As you prep your skincare regimen against another harsh winter, don’t—and we can’t emphasize this enough—forget about your fingernails. They’re easy to overlook, but your nails do a lot to serve your overall health, which is why you should take good care of them.
“If the appearance of the skin is a window into a person’s internal health, the nails are at least a porthole,” says Tyler Hollmig, M.D., director of dermatologic surgery and laser and cosmetic dermatology at the University of Texas Dell Medical Center.
What causes unhealthy nails, exactly?
Dry, brittle nails have a list of potential causes that is long and complex—ranging from fungal infections to skin disorders like eczema to internal conditions like heart, lung, liver, or kidney problems, Dr. Hollmig says. Nutritional deficiencies, celiac disease, or major health stressors like fevers or chemotherapy medications can also damage your nails.
If you consider yourself generally healthy, know that dry air dehydrates your nails as much as your skin. “The exact same cells that form the outer layer of your skin also form your nails,” explains Cynthia Bailey, M.D., F.A.A.D., founder and CEO of Dr. Bailey Skin Care. “These cells harden more in your nails, but structurally, they share many common features and needs.”
Natural oils hold together layers within the nail, acting as a “glue,” as Dr. Bailey calls it, and when temperatures and humidity drop, that glue is much more susceptible to breaking down.
Genes and aging can also play a role. Nail growth is like hair growth, in that it’s different for everyone. “Not everyone makes nails that are durable at longer lengths,” says Chris G. Adigun, M.D., F.A.A.D., board-certified dermatologist who specializes in nail disorders. She also emphasizes that stunted nail growth isn’t the same as nail brittleness. Brittle nails grow at the expected rate, they just break easily.
How to make your nails grow faster
Growing your nails can be a trying process, and it definitely tests your patience. “Nails grow slowly,” says Dr. Hollmig. “It typically takes about six months to regrow a fingernail and an entire year to regrow a big toenail.”
Thankfully, the following expert-backed tips will help speed up the process.
1. Eat a balanced diet.
“As long as a person is healthy and eating a well-balanced diet, it is difficult to accelerate nail growth beyond the normal rate of about 3 millimeters per month,” Dr. Hollmig says. But diet is the most crucial thing you can do to promote steady progress, so load up on foods rich in the following nutrients, all of which support healthy nail growth:
- Cysteine: chicken, turkey, yogurt, legumes
- Folate: spinach, asparagus, romaine lettuce, avocado, green peas
- Biotin: egg yolks, salmon, nuts, seeds, spinach, broccoli
- Zinc: oysters, beef, crab, beans, nuts, seeds, fortified cereal
- Vitamin A: sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, mangoes
- Vitamin C: bell peppers, citrus fruits, strawberries, Brussels sprouts, kiwifruit
2. Stop pushing, picking, and biting.
Dr. Adigun often sees patients who have undergone “chronic cuticle manipulation, such as pushing or trimming,” she says, which stunts nail growth. That manipulation could also include stress-induced biting and picking.
Your best bet is to simply leave your nails alone in the first place, but that can be easier said than done. If you find that you’re mindlessly biting, it helps to first identify your triggers—say, when you’re running late to work—and do your best to avoid them. Frequently applying a hand cream or cuticle balm to your nails and surrounding skin can also help, as you’ll have fewer dry areas to pick at.
If all else fails, you can treat your nails with a bitter nail polish (which really will taste awful) or secure a bandage around a particular nail you can’t leave alone.
3. Dampen, then file.
Although you want your nails to grow long, you should still file them to keep them free of snags that may catch and cause splitting. To ensure your filing isn’t too harsh, Dr. Bailey recommends wetting your nails first “to soften the structure and make it pliable.”
Always file in one direction with swift, smooth strokes (going back and forth can cause splintering) with a softer file.
4. Avoid harsh soaps and cleaners.
Or at least wear gloves while you use them. “Exposing your hands to harsh soaps, cleaning products, solvents, and rough work makes the problem worse because it pulls natural oil from your nails and damages the nail keratin protein,” says Dr. Bailey. “At first, your nails begin to ‘fray’ on the edges, becoming brittle. Eventually, the layers split.”
5. Moisturize like you mean it.
Dr. Bailey says you should consistently treat your hands and nails with oils that will lock in moisture, preserve the cuticle seal, and strengthen the nail itself. Her favorites are natural oils like jojoba oil, avocado oil, and shea butter.
Dr. Adigun says her go-to hydrating product is RESTORE by Dr. Rogers, which is a healing balm for damaged, fragile skin that contains glycerin (an ingredient that draws moisture to the area) and castor oil.
6. Assess your regular manicure.
They might look beautiful, but there could be a lot of damage happening underneath your manicures, especially if you have an unknown allergy. “Allergy to a nail product will present with peeling, cracking nails,” says Dr. Adigun. She says it’s most often due to the presence of tosylamide or formaldehyde resin, chemicals found in many nail polishes and hardeners.
Unfortunately, gel manicures may not be any better. “Gel manicures may be tough on nails, causing brittleness, peeling, and cracking, and repeated use of UV radiation in these settings may increase the risk of skin cancer and premature aging on the hands,” she says.
7. Pop a supplement.
While certain vitamins and supplements can help support healthy nail growth, they “should be used in addition to, not in place of, a healthy diet,” says Dr. Bailey.
One to look into? Biotin, a type of B vitamin, has been shown to increase nail thickness by about 25% in patients with brittle nails and “can improve nail smoothness and reduce nail splitting,” she says, ultimately supporting faster growth.
You could also consider popping a multivitamin that contains a mix of the nutrients mentioned above. “I tell patients to go to their favorite, high-quality natural food store and ask the vitamin specialist for their best nail formula,” says Dr. Bailey.
