How To Grow Your Nails...

I love all things nails. Even before I became a fully qualified Nail Technician last year, I was fully on the nail bandwagon and have always been rather enthusiastic about the topic - especially nail care. I've talked about tips, tricks and general ways I like to keep my beds in tip-top shape various times round these parts in the past, but one area I feel like I haven't covered before is how to actually grow your nails. It may sound pretty straightforward (and admittedly, sometimes it is) but sometimes it can require a little more time and effort than you'd expect and I've definitely discovered a handful of pointers along the way that help, a lot...

EAT HEALTHY (OR AS HEALTHY AS YOU CAN BE) - Trust me,  I know that sometimes this one can be a little tough - especially after the food-fest month that was December - but if you really want to get your nails into super-good condition and hopefully grow them out too, it has to be said that your diet is a pretty big factor. Whatever you put in is what you will get out and so a relatively healthy diet is always a step in the right direction. Eat your fruit and veg (and all that kinda stuff), get those nutrients in and you'll be amazed at the difference it makes...

INVEST IN SOME GOOD NAIL CARE - Aswell as taking care if what you're putting in, it's also pretty essential to pay some attention to what you're doing on the outside too. I always notice a massive difference in my nails when I use more products targeted at improving them - not only in the condition, but the ability to grow them/overall length. Put some hand cream on every now and again, apply a little cuticle butter to your nail beds and lacquer your talons up with a nourishing base coat/treatment polish regularly and you'll be sporting those long, strong nails in no time at all.

REGULARLY MAINTAIN YOUR NAILS - It might sound strange, but in order to keep your nails in a good state and help them grow longer, faster - it's important to continue to maintain them. You may think that you need to leave them alone in order to get the best results, but really, its best to give them a little MOT every so often in-between. If you leave your nails alone to grow without giving them a tiny trim and shape, you're more likely to encounter a nail-related casualty and then you'll be back at square one, having to start all over again. Much like a haircut, tend to your nails every few weeks and see how they're looking.

GIVE THEM A REST - I love a good coat of colour on my nails as much as the next person, but if you're super serious about growing them out, perhaps give it a rest for a little while. Even just letting your beds breathe for a week or so in-between lacquering them up can really help to keep them in a better state. The whole nail painting process (both the application and removal) can be pretty strenuous on your nails and even during wear-time, they can become a little suffocated so perhaps next time you remove your polish - take some time before you next do so.

BE MINDFUL OF YOUR NAILS - A major factor that is always essential - whether it's your nail colour you're wanting to protect, or your nails themselves - is to be mindful of your nails. A lot of the steps above kind of come under this but in everyday lie, if and when you can, try and protect them and just generally be careful with them. As the saying goes - your nails are jewels, not tools...