How To: Long Nails

I get a lot of comments on my nail posts that go  little something like this: "I love your long nails. My nails always break and I can't grow them long." Well, I must confess that until I started to go to college, my nails were unbearably and painfully short. I could NEVER get my nails to grow because they would always break. Then I realized that when I started to do a couple of things differently, my nails started to grow. I still alternate between having long nails and short nails just to see if these tricks works, and they do! Here are my tips on how to keep your nails from breaking and how to get them to be long. Keep in mind that you can't really make your nails grow faster, and you have to be patient to get to grow to your desired length.

Here are some example of my nail lengths:

This is my longer nails, and probably the longest I have had them.

This is my relatively short nails that are still not super short.

And this is my shorter, uneven nails.

What I do to get long nails:

1.Wear nail polish frequently
Wearing nail polish is a fantastic way to make your nails stronger and thicker. Nail polish also acts as a protective barrier from things that make your nails more brittle (like water or harsh soaps). In my experience, once I  started to wear nail polish frequently, my nails started to become stronger and they actually grew long. I advice that you re-paint your nails about once a week. Of course you can manicure them more frequently, but not everyone has the time to do them more often. Also, it is better if your wear nails polish when you take showers or wash dishes since your nails will be a little more protected and they won't break as easily.

2. Nail Polish Remover
Nail polish is great for the strength of your nails, but unfortunately nail polish remover is not. Most nail polish removers are very harsh and dry out the cuticle of the nail. I suggest using a acetone-free remover, or a very gentle and nourishing remover. My favorite is Zoya's Remove +. It is super gentle on my nails and does not dry out the cuticle or make my nails brittle.

3. Nail Clippers or Filers
One important thing to maintaining long nails is to either clip them slightly or to file them frequently. Filing and cutting the nails will smooth the edges and prevent rough edges that may lead to breakage. Just like you will trim your hair to avoid or get rid of split ends, cutting and filing the nails will also get rid of an unwanted and damaged part of the nail.

4. Cuticle Oil (Optional)
This may or may not help your nails grow longer, but I really enjoy applying cuticle oil on my nails occasionally. Maintaining healthy cuticles is a key to maintaining healthy and long nails~

 That is all I do to get my nails to grow somewhat long. This may work for you or it may not. Many people are blessed with having naturally long and healthy nails, and I certainly am not one of those people. But I hope this helps a little. Until next time ^_^