How to get your nails to grow long and strong

Struggling with nails that keep peeling or breaking? You might be disappointed to know that, just like you can’t truly repair damaged hair, you can’t bring damaged nails back from the dead. Still, you can fortify them so that they’re less likely to break while you grow out a healthier, stronger set.

Instant strength

Nails that are naturally thin or have been weakened by a manicure sin – like too much buffing – are going to bend and break. The same goes for nails that are so dehydrated that they become brittle. In either case, the fix is to intensively hydrate your nails and thicken them by adding a few extra layers. Think of how easy it is to fold a single paper plate in half. Folding a thick stack of them, however, is almost impossible.

To instantly hydrate, massage a cuticle oil or nail repair treatment into your entire nail bed. Once it’s completely absorbed, layer on a reparative base coat. All of these will typically contain keratin (the protein from which your nails are made) that can bond to your nail’s natural keratin. 

Better next time 

While you’re growing out your damaged nails, help your body create new ones that are even stronger by ensuring you eat a nutritious diet. Getting enough iron, magnesium, vitamin C, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc and the B-group vitamins, particularly biotin (also known as vitamin B7) is essential to healthy nails. 

To ensure you’re not deficient in anything, you can always take a multivitamin or one that’s specially formulated to contain all the vitamins and minerals you need for healthy nail growth. Studies have shown that participants with brittle nails taking as little as 2.5g of biotin per day could improve the quality of their new nail growth within just six weeks! 

IMAGE CREDIT: 123rf.com