The Secret for Strong and Healthy Looking Nails

I love my nails and I enjoy pamper myself even more now that I am a mom. But I did not always have them looking this great. Let me confess.

sheer white base coat topped with glitter

When I was 13, my best friend one day just shared to me her secret for having killer long nails. I was the one constantly complaining for the lack of girliness at my fingertips, literally.

See, I was the type I will try everything at the corner drugstore – endurance nail polish, nail treatments, the ultimate nail filer and even garlic – purely applied to my nails. And still it wasn’t enough. My nails were not healthy or long as my friends. Instead, my nails would became weak after doing dishes and bend. My nails would chip and break If I attempted to repair them. I was sad and envious and I needed to know her success. And she gladly shared it.
The secret is ‘to do nothing – leave the nails alone.’

What? – that was also my question. I mean, I am opt for the easy way, but really, that easy?

YES.

And guess what, it works.

The Recipe:
1. Let them grow – be patient, this is key.
2. By all means ‘do not file, cut or put them in your mouth’, not at least for a month.
3. When the desired length is approached (on average a month) you are allowed to play with them.
4. File them in square shape: if you don’t know that means in parallel. Avoid the oval shape! This is very important. The oval shape actually allows the nail to brake faster and I see that mistake a lot.
5. You can round up a tad on the edges, but just a micro tad! just for style and look.
6. File as needed and only to preserve the length. Nothing of let’s-just-make-a-triangular-nail-shape thing, okay?.

It was hard at first, you know. Being 13, that was kind of my only job – file, polish, cut, rinse and repeat. The first month it was though. I had at hand my nail filer ready to perform and as I was about to do some shaping I remembered my friend’s advice and managed to stay on track on the technique, it was very hard. It took time, the first month was difficult, but like anything else you get used to it.

Since then I do not touch my nails at all. They grow wild, sure, they look unshaped, absolutely, and they truly look pale. But the end result is so worth it.

I get asked if they are fake or if I also suffer of brittle nails, quite the opposite; my nails get so strong I even used them as screwdrivers!

When ~~I am too lazy to file them~~ they get too long they can become quite my MacGyver’s toolbox.

What about You, do you have a secret for successful long healthy nails?