Growing out my Natural Nails (again!). . . . .

Hey girl heyyyy!

So I've never really had long nails prior to this year. I've always preferred a square shape because it looked "clean and professional" to me. They never really grew too far past my fingertips. The length issue was mostly due to them peeling, thus thinning and increasing the likelihood of splits. In the lucky event they weren't peeling, I swear, just AS SOON as they reached a nice tip length they would break on the freaking corners.

Well, that all changed when I revamped my nail routine. There are TWO FACTORS that really changed the game for me.

1. Using OPI "The Original Nail Envy" as directed on bottle. Apply as a base coat or one coat daily for 1 week. This stuff is sort of expensive, around $18 bucks. I usually purchase from Ulta though, they always have a $3.50 off coupon you can find online.

2. Filing my tips round or almond. Since my nails are quite hard since using Nail Envy, I can use a course nail file with no problems for major reshaping. Otherwise, I use a crystal nail file, for gentle retouches. I've learned through lots of YouTube videos the proper way to shape my nails into an almond shape. There's an art form to get this shape perfect, as opposed to round! But the extra work is worth it, because almond looks 2000x better in my opinion.

Thassit! That's how I was able to grow my nails long, to my "ideal" length in about ~5months. My ideal length allows me to text on my phone and type on my computer keyboard comfortably AND wipe my behind without any special moves or tricks. I still can't really button my blouses at my ideal length, but its a work in progress! lol I'm much more of a t-shirt type of gal anyways.

The last part of my nail care routine is a weekly "hand spa". Every week (usually the day after my hair care day), I soak my nails in a very warm bowl of water (as hot as you can comfortably stand it) with equal parts baking soda and salt (roughly about 2 tablespoons for every cup of water). After I soak them for about 5-10 mins, I push back my cuticles and clip any hangnails, douse my hands in either coconut oil, jojoba oil, or extra virgin olive oil, and let it completely soak in. Then I proceed to add Nail Envy and my polish of choice. I usually do a polish change midweek, but I only soak my nails once per week.

Check the pics below for my nail growth journey and the heartbreaking CRACK that prompted me to start from scratch again last month!