How to Groom Long Nails


Grooming your nails and trying to keep them long is not a hard task. All you need to do is remember these simple instructions.

Steps

  1. Clean them regularly. Often this can be accomplished by washing your hands. After doing any work that involves dirt getting under your nails, be sure to clean them as soon possible by using a nail brush dipped into soap and water and gently scrubbing under and on top of your nails.
  2. Avoid nail biting by rubbing something bad tasting on them to help prevent you from biting, like mustard or nail polish. Drug stores carry products to wipe on your nails that are very bad tasting.
  3. Consider buying products that can help strengthen nails and help stop breakage. Multivitamins are an option.
  4. Make sure that you get enough calcium into your diet to help the process.
  5. Make sure you get enough zinc into your diet because it's a zinc deficiency, not a calcium deficiency, that causes those little white spots.
  6. Clip them when they get too long. If you continue to allow your nails to grow past a certain point they will probably start breaking. File down any rough edges.
  7. File the sides first. Then the front. After this they should be very pointy, so round the edges off.
  8. Dip a Q-tip into nail-polish-remover and clean under your nails. Trim cuticles and apply clear nail polish.
  9. Manicures work great!


Tips

  • Be patient! It takes time for your nails to grow out. You should see some progress after a couple of weeks.
  • If you are trying to use a particular product to help your nails and it doesn't work out, keep trying different products until you find one that works.
  • If you file your nails, use the tip of the file to help get out any dirt that is easy to remove. Don't push the file edge too far under your nail or you will hurt yourself.
  • Once having filed your nails, rinse them in cold water to remove any dead skin or powdered nail pieces from underneath the nail.
  • Gently slide a fine nail file along the nail's bottom edge to remove any excess dead skin or powdered nail pieces.
  • You can get calcium from drinking milk, orange juice, or eating yogurt, cheese or other calcium-rich products. Take a multi-vitamin that has zinc in it until you can find foods that have zinc in them.
  • File your nails once in a while and keep a cute nail file handy in case your nail chips.


Warnings

  • Some products might have warnings on them. Some products can be potent and can harm health.
  • Use your desired products as directed on the container or pack.
  • If you use nail polish regularly the oxygen deprivation can cause them to turn yellow.


Things You'll Need

  • nail brush - Can be found at grocery stores or any other store that sells beauty products
  • Nail file
  • strengthening products
  • bad tasting polish to put on a nail biter's nails