to catching on things or getting bent and broken. Rounded nails are easier to grow out. I understand that people are pretty partial to their favorite nail shape, but if you are feeling flexible at all give a rounder shape a try. I wrote a post about my transition to the rounder shape over a year ago and I have been wearing them round ever since, so it can be done 😉

THE ULTIMATE RULE: Do not under any circumstances less dire than life or death use your nails as tools. If you treat them like tools, they will look like tools. They will break, maybe not today maybe not tomorrow but one day you will try to pop open a can of soda with your thumb nail and it will break and you will be sad. I seriously can’t stress this enough. Don’t use them to pick, pull, pry, poke or peck things. Just don’t do it.

Those are the keys to my nail transformation. No gimmicks, no magic potions, just good old patience and care. Do you have any killer tips on how to grow nails? Let everyone know in the comments!