Long Natural Nails

I have received questions regarding me having lengthy natural nails. Those questions will be addressed below.

How or Why are my natural nails long?

Genetics

One of those questions was, "Is it genetics?". Yes, it is genetics. My parents and at least one of my grandparents have/had strong nails and can/could grow them long, if they desired to do so. I do not go to any special lengths to grow my nails. They grow on their own at a faster-than-normal rate. I am keen on cleaning, pruning, and trimming them. I do not allow them to grow to a length that makes my daily tasks uncomfortable or difficult. Due to their rate of growth I actually maintain and prune them more frequently than every days.

Breakage

I have also been asked how I keep them from breaking. They do sometimes break. To be very transparent, if I am frustrated or upset and I am moving quickly I may have a nail that chips or breaks. But, they regenerate quickly so it doesn't take too long for a broken nail to catch up, in length, to the non-broken nails.

Manicuring

I don't go to salons for nail care but I do maintain/manicure them at home. I have basic manicure tools that I use to keep my cuticles under control. I also use basic tools to prune and trim my nails on a regular basis. For moisture I like to use extra virgin olive oil (in a glass bottle) and/or my personal nail oil recipe, which is available for purchase in my boutique.

Nail Polish, Acrylics & Press-Ons

I usually limit the amount of bad/harsh chemicals I put into and onto my body. I have never had acrylic nails nor have I had press-on nails. This is not based on religion (as some may assume) but moreso based on personal preference and comfort level.

I have polished my nails a few times in the past but I prefer how they look unpolished so it has been a long time since I've polished them. I have also noticed that nail polish isn't beneficial to my nails. Polish seemed to make them less healthy and less strong. Though, I am not completely opposed to nail polish and it is possible that I may decide to polish them tenporarily for special occasions in the future. 

Supplements

Surprisingly, I noticed that my daily supplements (iron and multivitamins) seemed to assist with the overall health and strength of my nails but these were never the reasons for which I started taking these supplements. I started taking supplements for energy and emotional balance, overall wellness and because I have been prone to anemia. Nail growth was a surprise benefit.

I usually take one of the following multivitamin and iron supplements. I may alternate if one is not available. All items below have the same link. It will take you to one of my Amazon lists and you will find them all listed there for the convenience of anyone who may want to purchase. 

Multivitamins

Mary Ruth's Liquid Multivitamin [highly recommend]

OR

Garden of Life Women's Multi (chews) [highly recommend]

Iron

Floradix (liquid) [highly recommend but be sure to brush often as it may stain teeth]

OR

Floradix (tablets) [good choice if you are traveling and can't take liquid with you]

OR

MegaFood Iron Blood Builder (tablets) (Note: I recently tried these but haven't taken them long enough to notice of they are effective or not.)

Long Natural Nails as a Muslim Woman

I have had specific questions from Muslim women regarding the permissibility of me having lengthy natural nails as a practicing Muslim woman. If you are interested I have addressed that in a separate blog post which you can find here.