How to strengthen your nails at home: 9 effective recipes

The condition of our nails depends on many factors. If you notice that your nails have thinned, become brittle, or even changed color, this is a reason to take a closer look at their health! Today we will tell you how to strengthen your nails at home and do it as quickly and efficiently as possible. But first, let's figure out where the problem of brittle nails comes from.

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Improper care

Maintaining your nails in a neat, well-groomed condition is not that difficult, but many still make mistakes that lead to brittle nails and an unaesthetic appearance. The habit of biting your nails is not welcomed by default, but sometimes even such a harmless procedure as filing your nails can cause harm to them. For example, if after taking a bath you take a metal file and start diligently moving it back and forth, you will make three mistakes at once! Only dry nails can be filed using a ceramic or glass file. In this case, the filing movements must be made in one direction, from the edge to the center.

What to do to make your nails grow faster?

To prevent your nails from breaking and growing quickly, try:

• Adhere to the principles of healthy eating. This will have a positive effect on the condition of the whole body and affect the health of the nails.
• Observe hygiene rules. Remove the cuticle in a timely manner, file your nails only when they are dry so that they do not peel, and carefully shape the plate into the desired shape.
• Make baths, masks, use oils and creams.
• Give the nail plate a rest between extension procedures.
• Use high-quality varnishes that do not contain formaldehyde, toluene and other harmful substances that can damage the structure of the nail plate.
• Do massage. If your job involves typing on a keyboard or playing musical instruments, massage your fingers at the base of the nail every evening. The massage can be supplemented with vegetable oil or essential or nourishing cream.

Vitamin deficiency

One of the most common reasons! You should consult your doctor to figure out what exactly is missing, because blindly taking a course of vitamins is completely wrong. Very often, banal anemia or vitamin deficiency resulting from a strict diet leads to fragility.

What determines the quality of nails

The quality and growth of nails depend on many internal and external factors, such as:

• proper nutrition. Lack of vitamins D, group B and E, minerals such as calcium, iodine, iron and fluorine lead to slower nail growth and poor quality;
• weather that negatively affects the structure of the nails. In winter it is low temperatures, and in summer it is heat and the influence of UV radiation;
• household chemicals and hazardous working conditions, especially when a woman neglects the rules of protection and does not wear gloves;
• improper care, when nail trimming is done incorrectly and damage is caused to the cuticle and nail plate. The quality of nails is negatively affected by the use of active varnishes, gels and acrylics that are used during manicure;
• age. The older a woman is, the slower all processes occur in her body, including nail growth;
• various internal diseases. Especially if these are chronic diseases of the digestive and cardiovascular systems;
• fungal diseases of the skin and nail plate.

Considering all these nuances, it’s worth:

• carefully review your diet and introduce foods rich in essential minerals and vitamins into it;
• try to protect your hands from bad weather, frost and active solar radiation;
• learn how to trim your nails correctly;
• monitor the condition of hands and nails after using aggressive chemicals;
• treat internal diseases, and if there are problems with nail fungus, then seek advice and treatment from a specialist;
• after a manicure, carry out constant restorative procedures for nails, such as special baths and masks that help restore the structure of the nail plate and stimulate its growth.

Nail baths, for example, thicken the keratin layer and strengthen the nails, promoting their growth. How do nail masks work?

How to make your nails strong at home

We have collected for you the most effective recipes that will not require much time or significant investment! They can be safely combined, the main thing is that care should be regular and systematic. In addition, do not forget that there should be no varnish on your nails, even medicinal ones.

Strengthening nails with gel

Effective homemade mask nutrition can be combined with professional products. The latter are sold in pharmacies and cosmetics stores.

These are special varnishes for growth, nutrition and saturation with vitamins, strengthening nails.

Most often, such “useful” gel polishes have no color. They can be applied as a base for decorative varnish and used as a protective layer.

But it is still better to use such gel polishes one by one so that the nails do not have any other effect.

Gelatin bath for nails

Natural gelatin contains valuable amino acids, vitamins and microelements, so it perfectly strengthens and nourishes the weakened nail plate.

Soak pure gelatin without impurities and dyes (in powder or plates) in warm, but not hot water - 25 g of gelatin per 1 glass. When the gelatin swells, slightly heat the bath in a water bath. The main thing is to never bring it to a boil! Immerse your fingers in the bath for 15-20 minutes. Perform the procedure at least twice a week for a month.

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Other procedures to strengthen nails

1. Massage gives nails strength, hardness, elasticity, and improves blood circulation. It is carried out with soft bristled brushes, using baby soap, oils or the masks described above.
2. Applying iodine to nails is another way to strengthen and treat them. Apply iodine to your nails before going to bed - it will be absorbed overnight and by the morning the brown color will no longer remain.
3. Sealing is an effective procedure. It consists of applying several layers of substances with vitamins, beneficial microelements and proteins. Then the nails are polished and cream or oils are generously rubbed in. This procedure is performed by cosmetologists. It helps protect, strengthen, moisturize and eliminate splitting nails.

Paraffin therapy

Paraffin nail masks improve metabolic processes, promote the flow of nutrients to the nails and make the nail plates more elastic and strong.

Take 250-300 g of cosmetic paraffin (can be bought in pharmacies or specialty stores) and melt in a water bath. While the paraffin is melting, use a scrub to remove the keratinized layer of cells from the skin of your hands. Cool the paraffin to 50 degrees and dip your hands in it for a few seconds and take it out, then lower it again for 5-7 seconds and take it out again. Repeat 6-7 times and when a thick layer of paraffin forms on your hands, put on plastic gloves and wrap your hands with a towel or put on warm mittens. After half an hour, take off your gloves. You can remove any remaining paraffin with a towel soaked in warm water. After the procedure, it is recommended to apply a nourishing cream.

Important: do not reuse paraffin!

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How to grow long nails in a week?

Typically, nails grow by about 1 mm in a week.
You can try to speed up growth, but you won’t be able to significantly “overshoot” this figure. However, this time is enough to significantly strengthen your nails - and then they will not break, forcing you to trim them and start the whole process all over again. Operating in express mode, you need:

1

On the first day of your weekly course, apply a strengthening coating to your nails.

2

Use cuticle oil daily, thoroughly rubbing it into the skin with massage movements.

3

Make baths two or three times. At the beginning of the week, a “shock” recovery with warm olive oil will work ideally, in the middle - a softer procedure with sea salt.

4

In between baths, try another beauty ritual - paraffin therapy. Warm molten paraffin is applied to the cuticle. The temperature difference creates a massage effect - the procedure ensures blood flow to the base of the nail, which stimulates accelerated growth.

5

Find time to take care of your nails every day. Additionally, make special hand masks (those that come in the form of fabric gloves with nutritious filling are especially convenient), apply special serums and other useful compounds to the cuticle.

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Nail bath with sea salt and iodine

Everyone knows that nails become stronger at sea! A similar effect can be achieved at home.

Dissolve a tablespoon of sea salt in hot water and add 2-3 drops of iodine. If desired, you can add a little lemon juice. Immerse your fingers in the bath for 10-15 minutes.

Masks to accelerate nail growth

Masks are more convenient to use, since they do not require the girl to sit in one position for 10-20 minutes with her hands filled with a useful composition.

Most often, masks are applied to the fingers at night, and cotton gloves are put on top, which prevents damage to bed linen and removal of the solution from hands.

There are several components that can be used for such masks:

1. Toothpaste. In addition to the strengthening effect, it helps to whiten the plate.
2. Honey.
3. Oils (including butter, vegetable, olive, coconut).
4. Egg yolks.
5. Fish fat.
6. Mustard
7. Lemon.
8. Sea salt.
9. Iodine.

Iodine compresses are now common, as they are quickly absorbed into the structure of the nail, promoting its strengthening and growth.

Alternate the components that make up the masks to simultaneously accelerate the growth of nails and help strengthen them.

Lemon

Apply crushed lemon pulp or a cotton swab soaked in juice to your nails for 2 minutes. Not only the quality, but also the color of the plates will gradually improve. But first, make sure on one finger that you do not have allergies or irritation. The procedure is not suitable if the skin is injured.

Photo: kadinsalsayfa.com

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The advantage of masks over baths

Unlike baths, masks contain less water and more different nourishing oils that enhance the nutrition of the nail plate. Indeed, thanks to their denser consistency, they completely glue all keratin scales and thus completely saturate the nail with useful minerals.

In addition, the oils in the masks form a protective film on the nail surface, which remains on it even after the mask is removed. This helps protect your nails longer from the harmful effects of external factors described earlier.

By the way, masks, unlike baths, have a beneficial effect not only on nail growth, but also reduce the growth of cuticles.

But in order to achieve a more prolonged (sustainable) effect with the help of masks, they must be done at least 10 times per course. Baths should not be done more than 4-5 times, so as not to wash out useful minerals from the nail plate.

The advantages of masks over baths are obvious. But in order for them to bring the greatest benefit, you should remember that the mask should be applied only to clean nails. All polish, gel and other products must be removed, and it is advisable to degrease the nails by wiping them with alcohol. When preparing a mask for nail growth, make sure that you are not allergic to any particular natural product.

Recipes for masks for nail growth

First of all, it must be said that different masks are applied in different ways. Some need to be applied to the nail plate and kept warm for some time. Others work more effectively if they are rubbed into the nail, and others - if you immerse your fingertips in them and hold them there like in a bath. Many masks promote nail growth, strengthening and nourishing them.

The most popular mask is with red hot pepper

The properties of hot pepper are such that the capsaicin contained in it stimulates blood circulation in the tissues. This causes the nail plate to grow. However, do not forget that if you use fresh pepper, you can easily burn all your fingers. Therefore, for the mask you need to take:

• pepper powder - about half a tablespoon;
• a teaspoon of any hand cream (preferably oily);
• half a teaspoon of boiled water.

Mix everything into a homogeneous mass and heat in a water bath for 10 minutes. Then cool until warm and apply to your nails with a brush. Put special finger guards on your fingers (you can cut off the tips from latex or rubber gloves) and hold the mask for 20 to 30 minutes until you feel a slight burning sensation, then rinse it off with warm water. After this, lubricate your hands and nails with nourishing cream.

You can repeat this procedure after 4 days, but do not do it more than twice a month. Before using such a mask, it makes sense to first soak your fingers for 15 minutes in a solution of salt water (3 tablespoons of sea salt per liter of water).

Masks for nail growth with lemon

Lemon not only promotes the growth and strengthening of the nail plate, it also whitens it.
If there is no allergy or skin irritation as a reaction to lemon juice, then it is used without impurities. For the mask, take one lemon and cut it in half. Now use it in any convenient way:

• cut the fruit into small slices and place each one on the nail plate;
• dip your fingers into the pulp of each lemon half;
• squeeze out lemon juice and rub it into your nails with a sponge.

The mask, in any form, is kept for no longer than 10 minutes. And don’t forget to lubricate your hands with cream after!

Mask with olive oil and lemon juice

To prevent sensitive skin from getting burned by citric acid and for greater effectiveness and softening of nails and cuticles, mix lemon juice with olive oil in the proportion of a tablespoon of oil to half a tablespoon of lemon juice.
Dip your fingertips into this mixture for 10 minutes. You need to repeat the procedure for at least 8-10 days. By the way, olive oil is not the only one that is used in masks for nail growth. If you don’t have it on hand, then corn, wheat germ, apricot, almond or grape seed are quite suitable. The main thing is that you are not allergic to them.

Olive oil, lemon juice and iodine

Olive oil is a very effective ingredient in masks for nail growth. At the same time, it also moisturizes and nourishes the nail plate with essential minerals and vitamins. For the mask take:

• 3 tbsp. spoons of olive oil;
• 2 drops of iodine;
• 3-4 drops of lemon juice.

Heat the oil a little in a water bath, add iodine and lemon juice to it, beat the mixture thoroughly and heat it for 5 minutes (do not allow it to boil!). Afterwards, cool slightly and place your fingertips in it. After keeping them in the mixture for 10-15 minutes until it cools completely, wash your hands with warm water without soap and wipe dry.

The procedure is usually carried out twice a week for two months.

Olive oil, honey and egg

This mask promotes both nail growth and the healing of the nail plate from delamination.
To do this, add 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 egg to heated olive oil (3 tablespoons). Immerse your nails in the resulting mixture and hold for 20 minutes, and then rinse with warm water. It will be enough to do the mask once a week for a month.

Butter mask

Olive oil in this recipe can easily be replaced with butter. But then you will need to take half a teaspoon of honey and soft (but not melted!) butter and add one boiled egg yolk to them. This mixture is applied to the nails and insulated on top with gloves or finger caps. Leave the mask on for 40 minutes. It should be repeated every other day for a month.

Beeswax mask

Honey and its products are rich in vitamins and microelements, and beeswax from honeycombs is no exception.
It contains a lot of zinc, calcium and iodine, which will strengthen keratin plates and help accelerate nail growth. Melt 1 teaspoon of beeswax in a water bath and apply it while still warm to your nails. Liquid vitamins E and A added to it (2 drops of each) will help enhance the effect. Wear gloves and leave the wax on your nails overnight. In the morning, remove any remaining residue with a napkin and wash your hands in warm water. Repeat the procedure once a week for at least two months.

Glycerin mask

By the way, if you can’t find beeswax, then use pharmacy glycerin for the mask, mix 1 teaspoon of it with a tablespoon of lemon juice and 3 tbsp. spoons of rose water. This mask is used every day, and the mixture is stored in the refrigerator.

Paraffin mask with vitamins

Mix 1 Aevita capsule with 1 tbsp. a spoonful of paraffin, previously melted in a water bath. Dip your fingertips into the warm solution and then allow the paraffin to harden on them in the air.

Such masks are made 2-3 times a week, and the exposure time at each session is up to half an hour.

Then the paraffin is removed, and the hands are washed with warm water and lubricated with nourishing cream.

Banana, honey and cabbage mask

Bananas themselves are a storehouse of vitamins, and for the mask they are used as the only ingredient, simply crushed and applied to the nails for 40 minutes. But with cabbage and honey the effect doubles and even triples. To prepare the mask, take:

• a small piece of banana;
• 1 tbsp. spoon of chopped cabbage;
• 0.5 teaspoons of honey and the same amount of heavy cream.

Mix everything in a blender and apply the mixture to your nails, covering your fingers with gloves. Keep it on for 25-30 minutes, then wash off the mask with warm milk.

Iodine salt mask

This tandem - salt and iodine - is often used to stimulate rapid nail growth, and at the same time to improve the health of the nail plate.

In 1 tbsp. Dissolve ¼ teaspoon of sea salt with a spoonful of iodine. Using a cotton swab, cover your nails with a thin layer of the solution. The mask will be effective if used every day (or every other day) for a month.

Potato mask

To prepare the mask you will need:

• puree from the pulp of one boiled potato;
• 100 g dark (preferably live) beer;
• 1 tbsp. a spoonful of olive or other vegetable oil.

All ingredients should be mixed thoroughly and the paste should be applied to the nails while still warm. Warm your hands with gloves or cellophane and hold for 20-30 minutes. The frequency of the mask is every day for a week.

Oil masks for nail growth

Essential oils will also help speed up nail growth. If 3-4 drops of oils such as rosemary, ylang-ylang, lemon, tea tree or grapefruit are mixed with one tablespoon of base olive or almond oil, and then applied to the nails with a brush or cotton pad, they will grow twice as fast.

Masks made from cranberry pulp, sea buckthorn, and black currant will also give excellent nail growth.

For greater effectiveness, it is best to alternate all the masks listed in the article.

Video

Most women dream of long, well-groomed, strong nails. Hundreds of recipes, as many options for procedures, various vitamin complexes and advice on proper care - all this is a huge amount of information, among which you need to find useful recommendations. What if you want to achieve the desired result in a week? Or at least see that the measures taken are effective? Then follow the video tips, which show how to quickly grow nails in seven days in practice.

Fast nail growth in a week

Coconut oil

This invaluable ingredient in cosmetology will also help in growing nails. Make warm baths from it or rub it into the nail plate with massage movements. It is best to take the oil in a small container, carry it with you and repeat the mask several times a day.

Photo: ozak.ru

Care

You can often hear that long, healthy nails are the result of good heredity or a gift of nature. But there is only part of the truth in this statement. In fact, even girls with nails prone to brittleness can bring them to perfect or close to perfect condition. With proper care, your fingers will look great, regardless of any preconditions.

However, for this it is not enough to just cut and clean your nails in a timely manner. Comprehensive care of nail plates includes several basic rules:

• First of all, treat your nails with all due responsibility. Before each procedure of coloring and creating nail art, it is necessary to carry out a trimmed manicure, which includes separating the cuticle and giving the plates a shape. Taking good care of your nails requires not only cutting or filing them correctly, but also getting rid of the habit of biting them or the skin around them. It is simply unacceptable for a lady to bite her nails - it is unsightly, unhygienic, increases the risk of intestinal infections and spoils the structure and shape of the nail plate.
• Secondly, it is necessary to properly protect the plates from the external environment. The fact is that the porous structure of nails allows them, like the skin, to absorb substances located on the surface. For this reason, it is important to use gloves when washing dishes, using chemicals, applying a basic protective base under colored varnishes, and hiding your hands in gloves in cold weather. When your nails are free of decor, you should “feed” them with oils, creams, and special cosmetics.
• The third, but no less important point is compliance with hygiene requirements and recommendations. Using your own set of manicure tools is a must. Remember about the need for anti-infective treatment not only after, but also before use.