It has taken me years of trial and error but I finally discovered how to maintain long nails! I would always let my nails grow really long and then they would break or tear painfully and leave me with stubby and sore nails. I would then have to cut the rest down and be left with short nails for another few weeks. I never seemed to figure out how to maintain long nails until a few months back. I decided to share my tips with you and save you the trouble!
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How to maintain long nails – A guide:
Firstly, if you have trouble growing your nails in the first place – I recommend taking a Biotin supplement. Once I began taking Biotin, my hair and nails grew so much quicker and stronger. It also made my nails harder so they were less likely to break or tear. They had been prone to tearing before and were quite pliable and bendy so when I began the course of Biotin, they became much more hard-wearing.
Secondly, I would advise sticking to a proper diet or taking a multivitamin. Calcium and zinc are important for nail health and growth so if you don’t eat dairy, you may not be getting enough. If you happen to have white spots on the nails then you are likely deficient in calcium. It is the body’s way of showing a lack of calcium.
Here are my main tips to keep your nails long and strong –
Wash your hands properly regularly, using a nail brush to clean behind your nails and right into the fingertips. This keeps any bacteria at bay, therefore promoting nail health. Once you have washed your hands, make sure to dry them properly. They will be stronger when dry as they soften slightly when wet so keep them dry as much as possible. The same goes for when you are showering, bathing or swimming. Any time your hands are wet. Here are some natural hand soaps worth swapping to – Madara, Jason, Weleda and Yes To.
If you find it difficult to clean behind your nails with the nail brush, use an orange stick and then wash your nails in warm soapy water. Natural soaps are best. Liquid Castile soap is also a good choice.
Wear gloves if you wash dishes in the sink. The hot water and chemicals from the washing up liquid weaken your nails and will leave them prone to breakage.
Do a nail scrub and exfoliate. Try not to tear the cuticles but push them back with a rubber-edged or metal orange stick. Most good quality nail sets have them. You can buy good quality nail scrubs or make your own with olive oil and sugar. This exfoliating hand scrub by Jurlique is good.
File, buff and shine your nails regularly. I do this at least once a week and I always notice quicker growth, less breakage, stronger and smoother nails when doing so. Get a good quality nail set for best results. This set by Tweezerman is good. If you would like to try an electric file and buffer, this one is great.
Apply a base coat, strengthener or top coat on your nails once you have filed, buffed and shined your nails. Nails Inc. Back to Life Recovery Treatment is good as a base coat and nail protector. Lauren B Top Coat is another good choice as a top coat which is chip resistant, long-lasting and gives salon-worthy shine.
Do not bite your nails or put your nails in your mouth. This only damages the nails and leaves them more prone to tears, breakage and flaking. If you are prone to nail biting then you can try this cuticle and skin gel by Nailtiques as it may help to strengthen them until you can stop.
Use non-toxic nail varnish – they are best. Some examples are – Nailberry and Butter London.
Do not chew the skin around your nails or cut it. It affects the look of the nails and again, can damage nail growth.
If you break a nail, file it immediately or use a small curved nail scissors to remove the broken part while shaping the nail. File the nail so that there are no rough edges. This is a quality brand nail scissors by The Vintage Cosmetic Company.
File the nails in one direction rather than back and forth so as not to cause friction and keep it smooth.
If there are still some frayed bits, use the buffer to smooth out the tips. This also helps when applying nail varnish after filing, so there are no bits left.
Trim your nails regularly so as not to let them grow too long and break. This is really important! I was always afraid to cut mine but they always ended up breaking anyway!
Use neutral colours rather than darks, they last longer before looking too chipped and that way you use less nail varnish remover, which can be harsh on your nails.
Use acetone-free nail varnish remover and buy a decent quality one rather than a cheap one. This one by Lauren B is good.
Invest in a good quality hand cream/nail cream. Use this regularly (twice or 3 times a week or more). Here are a couple of good ones – Dr Botanicals and Pai.
Use cuticle oil. I love cuticle oil but it needs to be used at a separate time to applying your nail varnish as it is very oily. Rub it into the cuticles and nails. This one from Essie is good.
Avoid nail decals and rough nail varnish like the kind that crackles/has textures in it. It is difficult to remove and can cause problems.
Steer well clear of false nails, especially gel and acrylic or any ones that are permanent. They are especially bad for your nails so avoid them like the plague! If you have had some removed recently, I recommend doing a nail mask such as this one.
Do a moisturising hand mask every once in a while. I tried this one by Skimono a while back and loved it.
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