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Four Methods:Making Your Nails Appear LongerStrategies for Not Biting Your NailsUnderstanding What Might Help Your Fingernails GrowMyths About Fingernail Growth

Your nails grow all by themselves. We all grow our nails without doing anything. 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] 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 of 4: Making Your Nails Appear Longer

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    Wash your hands with a gentle soap. Using a harsh soap may make your nails brittle.
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    Pat your hands using a towel.
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    Fill a plastic bowl with enough white vinegar to cover your nails.
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    Soak your nails (one hand at a time) in the vinegar for 3-5 minutes, while your other hand holds the bowl steady.
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    Remove your hands from the vinegar and dry them off with a paper towel or dishcloth.
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    Wash your hands with soap and water to remove the smell of the vinegar
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    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.[2] Also, cut cuticles have a tendency of growing back, while pushing your cuticles back might make them permanently appear smaller.
  8. 8
    Also you can use hand sanitizer after you're finished. Let it stay on for four minutes and then wash off and you're done.

Method 2 of 4: Strategies for Not Biting Your Nails

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    Apply two coats of hard-nail fingernail polish.
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    Leave for two hours then add another coat of hard-nail fingernail polish.
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    Make sure that your fingernail polish is not lumpy or thick. This can make your nails look unattractive. Plus, if the polish comes off suddenly or forcefully it can damage your nails, which is not a good thing.
  4. 4
    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.
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    When you feel the need to bite your nails, chew a piece of gum. You can't bite your nails if you're already chewing something else!
  6. 6
    Put lemon juice on your nails. 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 flavour of the lemon.
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    Wear gloves while watching TV. If you bite your nails often without thinking, getting a mouthful of fluff will often help deter it!
  8. 8
    If you're a fidgety person, find something else to use your hands for to keep them busy. Stress balls, knitting or even cleaning can help keep your busy hands occupied.
  9. 9
    Get your friends in on it! 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.
  10. 10
    Chew something else. This can help keep your mind 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.

Method 3 of 4: Understanding What Might Help Your Fingernails Grow

  1. 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.[3] Biotin can be found in natural foods, 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. 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.
    • Every time you wash your hands, finish your sanitation regime by applying hand creme 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. 3
    Don't expose your nails to nail polish remover repetitively.[4] 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.
    • 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.

Method 4 of 4: Myths About Fingernail Growth

  1. 1
    Constant activity will stimulate growth because of increased blood flow. 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.[1]
  2. 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.[1]
    • 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.
  3. 3
    Rubbing garlic on your nails will help them grow faster. 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.

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  • If you like playing games like Call Of Duty or Battlefield you will keep your hands busy because it requires both hands.
  • If you don't like playing games you can always write a journal on your PC.
  • Crafting will help you stop biting your nails too.
  • Add Some Almond Oil on your nails for a week before you go to bed, you will see the difference.
  • Do something that will keep you from biting nails do something that involves your hands.Chewing gum may do better for this purpose.
  • When you are growing your nails, always file and clean underneath them. Dirt can stain them.
  • Never use acetone-based nail polish remover as this can cause your nails to thin and weaken, making it harder for them to grow.
  • Try rubbing olive oil on your nails about twice a week. Wash it off completely and pat dry.
  • If you work with a lot of water or if your nails are weak, use a nail strengthener to help.
  • To keep hands beautiful and soft, use a good moisturizer to prevent cracked or rough skin on your hands, or anywhere.
  • Taking a multivitamin will help add the vitamins and minerals you may have been missing and therefore, will help your nails grow in the long run.
  • Put oil, salt and water in a bowl then dip in your fingers. After that wash your hands and pat dry. Do this for 10-20 minutes once a day for three weeks. Your nails will be long.
  • Gel polish will keep your nails from cracking.
  • You can make nail baths daily mixed with olive oil, warm water, milk, and orange juice.
  • Depending on the person it may take a longer or shorter time to grow the nails out.
  • Don't forget, always be alert when you want to bite. Remind yourself that you are working hard to stop.
  • Wherever you go you should at least TRY to take a pack of gum or whatever you feel like taking with you. Try to keep it where you can get it quickly. Therefore, when you want to bite your nails you can easily grab the piece of gum or whatever you put in bag purse and school bag you can pop it in your mouth to stop you from biting your nails.
  • Bitter nail polish works well, too. You paint it on your nails like regular polish, but when you start to bite your nails, you get a nasty taste in your mouth and stop.
  • You may wear nail polish because it may keep you from biting your nails, but remember to use a layered topcoat and base coat.
  • Whenever you feel the need to bite your nails, sit on your hands so it is hard to get to them.
  • If you bite your nails, try carrying around a small piece of non-hardening modeling clay around, and fiddle with that instead of biting. In addition, even if you still want to bite, the clay will taste gross on your fingers.
  • When not biting your nails, don't pick at them either. Picking at your nails will lead to the same result as biting your nails.
  • If lemon juice doesn't work for you, try using a rubber band. Whenever you feel like biting your nails, snap the rubber band on your wrist. This makes you not want to bite your nails because you start to associate being uncomfortable with biting your nails.
  • Lemons give you a sour taste, so rub lemon on your nails so you're not tempted to bite them.
  • When painting your nails, add a base coat (clear) and two color coats then a top coat (clear).
  • If you are trying to stop biting them then put strengthener on them. Then don't bite on one hand and try not to bite the other hand. Put on moisturizer once a week.
  • Do not cut your nails and don't bite them. If you do, they will get shorter.
  • Try taking vitamins that will make your body healthy and not just your nails.
  • If you use gel nail polish it won't make your nails crack.


  • 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, etc.) or something that can do long-term damage.

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Categories: Nail Care

In other languages:

Español: hacer crecer las uñas, Italiano: Far Crescere le Unghie, Português: Deixar as Unhas Crescerem, Français: avoir de longs ongles, Nederlands: Je vingernagels laten groeien, Deutsch: Fingernägel wachsen lassen, Русский: отрастить ногти, 中文: 留长指甲, Bahasa Indonesia: Menumbuhkan Kuku Jari Tangan

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