Nail Growth & Old Wives Tales Continued

You guys really are the bestest!  You came up with some excellent suggestions on how to grow nails quick.  Some of them I’d never ever heard of before so I thought we could look at them all in a bit more detail, and if you scroll down you can find my top tips for nail growth.

The Orange Juice Soak

Method/theory: Soak the nails in orange juice in order to supply the nail with Folic acid

Science: Folic acid which is a member of the B vitamin family, plays a vital role in ensuring the healthy development of our cells.  It is well documented that people who are deficient in Vitamin B (as well as Vitamin C and D) can suffer from dry, dull and brittle nails and hair.  So by increasing levels of Vitamin B and C in the body, this should encourage healthy nails.

Popularity: The orange juice soak is a lot more well known than I thought! However, there is little – dare I say no – evidence on the experimental side.  Having said this, the concept of increasing one’s intake of Folic acid and Vitamin C to ensure healthy nails remains proven and unchallenged.  

The Salt Water Soak

Theory/Method: Soak the nails in a salt water solution 3 times a week for at least 5 – 10mins each sitting

The Science: Couldn’t find any!

Popularity: Despite not having heard of it, videos have been doing the rounds on Youtube.  There are also some articles citing this, but little could provide any real reason let alone evidence as to why this should or does work.

Vitamin H Sweeties

Theory/ Method: Take Biotin (Lozenges) to increase levels of Vitamin H in the body

Science:  Biotin is an essential chemical in the growth of cells.  Therefore, by increasing levels of Biotin in the body, you should be increasing the  body’s ability to reproduce cells.

Popularity:  Biotin has boasted some impressive reviews and our very own Naturally Stellar swears by them.

My Tips

After all that research, here are my tips on how to promote healthy nail growth, which may or may not be fast!

• Keep nails moisturised – regularly moisturise the hands and nails (Judi Tierney recommends one by Mavala 🙂 I swear its her recommendation and was not influenced by me LOL) and perhaps even do a warm olive oil soak once a week

• Protect your nails – avoid working directly with chemicals by wearing gloves and take caution when using your nails to pry things open

• Use Nail Varnish – A layer of nail varnish will protect nails from the elements e.g. water and dry air environments

• Use Acetone with caution – Acetone is a nail’s worst nightmare – it dries out the nail completely.  You can use acetone-free nail varnish removers as an alternative*

*I don’t want to be guilty of not practising-what-I-preach, so I thought I would explain this part.  Acetone should be used as little as possible, but for myself or other nailistas, our version of “as little as possible” may be up to 3 times a week or more!  By remembering that Acetone is not nail friendly, we can try to handle it with greater care.  Think of straightening/curling your hair, we all know it’s bad for our hair, but we do it.  Hopefully we take precaution though by using a heat protector or only going over the same piece of hair twice.  Same thing with Acetone Nail Varnish Remover, always moisturise the nails and cuticles after using it and maybe switch once a week to using an Acetone-free remover.

Thank you to – Crafty Nail , Satin89, Beyond the basecoat, Naturally Stellar and Judi Tierney for all your suggestions! NL xoxo