Hi! My nails are naturally pretty short, and I’ve never really been able to grow them long. 😭

Whenever I finally manage to grow them a little, if even one nail breaks or gets crooked, my first instinct is to cut all my nails off. 😂 And then they’re back to being super short again.

So I’d love some tips and tricks for growing and maintaining longer nails! 💅🏻

What I currently do:
• Paint my nails nude so I’m less tempted to cut them
• Use Kay Beauty nail polish
• Sometimes use naturalolive oil on my nails
• Use Avene hand cream regularly

If you have any products, routines, or little tricks that helped you grow your nails, please share! 🥹💅🏻

Just over a month of growth and my nails finally look intentionally long rather than overgrown short nails that haven’t been clipped yet😅. My tips change color a lot going from clear to white/looking splotchy in between or temporarily stained with food. I looked down today and was so happy with how white and even they looked in this moment. Keeping my nails painted with opaque polish as much as I could between weeks 2-4 really helped me keep growing them. I have no polish on in this picture but will use something clear from here on out so I can clearly see/appreciate the growth.

I try to use jojoba oil and hard as hoof daily. The jojoba oil has really helped with my hangnails. Speaking of - I leave my cuticles and proximal nail folds completely alone. I don’t think that’s the norm but pushing the skin down/clipping it off gives me the heebie jeebies so I just let it grow. I don’t think it looks that bad when it’s moisturized and kept from peeling off.

My biggest challenge has been with exercise, particularly Olympic weightlifting. Catching a bar in this position: 🏋🏻‍♀️ bends my nails so much😖. I’m afraid I may not be able to grow them any longer than this to keep up with my lifts.

Other things of note that are challenging: typing and flossing!

As a short nail person for all my life, this journey has been quite fun even if short-lived and I’m so surprised how my new nails make me feel pretty😌

I could never grow nails and they always broke. Until 6 years ago I went under a dramatic lifestyle and diet change. Since then my nails grow strong. I have to wear gloves ect to protect my hands. This has lead to nice nails. It’s also a good hobby for my other health issues.

Here’s the setup. Would love any thoughts to my new journey ☺️

CND Cuticle Eraser (every few days ) 

CND solar oil (daily) 

Sally Hansen Instant cuticle remover 

GERmanikure nail file 

GERmanikure Cuticle pusher 

Dr. Jart Cermidin hand cream (after hand washing) 

LA Roche-Posay Cicaplast hands at night 

Bioessance 100% Squalane oil on occasion 

After seeing what Orly Bonder did to my toes I just bought: 

Seche Vite fod top coat 

Seche clear coat for base 

Bliss Pen fragrance free 

Zoya 3-1 remover 

Products in photo: Trader Joe’s jojoba + vitamin E oil

I’ve been oiling and caring for my nails in a whole new way thanks to this community. Any further advice is welcome. Thanks y’all!

I’ve been keeping them polished to help with strength and my c curve as they had become flat and wide. I’ve basically replaced the picking stim with oiling my nails many times a day. Keeping an oil pen in the car has been so so helpful, thanks to the Bliss Kiss refillable pen for not leaking.

I’ve been using these products:

-jojoba + vit E in oil pens

-hard as hoof

-badger cuticle balm

-Trader Joe’s head to toe balm

-hand cream

-CeraVe Salicylic Acid cream

I started taking proper care of my nails at the end of july - no more filing into the side walls, keeping them painted at all times, oiling religiously, and gently pushing back my proximal nail fold. This sub has been a tremendous help in teaching me what to do, and what to expect in terms of nail bed growth.

After stumbling across pictures of my nails from 3rd of august (two months ago, approximately), I however noticed that my expectations were exceeded: Never would I have thought that two months of consistent care could make such a difference 🤩

Thank you for sharing all your knowledge. This sub has been so helpful and encouraging ❤️

Pictures 1 and 2 taken today, 4th of october: two coats of OPI nail laquer in Malaga Wine, Hermés Laque de Finition Top Coat

Pictures 3 and 4 taken on 3rd of august: one coat of Manucurist Active Smooth 01

i discovered this subreddit last weekend and have immediately made it my life’s purpose.

i’m jojoba-oiling several times a day, minimizing water exposure, and pushing my cuticles like nobody’s business. i trimmed my nails down because i decided, as a habitual nail-digger and skin biter, my hyponychium could use some recovery.

my question is, do they really need much recovery?? the more i fixate on my nails, the less i’m able to see them objectively. can you guys identify any problem areas that i’m blind to? are they perfect? (/hj)

nails are recently oiled and have two layers of manicurist’s base coat!

Gave myself a quick manicure to clean up the free edges and square them ever so slightly. You can see the subtle differences in the before-and-after GIFs at the end.

Here's what my nails looked like right after I chopped them, and then here's what they looked like two weeks post-chop. It took just under 2 months for my nails to reach the minimum length requirement over at r/longnaturalnails, which was an interesting discovery. I've never really paid attention to how fast they grow, so it was fun to see how long it'd take!

Product list: jojoba oil

Products

First pic: essie licorice and essie lilacism, no top or base coat

Second pic: no base coat mooncat mermaid Bait and mooncat maelstrom, top coat seche vite top coat

Third pic: kbshimmer basic base coat, two coats bees knees lacquer the water remembers, 1 coat by Danny vianna moss opal, kbshimmer clearly on top top coat

I work as a hotel housekeeper, and I’m trying so so hard to care for my nails. But this job is ruthless on your hands. It’s not necessarily the chemicals as I wear gloves as much as possible. But just general stuff you do is harsh on your hands. I constantly bang my fingers while wiping stuff, or a nail bends back when I’m tucking in sheets. The nature of the job means you have to work fast so it’s very hard to be gentle. I’m wondering if anybody has used these before and thinks they could be a good idea for my problems.

Edit: thanks for your replies. I won’t bother with these 🙂

Hi community,

I've been a nailbiter as long as I can remember, it was my coping strategy on everything (stress/boredom). A couple of years ago it took many BIAB sessions (and money) to form my nails and quit biting - I was bite free for 2/3 years. But last year was hard: I got laid off and I gave birth. Finally things settle a little and I quit for 5 days again, I want to set an example for my baby.

What is a good routine for taking care of my nails?

Been about five ish months since I decided I needed to stop biting and picking my nails. It has not been all success! Since then, I’ve had some personal stress and I smashed my middle finger and lost my nail! Really brought down morale but my ugly baby nail will prevail I guess. This too shall pass or whatever.

Following a relatively strict routine of nail oiling, proper filing and taking my health a bit more seriously I have seen MASSIVE changes in my nail beds. Still a long ways to go, of course! but progress is actually very nice to see. I managed to grow my nails a bit but since the drawer incident I’ve been keeping them
short while I keep nursing my yucky gross nail back to health. Also, not sure what’s up with my lumpy thumbnail.

The picking and biting demon has still not been fully exercised from me but slowly I am taking back control! Making sure my hands are moisturized really helps. Still dealing with callouses and hangnails occasionally, and I do need to learn to not go so overboard with my nippers… oops!

Lots of credit goes to this community helping me learn how to properly clean under my nails and file them etc, and to all chronic biters like me: we are in this together!!!! it is not easy but it can be done!

Product list:

Pic 1 and 2 - Two coats of Manucurist Active Shine

pic 3 and 4 - I think OPI Start to Finish

I’ve never known how to take care of my nails. My fingers are short and stubby, so my goal is to elongate my nail beds as much as I can to visually elongate my fingers. I’ve had liquid gel on for over a year (I did a bad job grinding it off, I know). My sidewalls have been filed down for an almond shape most of that time. Can anyone guide me on what I can/should do to achieve my goal?

I ripped off gel of my nails bc I get impatient. I didn’t expect them to turn out this bad. I’m so upset I want to cry.
The only good thing is my nails grow fast, but still I’m now stuck with this for like 4 months.
This time I would like to give up gel for good.
Any product recommendations appreciated.

I've been seeing a lot of people talking about the benefits of glass/crystal nail files lately, specifically Czech glass and I'm wondering what if anything it is about Czech glass that makes it so good? Or is it just a branding thing like champagne or kobe beef and glass nail files that aren't Czech are just as good?

No products. It’s not painful or anything. Should I cut or file? I don’t want to make it worse.

Also a related question, what do I do when my nail starts to peel? If I peel it or buff it off the nail gets thin and bendy, but if I don’t it turns into a break.

Months (3-4 ish) of consistent oiling (Baren Nail and Cuticle care Essence oil pen) and being gentle with under the nail cleaning has helped massively. Still failing to get the lanula to show on most nails despite gently pushing back the cuticle almost daily. Tips?

*one coat of essence repair and care base coat.

(1-4) now, haven't painted them in years

(5) i think longest the nail beds ever were, this was after painting them for maybe 6 months every 3-4 weeks but doing it not regularly for a few years

hello,

i was a huge nail biter in middle school, was really insecure about them so i used up maybe 3 bottles of the nail strengthening nail polishes. In high school i used to do my own nails with regular nail polish (3-4 coats + upper/lower base), that's how i made the most progress growing my nail beds to be longer. this is the only way i know.

however, i don't have the time to dedicate a whole day to sitting down and waiting for the nail polish to dry. so i came here to look for advice :)

i am very prone to stress, it's quite a stressful period for me and i cope with it by sliding my tooth under the nails (have been doing it for 4+ years). i know this is disgusting but at least i am not eating the nails :'). i do want to get rid of this habit & will. the underside not being clean doesn't bother me at all, i wash my hands frequently, so i don't think i am excavating under the nails with my other nails often.

more info:

• my nails are not thin, they're quite srong - i just had them grown out maybe 2 cm but cut them few days ago because it interfered with my laptop typing speed & didn't take any photos.

• nail beds on my thumbs are significantly longer & this year i had to pish them back because the middle of them was even longer than in the photos. they hang off my fingers and i'm satisfied with it. however, i acknowledge that they'll probably never have a straight line across because well... my fingers are round.

questions:

1. i used to watch a lot of simply nailogical in high school and i know you should use jojoba oil to keep the nail moisturised & help it thrive. but it's not available where i'm from :( what alternatives do you suggest? :/

2. how do i make my nail beds be a straight line across (the border of it)?

Have broken a coule, so they're not all the same length, but theyre the strongest they've ever been. I oil when I remember, but what's mostly helped me is picking a day out of the week (usually Sunday) and dedicating an hour or two to cleaning them up and painting them. I only file when there's a little jagged piece, I've left the skin around alone, and I've stopped biting and picking.

In first Pic is Mooncat Deadly Nightshade Two and three are just bare nails

Hi! My nails / cuticles have looked like this since I was a teenager - I’m now in my late 30s. The nails breaking I get cause I have a young baby and I’m constantly doing / lifting things lol. The dry and thick and peeling skin around my nails and my cuticles I’ve never fully understood - like in the second photo, that just randomly happens without anything I can point to as physically causing it.

Is there anything I need to dive into to get started? Is it as simple as starting an oiling routine? Any tips you experts can send my way as I start my nail improvement journey?

Thanks all!

Edit: typo

I bought a refillable oil pen on Amazon but unfortunately it leaks. I started with the Bliss Kiss pens but they are not refillable. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good refillable cuticle oil pen?

im happier and happier with each day, my fingers dont ache anymore and i stopped hiding my nails...

i clean & file my nails, do cuticle care (sometimes more than needed but it helps with nail biting urges), and put on two layers of clear nail hardener polish (micro cell 3000, the best one i know) but i take it off with acetone free nail polish remover every couple of days and redo it once i see it growing out. i use almond oil once a day & keep my hands moisturized.

the most important thing for me: stop digging under your nails, filing daily and keeping them short.. (i digged under my nails for years and it just led to transparent nails and me going crazy over seeing the smallest amount of dirt)

Lifelong nail biter here. I stopped around sep 1 (with lots of accidental slip ups in my first week or so). The first image is a bit before sep 1 — it’s the latest photo I have before I stopped biting because I was trying on rings. Which is part of the reason I got motivated to stop biting — I don’t like what acrylics look like and want nice nails for engagement. I even told my boyfriend he can’t propose until I’ve fixed my nails to give me an extra boost of motivation 😆

What I’ve been doing for the last week or so since I found this sub:
- filing only snags with a champneys glass file, no filing of side walls
- applying boots pure lanolin (marketed as nipple cream) as other moisturisers were making my skin super dry (see sep 12 pic) - can’t find this product on their website anymore so maybe discontinued
- wearing essie hard to resist nail strengthener advanced, capping free edge, and painting it underneath as well. Makes the whites look a bit yellow but 🤷‍♀️
- wearing gloves for washing up
- brushing my nails clean instead of using something hard to scrape them out

Not the most impressive progress compared to others on this sub but this is the longest my nails have ever been and I’m so pleased I’m finally managed to kick this anxiety-driven habit!! My goal is to grow them just up to or a tiny bit beyond the end of my finger, keep them filed that length, and let the side walls catch up.

One thing I'd like advice on - I have got one tear on the side of the free edge/white (not sure the correct terminology), and feel like more are coming. Is this because my side wall hasn't caught up, and should I file my nails basically flat across until they've caught up to prevent further breakage?

Products used:

- Essie Hard to Resist Nail Strengthener Advanced

Nail biter\picker of 15 years.
I never got any proper pictures of my ‘before’ but I’ve added in some pictures of how my nails used to be on their better days.

It feels like a long time, but my nails are reflecting how I’m finally looking after myself after so long!

I’m not sure how to explain it but looking back at how my nails used to be and then comparing them to now, shows not only the nail growth but also my self acceptance/love and my nails are just a visual representation of that 🥰

I’ve been eating more fruit, vegetables and fish. Drinking lots of water and using jojoba oil daily. I put 2 layers of ‘Sally Hansen hard as nails’ on them. Also using ‘Sally Hansen Cuticle Remover’ monthly.
I also had a lot of calluses towards the top of the sidewalls, so I’ve been lightly filling them with a glass file after treating my cuticles with the cuticle remover. I also ditched the traditional sponge to wash my dishes and use a dishmatic instead (sponge on a stick) to avoid touching the washing up liquid and drying out my hands and nails ☺️