How to Grow Your Fingernails

Co-authored by Kristin Pulaski

Last Updated: April 3, 2023 Approved

Your nails grow all by themselves. We just have to give our nails some time. If you want to have nice, long nails, it can be hard to take care of them. Everyone's nails grow at a fixed rate, about one millimeter per month. ^{[1]
X
Research source} What you can do is protect your nails, give them proper nourishment, and make them appear longer than they actually are. These steps are quite easy, luckily. Read on for a discussion of just how to do that!

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Making Your Nails Appear Longer

Wash your hands with a gentle soap . ^{[2]
X
Trustworthy Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
Go to source} Using a harsh soap may make your nails brittle.
Advertisement
^{[3]
X
Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
7
Gently push back your cuticles and file your nails if necessary.
- Don't cut your cuticles. Doctors do not recommend cutting your cuticles for several reasons. For one, cut cuticles could lead to infection, which could hamper growth of the nail. ^{[4]
  X
  Research source} Also, cut cuticles have a tendency of growing back, while pushing your cuticles back might make them permanently appear smaller.
Let it stay on for four minutes and then wash off and you're done. ^{[5]
X
Trustworthy Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
Go to source}

Advertisement

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Strategies for Not Biting Your Nails

3
Make sure that your fingernail polish is not lumpy or thick. This can make your nails look unattractive. Not only that, but if the polish comes off suddenly or forcefully it can damage your nails, which is not a good thing.
- If you bite your nails, try this method. If you're going to bite them think about what they will look like once you have bitten them, disgusting.
You can't bite your nails if you're already chewing something else!
This is another way to keep yourself from biting your nails. Use a small bowl and put some lemon juice in it. Dip the tips of your fingers into the bowl. Let them air dry. When you go to bite your nails, you'll taste the sour flavor of the lemon. ^{[6]
X
Research source}
If you bite your nails often without thinking, getting a mouthful of fluff will often help deter it! ^{[7]
X
Research source}
Stress balls, knitting or even cleaning can help keep your busy hands occupied. ^{[8]
X
Trustworthy Source
American Academy of Dermatology
Professional organization made of over 20,000 certified dermatologists
Go to source}
If you often bite your nails without thinking, make others aware that you want to quit. Having a partner or a friend slapping your hand away from your mouth will keep your hands in your lap.
This can help keep your mind off of nibbling those nails. Whether it's gum or something else, having something in your mouth already is a good way to keep those fingers out of there.

Advertisement

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Understanding What Might Help Your Fingernails Grow

1
Think about biotin supplements as a way to make your nails long and strong. Biotin is a supplement used for a wide range of cases, from diabetes to hair growth. Biotin is also effective in treating brittle nails, making them stronger and less likely to split or break. ^{[9]
X
Research source} Biotin can be found in natural foods, ^{[10]
X
Research source} although it is commonly taken as a supplement.
- Biotin won't necessarily make your nails grow faster or longer. Again, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that nails can be spurred to grow faster or longer by diet or lifestyle. What Biotin will do is make sure that your nails crack less often and that they are fuller. Nails that crack less often have a better chance to grow longer the natural way.
- Naturally occurring Biotin absorbs into the body relatively poorly. It can, however, be found naturally in many foods:
  - Wheat germ
  - Whole-grain cereals
  - Whole wheat bread
  - Eggs, dairy products
  - Nuts
  - Swiss chard
  - Salmon
  - Chicken
2
Moisturize your nails, especially during the winter months. When your fingernails leave the cuticle, they are already dead cells, meaning that they won't repair themselves. This means that you have to take care of them yourself. ^{[11]
X
Research source}
- Every time you wash your hands, finish your sanitation regime by applying hand cream to your hands and nails. This will keep your fingernails from becoming too brittle, from cracking, or from splitting.
- Wear gloves during the winter months if you go outside. Use rubber gloves if you're cleaning indoors or doing dishes, for example.
3
Don't expose your nails to nail polish remover repetitively. ^{[12]
X
Research source} Every time you wipe off nail polish, you weaken your nails. Take a break from applying nail polish (and hence nail polish remover) to your hands every other week or every third week. You'll emerge with stronger nails. ^{[13]
X
Research source}
- Try looking for a polish that doesn't need to be refreshed every week. If you can't find one, try looking for a polish that can be colored over when your fancy strikes you a different way or you are tired of that color.
Advertisement

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Myths About Fingernail Growth

The myth out there is that piano players have strong, long nails. Doctors say that while possibly increased blood flow stimulates growth (it hasn't been proven yet), increased impact on the tips of nails means more breaking and splitting, which means nails that need to be trimmed. ^{[14]
X
Research source}
2
Increased protein intake will stimulate growth. The myth here is that because nails are made of protein (keratin), giving them more protein in a diet will help them grow. There is no evidence to support this, however. ^{[15]
X
Research source}
- The truth is that a protein deficiency will cause nails to be weak and underdeveloped. However, the difference between a normal protein diet and a high protein diet cannot be seen or felt in the nails.
The myth here is that because garlic contains selenium, a deficiency of which can lead to weaker nails, rubbing it on your nails will have the opposite effect. As you can probably tell, this is the same thinking as the previous myth: if not having enough of something is bad, having too much of it is good. The only problem is, the world doesn't always work that way. Sadly, the garlic rub myth has no evidence behind it. ^{[16]
X
Research source}

Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Tips

When you are growing your nails, always file and clean underneath them. Dirt can stain them.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Never use acetone-based nail polish remover as this can cause your nails to thin and weaken, making it harder for them to grow.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Try rubbing olive oil on your nails about twice a week. Wash it off completely and pat dry.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Show More Tips

Warnings

If you want to take on a different hobby instead of nail biting, make sure it isn't worse than nail biting (such as smoking, drugs etc.) or something that can do long-term damage.

Thanks
Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1

You Might Also Like

[1]

[2]

Trustworthy Source

Go to source

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[16]

How to Grow Your Fingernails

Steps

Making Your Nails Appear Longer

Strategies for Not Biting Your Nails

Understanding What Might Help Your Fingernails Grow

Myths About Fingernail Growth

Expert Q&A

Tips

Warnings

You Might Also Like

References

About this article

Reader Success Stories

Did this article help you?

You Might Also Like

Explore Categories