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STRENGTHEN NAILS

ASK ANA – Strengthen Nails By Tapping?

Have you ever wondered if tapping your nails on a hard surface makes them stronger?

Today we’re going to cover:

Does tapping fit into the scientifically proven methods to grow nails faster?
What part of your finger actually benefits from stimulation
And a couple of positive strategies you can use starting today.

ASK ANA

Hi Ana, I was told recently by a nail technician that tapping your nails on a hard surface (a table) will help stimulate your nail bed and help strengthen your nails. I’ve been doing this every day but nothing different so far. Is there any truth to this? ~Nadine

ANSWER

This… is the kind of advice that drives me nuts! Especially, when it comes from professionals. I can’t believe that a nail technician gave this type of advice. … I take that back…yes I do believe it.

Doug Schoon, author of Nail Structure and Product Chemistry says that “if this were true, then all piano players would have very long, strong nails.”

The reason that we have fingernails is to protect our fingertips with all of the tasks that we do throughout the day. They also make it easier to pinch, scratch, grab, etc.

There is also no reason to stimulate your nail bed. And you really can’t do that anyway. What you are actually wanting to do is stimulate the matrix. That’s where your new nail cells are created.

The pink nail bed is what sends moisture and oil through the nail plate to keep it from cracking and peeling.

How To Grow Nails Faster

There are only three scientifically proven ways to grow nails faster.

Get pregnant . . . Not all of us want to do that
Move somewhere warm . . . Some of us like cooler climates.
Damage your nail plate . . . Not a wise choice

I write about this and much more detail in my how to grow nails faster article.

To make your nails stronger, the best way to do that is to increase the amount of oil in your nail plate.

Since we wash our hands on average 20 times per day, the water and soap strip out the oils, and then we get dry skin and dry nails.

The good thing to know is that good nail professionals would never give this advice, because they are more educated about the natural nail.

So, to wrap this up …

If you want your nails to grow faster, try to follow the scientifically proven methods, Although I don’t recommend damaging your nail because that’s really not a very good way to make them grow longer. Many people who bite their nails will confirm this.

If you want your nails to be stronger, then you will want to hydrate them with a high quality jojoba wax ester based nail oil. You may want to try my 3 Day Hydration Treatment.

Remember, no matter how long–or short–your nails are, as long as they are well shaped and manicured, they will be beautiful.