Nails define how your hands will look. If you have problems growing your nails faster, this guide will serve as your cheat sheet to grow nails that look healthy.
Supplements to stimulate nail growth
Medicinal practitioners have suggested taking supplements of artichokes to detoxify and tone the liver and strengthen the absorption of essential fatty acids necessary for healthy nail growth. Health experts have also advised taking mineral silica for strengthening and smoothing ridged nails. For first-timers, it is recommended to try this for three months before taking a month break and start another course if needed.
The Structure of the Nail
All visible nail tissue is made of ‘keratinised’ particles or dead cells. Nails protect our fingers and toe tips from damage. You may wonder how long it takes to grow nails? It takes about six months to grow a nail from its root, or matrix, to the free edge at the fingertip.
In a technical context, the nail itself is known as the ‘Onyx’ and is usually flat and slight pink in colour on the nail bed and appears to be translucent at the free edge portion. The nail is made of keratinised cells. Therefore we can buff, cut, and shape it to the length we want.
How to Grow Nails Faster?
To encourage faster nail growth, one of the ways and is also the most natural and effective way is to ensure healthy blood supply to the matrix by bringing life-giving oxygen and nutrition to new nail cells.
The matrix or the nail’s root is the only area where the nail cells are alive and reproduce new nail cells. Therefore, massaging the nail matrix increases blood supply and helps to speed up the production of new nail cells to increase growth speed.
What other methods or treatments on how to get nails to grow?
You may also try using warm hand treatments such as the warm oil cloak that has to be applied and concentrated around the matrix as increased heat on this area will improve circulation to the nails and encourage nails to grow.
Warm Oil Cloak
This is a simple nail treatment that can be easily carried out at home.
- Place a large bowl of hot water on a table or any flat surface and place a smaller bowl floating inside it.
- Pour some sweet almond or macadamia nut oil generously inside the smaller bowl and wait for the oil to warm (a mixture of almond and butter oil will also do the trick).
- Place your fingers in the small oil and soak for about five minutes. Be sure to cover over the matrix level. This helps to soften cuticles and nails.
- After five minutes, rub the oil over your hands and up your forearms to complete the process.
- The oil will stay warm for a while; therefore, the nourishment from it will be well absorbed by your skin. The warmth and heat from the oil will boost blood circulation to your fingers, hence stimulating the cells in the matrix area, causing the nails to grow faster.
Some sweet almond oils and macadamia nut oil products are bought and tested by many – great for massage as well as moisturising! They can be used as massage oils, moisturiser, shower oils, even for hair and scalp treatment!
For Weak Nails and False Acrylic Nails Users
Nutritionists have recommended the oil of evening primrose to be one of the most effective natural supplements to strengthen nails.
If you have weak and brittle nails that either split or quickly break, or someone who uses false acrylic nails frequently, some reliable nail products in the market are excellent nails strengtheners that you may like to try:
OPI Original Nail Envy
This is a favourite among many celebrities; it contains hydrolysed wheat protein, vitamin E and calcium to help thin, weak and brittle nails.
- Apply over bare nails as a base coat or just two coats alone.
- Apply and use this weekly as a base or top it as a coat for protection and maintenance.
The result is significant with a transparent, glossy and smooth finish without flaking. I could see the strengthening benefits after a week or two.
Crabtree and Evelyn Gardeners Nail and Cuticle Therapy
This product has a lovely aroma, smells from rosemary, comfrey, yarrow, clover, lavender, calendula. Professional manicurists have suggested applying this three times weekly to make your nails more resilient.
Decleor Aromessence Ongles Nail Treatment Oil
This product is all-natural and an aromatherapy-oil treatment with the essential oils of parsley, lemon, and myrrh. These oils also help to reduce pigmentation on the nail beds sometimes. It is also an oil-based product and should be applied to the base of the nails and massaged into the hands to prevent dry skin.
Stop Nail Biting
How to prevent nailbiting? What are the ways to stop nail biting?
Some of you may wonder if there is nail polish for nail biting in the market. Yes, you are quite right; there is. This is what we call the Pavlovian approach, which uses a type of nail biting polish, a waterproof solution used to paint your nails that taste extremely bitter whenever you try to bite your nails.
Another way is to apply cuticle oil daily to stop nail-biting, as it is challenging to get a grip on your teeth due to the slippery and smooth surface of the nail.
If you are those who value the use of money, to ensure money is well spent, keep a weekly appointment with a manicurist and get yourself pampered with manicure designs so pretty and happen not to cost too cheaply, so you are less likely to bite your nails and destroy the perfect manicure that you have paid for.
Why are my nails not growing? How to make nails grow?
Before we get into the ways to grow nails, you’d need to look into some of the problems of your nails first. Understanding your nail problem and challenges will help you choose the correct methods and approach as well as the right products to tackle them. From here, you can arrive at what way you’ll need to grow your nails faster.
