Guide to Beautiful, Long Nails

People often look at my nails and ask if they're real. At first I laughed and wondered why they asked this. But after getting many complements, I realized that they are nice and began taking good care of them. Now they look better than ever! Many people wonder how to get pretty nails, so I created this guide!

No bad habits: Even as a little girl, I would never bite my nails. Surprisingly, some of my friends still bite their nails and that's the number one killer for good nails. So if you have this bad habit, stop as soon as possible. It may not be easy, but it's the only way of getting naturally beautiful nails. (Tip: apply nail polish. The bad taste helps discourage this bad habit).

Base! Wear a clear base of nail polish before applying your regular colored nail polish. Why? The clear base helps prevent yellow nails. What's the cause of yellow nails? Wearing nail polish too often. It doesn't do your nails any harm, but it does make them yellowish. Even if you're not into wearing nail polish, wear the clear base anyways. It helps against breakage.

Yellow nails. If you already have yellow nails, don't worry. There is a simple, easy way to help tone down the yellow. Use a wedge of lemon and rub in on your nails. Though it may not work one hundred percent, it should tone it down and make it less yellow. Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda are also said to work wonders, but I haven't had the chance to try.

Beauty food. Most of your nails are made out of protein, so having a good diet is another simple way to get long strong nails. So what kind of foods should you be eating? Meat, eggs, legumes (such as beans, lentils and nuts), cheese, yogurt, milk-and anything in the dairy category. Because your hair is also made of the same proteins as your nails, this will help your hair as well.

Clean nails are happy nails. Although many of us know to wash our hands often throughout the day, many overlook nails. Simply remember to clean underneath your finger nails whenever you're washing your hands.

Protect them It's always important to protect your nails whenever doing chores. For example, bleach denaturizes (in other words, destroys) the natural proteins in your nails which makes them weaker. Also, wear gloves whenever cleaning or doing yard work.

It's actually very easy to grow beautiful nails. With care and patience, they will look amazing!