How to Finally Grow Long Nails

Healthy nails can turn into longer nails.

If you want long nails, start by making sure yours are healthy. Healthy nails are strong and grow regularly, while unhealthy ones are dry and brittle and break easily. Fingernails are made of the protein keratin, which also forms your hair. And like with your hair, nutrition and treatment are the biggest factors in nail health. Eat a balanced diet to spur growth from the inside and treat your nails gently to keep them long and looking good on the outside.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Occasionally go without nail polish to give you nails a chance to breathe. Use non-acetone nail polish remover to avoid drying out your nails.

2. Don't bite your fingernails. Not only does biting leave your nails looking bad, but is also can cause pain, bleeding and infections.

3. Pay close attention to your diet and eat plenty of protein to grow long nails.

4. Don't cut long cuticles. Instead, soak your nails in warm water and gently push the cuticle up.

5. File your nails regularly and gently. File in one direction. Filing removes the useless tops of the nails, much like a trim removes split ends on your hair.

Tips & Warnings

• The key thing to remember when trying to grow long nails is patience. Your fingernails won't get long overnight.

References

• AZ Teen Magazine: How Fingernails Grow and Ways to Make Them Grow Faster
• Mayo Clinic.com: Nails: How to Keep Your Fingernails Healthy and Strong