Strong and healthy nails can be tough to achieve, however, following these tips can help you become the fingernail envy of all your friends. Give acrylic and chemical nail polishes a break. Let your nails breathe and grow just in time for summer. If you’re wondering why your nails are not growing to their fullest potential, this is the article for you.

Why Don’t They Grow?

The worst enemy of nail growth is bad habits. This goes out to all you nail bitters; this habit is common but should be avoided at all costs. Nail biting can lead to bacterial infections and slows down the growth of skin and nails. Try keeping them polished to remind yourself to leave your poor nails alone. If this still doesn’t work you can buy a bitter tasting polish or use neem oil, which also works as an antiseptic, keeping them free from infection.

Another bad habit to avoid is chipping off your nail polish. No matter how tempting this is, making this a habit will only make your nails weak and brittle. When you chip off that top layer of polish you also chip away the top layer of your nail bed. Another tip is to always apply a base coat before your nail polish as this will protect your natural nail.

How to Grow Them

Nail growth starts from within, try to include as many of these vitamins or foods in your diet as they stimulate healthy nail growth. Vitamin H, which can be found in bananas, avocados, or salmon, are full of biotin which help nail, hair and skin growth. Folic acid, or Vitamin B9, also stimulate cell growth and this can be found in citrus fruits, leafy greens, and eggs. Vitamin A is also essential for strengthening nails, teeth and bones. This can be found in eggs or milk, but also vegan foods such as apples, grapefruits and spinach.

If you want an extra boost, warm up some coconut oil in the microwave and gently massage each fingertip in circular motions. This will help circulation and encourage nail growth. Try to get in the routine of doing this every night.