Don’t know how to get long and strong nails? Try as you might, your nails never seem to make it past the nail bed without chipping or breaking on you.
It’s frustrating, we know. (Especially when your colleague is always complaining about hers grow too fast. Wah.) Here, some trusty tips on how to make yours long and strong within a month.
In the Morning: Use a growth serum
Growth serum is loaded with biotin – helps to strengthen weak nails while also keeping your cuticles healthy. Apply a drop onto bare nails (or over nail any color) and gently massage, once a day.
Afternoon: Cuticle oil
Cuticles protect and prevent any infections so it’s crucial to keep them healthy. Have a bottle of oil at your desk just a reminder to apply some oil between meetings or during lunch while you’re browsing.
At night: Smear on some lotion
Remember to always use a thicker formula because it really works it into your cuticles and over your nails, too, since most of us tend to just apply it onto our hands. Parched nails peel and become brittle, whereas hydrated ones stay smooth and shiny.
Every few days: Use a nail hardener
The proteins and conditioning ingredients present in nail hardener, strengthen your tips and also nourishing them.
During every weekend: File them into round or oval shapes.
Avoid pointy tips or square edges this tends to catch on things and break. Slightly rounded or curved edges are much safer. An added bonus of making your nails look longer.
Always: Wear gloves when you’re doing chores.
Continuous contact with water and harsh detergents (like your dish soap) can tend to make your nails dry. Fortunately, a simple way to fix this is wearing a pair of rubber gloves and after that always apply aforementioned hand cream.
Remember to: Use a conditioning polish remover.
Find something without acetone in it. Bonus points if it also has conditioning oils in the formula (like Priti NYC’s version). Though you’ll likely have to work a bit harder to get the polish off, it’s much better for your nails because the chemicals aren’t as harsh.
In the meantime: Swipe a neutral polish.
Go for a creamy opaque shade that’s similar to the colour of your skin or one shade lighter, while your nails are growing out. This will make your nails look longer in the in-between stages. Later, you’ll be ready to bust out the bright hues.