GROW NAILS FASTER

How to grow nails faster … We all want to find that magic product to help our nails grow faster.

Nicole asks me a question that I get quite often.

This article is a companion to my article: Nail Growth – Does Qtica Nail Growth Stimulator Work?

In this article I cover growth products, natural ways to grow nails faster, and the real solution for stronger nails.

Read on…

ASK ANA

What is the best basecoat that that helps your nails grow? I use Stuck on Blu! from Glisten and Glow to prevent staining but it does not help with growth.

Now I know some will say that no polish can help with growth, but I do use one that actually does help with growth and I stopped using it just to see if my nails would still grow. They don’t—and they are again weak and brittle. Just pressing on them bends them. But when I was using the treatment I have I could not bend them as easily as they do now.

And the treatment can be used as a basecoat BUT it does not prevent staining. Do you think I could use that, then the Stuck on Blu! then top coat, like layer them? Or would that be too much? Is there a product out there that anyone knows of that does prevent staining and helps with growth or strength. ~Nicole

ANSWER

Your Treatment Product

Author of Nail Structure and Product Chemistry, Doug Schoon just emailed me this yesterday…

Ok, I need to pause here….Eeeeeee! Doug Schoon emailed me! He’s read some of my articles on this site and thinks they’re really good. He’s really excited about the work I’m doing to bring you the truth about nails. Eeeeee! Ok, geeky girl party over 😀   ~Ana

I digress … So here’s what Doug Schoon emailed …

No cosmetic product can claim to “stimulate growth.” Not only is this a false claim, it is an illegal claim. Cosmetics can NOT claim to affect the structure or function of the body. Cosmetics can’t speed up nail growth and they can’t legally claim to do so. ~Doug Schoon

Nicole, when you stopped using the product you describe your nails as weak and brittle.

This is due to the fact that your product is a nail hardener. There is nothing in this, or any  product, that helps grow nails faster.

The ingredients in nail hardeners actually dry out your nails more. This makes them more weak and brittle when you remove the product.

Hardeners are also a big contributor to peeling nails. Nails peel when they are severely dried out. I explain how water helps push the layers apart in my article How to Strengthen Brittle Nails.

Stop Growing?

Nichole, you also said you stopped the product to see if your nails would still grow. The truth is that your nails have a consistent growth rate that doesn’t stop until you are dead. Sorry if that seems blunt but it’s true.

Nails don’t stop growing when removing a product. They also don’t start growing by applying a product. As long as you’re eating and breathing—your nails are growing.

Layering Hardener Before Base Coat

This could work but you may experience more polish chipping. The reason is that good base coats are made to bond to the nail surface, not another polish.

Base Coats Reduce Staining

Base coats definitely reduce staining from high pigmented polishes. They are formulated to bond to the bare nail plate so you’ll have longer polish wear. Colored nail polishes are formulated to bond to a base coat.

My favorite base coat has microparticles to smooth out the nail plate. I’ve also noticed that it’s great at covering up mild yellow staining.

Three Natural Ways to Grow Nails Faster

Other than a healthy diet and lifestyle, there are only 3 things that can help healthy nails GROW faster, longer or stronger.

1. Get Pregnant

This one is well known by every woman who has had a baby. Nail plate growth progressively increases 3.5% to 20% during pregnancy because of increased hormones. Nail growth slows down dramatically when nursing the baby after it’s born. Then nail growth will return to the normal rate when the child is weaned.

2. Damage or Bite Your Nails

Finger nail plates grow quicker when damaged. This is your body’s survival method. You need your fingernails. If you turn to biting though, you’re not going to see the increased nail growth. You’ll be biting it all away.

3. Move Somewhere Warm

Nail plates grow twenty percent (20%) faster during the summer—due to increased blood flow to the matrix. This also explains why massaging lotion or oil into your cuticle lines will help you grow nails faster. You’ll be bringing more blood to your matrix. This is where your nail cells are formed.

You can read more about these in my article: Ask Ana: Does Qtica Nail Growth Stimulator Work? 

Vitamins?

“Nothing you eat will make healthy nail plates become stronger than normal, but poor nutrition can certainly make them weaker…..To date, no conclusive scientific studies have linked vitamin supplements, gelatin drinks, or special foods to the faster growth of healthy nails.” ~Doug Schoon, Nail Structure and Product Chemistry

With that being said, I do believe that most Americans are vitamin deficient. If you’re not consuming 7 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, you could be deficient of many important vitamins and minerals.

Find a good multi-vitamin that has significantly more than the US RDA (recommended daily allowance). Basically those numbers are what is required to keep you from getting many vitamin induced diseases, like Scurvy. A healthy diet will help your grow nails faster.

Many gals swear by Biotin supplements for stronger nails. This is most likely because a lot of us aren’t getting enough biotin in our diet.

Strengthen with Oil

Think of a leaf.

During the Summer, it’s gorgeous, full of moisture and very flexible.

Then when it dies during the Fall, the moisture is sucked out. It shrivels up, get’s fragile and cracks.

Our nails are the same.

When they are hydrated with the perfect mix of about 18% water and 5% oil, nails are flexible and can endure the brutal forces of living life. This is true nail strength.

When they are dried out from way too much hand washing with harsh, antibacterial soaps, polish removers and nail hardening products, they get stiff and fragile. Your nails snap instantly with barely any pressure.

Strong nails are flexible nails

The very best way to improve the flexibility of your nails is with a high quality, jojoba wax ester based nail oil.

Try my 3 Day Initial Hydration Treatment (bottom of page in link). You will be shocked how much oil your nails will absorb. After the first 3 days, the oil will stay in your nails for many weeks if you keep them protected with lacquer.

The enemies of your skin and nails are soap, water and polish removers. These are the things that remove that precious 5% of oil.

Oil certainly won’t help you grow nails faster, but it will make them stronger and more flexible. They will break less. This makes it appear like our nails are growing faster.

Protect with Polish

Lacquer actually helps protect your nails. It has a tighter molecular structure. Water can penetrate lacquer, but very, very slowly.

Each layer of polish adds temporary strength and as long as the polish is freshly applied, it’s flexible too.

Consistent use of polish is another way of adding flexible strength to your nails. This helps reduce breaking—again—making it appear like your nails are growing faster.

NEW RULE: New Manicure Every 7 Days

Polish that’s been on for more than 7 days gets brittle and cracks. Raquel from Love4Nails reapplies a new manicure every 7 days. She says every time she doesn’t follow this rule, she breaks a nail. This is because after 7 days, the polish dries out too much and cracks.

Nicole, I hope that clears up some of your really important questions. I’m sure you’ve helped a lot of people who have the same questions as you. Take Care! ~Ana

The post How To Grow Nails Faster! first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

It goes against every Corporate Giant spending fortunes to create and market the next miracle nail growth product that is sure to change your life forever!

In this post, I’ll cover:

• Zoya’s product description
• What I think is misleading
• What are true solutions
• Translating the ingredient list into real language
• How to be a better informed consumer

ASK ANA

Dear Ana,
I started using Qtica nail growth stimulator from Zoya a few months back. Before I started using Qtica my nails were fine, just a little dry around the cuticles. Ever since then they started peeling.

One of the girls that has a nail page on Facebook also said she was having problems with Qtica. I guess I can’t be exactly sure but I really think it might be from the Qtica. What do you think?  🙁

 

Disclaimer: I am not a nail tech and I don’t have a science degree. What I do have is a great skill at doing thorough research and taking complex topics and simplifying them so the rest of us can understand … And I just happen to be very geeky about nails so Nail Structure and Product Chemistry by Doug Schoon is my Nail Bible … I credit all of the sciencey stuff to Mr. Schoon and the fun analogies are mine … yep, totally geeky … so, on with the show. ~Ana

ANSWER

My initial impression is that you are probably allergic to one or more of the ingredients.

I found a few girls on MakeUpAlley.com who hated the product because it peeled and wouldn’t stay on or it made their nails peel. The rest of the 30+ reviews were very positive.

Zoya’s Product Description:

What Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator Does The Secret to strong, healthy looking natural nails. Make your natural nails, stronger and longer while preventing annoying chipping and peeling with QTICA Natural Nail Growth Stimulator. Sulfur amino acids and hydrolyzed proteins strengthen the nail by bonding and locking keratin together and creating an extra layer of nail to prevent peeling and protect new nail growth. Maintain moisture and flexibility of the natural nail with vitamins A, C and E to keep it flexible and prevent cracking. See up to ? in of nail growth in as little as 14 days.

My Take On Zoya’s Qtica

• It sounds like the holy grail of nail strengtheners—right?

• Who wouldn’t want stronger, longer natural nails without peeling and chipping?

• Unfortunately, this description is the result of an excellent marketing department! It doesn’t result in faster nail growth.

Let Me Show You Why

Growth Stimulator?

My biggest problem starts with the product name, “Nail Growth Stimulator.”

Your entire nail is 50 layers of dead keratin cells. Dead is dead.

There is absolutely no way to stimulate the growth of dead cells!

The Real Growth Stimulator

Your Fingers!

The only way to actually stimulate growth of nail cells is to rub the area behind your cuticle—the matrix—this is where your nail is created. This brings more blood cells to the matrix. More blood nourishes that area and stimulates nail growth.

Prevent Cracking?

Vitamins A, C and E  DO NOT  keep your nails “flexible and prevent cracking.”

Water is your nail’s greatest enemy! Too much water in your nails makes them soggy, weak and overly flexible. Too little water and your nails dry out causing them to curl and snap like autumn leaves.

The Real Crack Preventer

Only sebum (your body oil) or jojoba oil can trap the right amount of 18% moisture (water) in your nails to keep them flexible. Rubbing a high quality, jojoba based nail oil in your nails and skin will improve the strength of your nails.

You will experience what appears to be “faster nail growth.”

How is this possible?

Because you will experience A LOT LESS breaking. When your nails are hydrated with oil, they flex when you smash them against the counter, instead of breaking. This is true nail strength!

See Up To ? Growth in 14 Days

No product can make your nails grow faster. Period.

I wish I could deliver different news.

But a product CAN NOT speed up the growth of your nails. Nail growth is predetermined by your genetics and your body’s ability to create new cells. There are 3 natural ways to speed up nail growth though.

Three Natural Ways to Speed Up Nail Growth

Bite Or Damage Your Nails—Nail plates grow faster when damaged. This is your body’s survival mechanism. You need your nails. If you turn to biting though, you’re certainly not going to see the increased growth. Sorry.

Move Somewhere Warm—Nail plates grow 20% faster during the summer—due to increased blood flow to the matrix. This is why rubbing your nails and cuticle lines also stimulates nail growth.

Get Pregnant—Nail plate growth progressively increases 3.5% to 20% during pregnancy but then slows down dramatically when nursing the baby after it’s born.

Magical Ingredients? **

Next, let’s look at the ingredients and find out what all those big words really mean in Qtica.

I don’t see any ingredient listed that makes this product better than any typical polish formulation.

I also don’t see anything here that “strengthens the nail by bonding and locking keratin together” any better than any other bottle of polish in your drawer.

The red highlighted ingredients are in Zoya’s regular color polish formulation.

ETHYL ACETATE = a solvent, used to improve application and smooth product flow.
SD ALCOHOL = a solvent, used to improve application and smooth product flow.
BUTYL ACETATE = a solvent, used to improve application and smooth product flow.
HEPTANE = a solvent, used to improve application and smooth product flow.
PROPYL ACETATE = a solvent, used to improve application and smooth product flow.

NITROCELLULOSE = a film former to make the product hard and shiny when it dries

“Nitrocellulose produces a very hard, shiny surface but does not stick to the nail plate and is too brittle. The combination of Nitrocellulose and Tosylamide Resin make a great pair.

Tosylamide Resin increases flexibility and toughens the nitrocellulose while improving adhesion…Nitrocellulose is called the film former because it is responsible for creating the continuous coating on the nail plate… It’s main drawback is its tendency to yellow when exposed to sunlight or UV light.” ~Nail Structure and Product Chemistry by Douglas Schoon

ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL a solvent, used to improve application and smooth product flow.
BUTYL ALCOHOL = a solvent, used to improve application and smooth product flow.
TOSYLAMIDE/EPOXY RESIN = a resin, to make the polish tough and resilient
POLYVINYL BUTYRAL = a resin, to make the polish tough and resilient

TOSYLAMIDE/FORMALDEHYDE RESIN = a resin, to make the polish tough and resilient

CAMPHOR = a plasticizer to prevent chips and cracks and increase the flexibility of the polish
TRIPHENYL PHOSPHATE = a plasticizer to prevent chips and cracks and increase the flexibility of the polish
TRIPHENYL PENTANYL DIISOBUTYRATE = a plasticizer to prevent chips and cracks and increase the flexibility of the polish
BENZOPHENONE – 1 = a UV stabilizer, used to prevent color fading
ACRYLATES COPOLYMER = a film former which helps with adhesion to the nail plate
DIMETHINCONOL = a silicone, to make polish spread smoothly
MERCAPTROPROPIONIC ACID = a product stabilizer
CARTHAMUS TINCTORIUS (SAFFLOWER) SEED OIL = Vitamins E and K
ALLIUM SATIVUM (GARLIC) BULB EXTRACT = Vitamins A, C, B6, and K
DIMETHICONE = a silicone, to make polish spread smoothly
VIOLET 2 = Color

* The highlighted ingredients are in Zoya’s color polish formulation with the addition of  

• Polyester Resin  
• Acetyl Tibutyl Citrate (biodegradable plasticizer)
• Sterikonium Hectorite (suspension agent)
• Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer (film former)
• And different dyes or titanium dioxide (for color)

* * Zoya doesn’t provide the above ingredient list on their website. This list was found online from an Amazon reseller of the Qtica Formula.

Do Additives Really Add Something?

“There are a variety of highly specialized additives that are available to the skilled polish formulator. Even very tiny amounts of these special additives can give dramatic differences in performance.  Some examples are ingredients used to improve wetting and adhesion or to stabilize colorants.

Of course, there are also some additives that serve absolutely no function other than to increase consumer appeal like proteins, calcium, vitamins, minerals, and fibers. These ingredients do nothing for the nail plate or the polish but they sound great on the label!”  ~Nail Structure and Product Chemistry by Douglas Schoon

Are there ingredients in Zoya’s formula that make it better than your regular polish?

Maybe … maybe not.

Perhaps this product does give you enhanced, temporary strength while you are wearing Qtica. But once you remove it, you’re back to the same nails. There just isn’t anything in this product that will stimulate nail growth.

In Conclusion

Nail Polish companies don’t make money if they tell you that all your nails need is 18% water and 5% sebum or jojoba oil to stay strong and flexible.

So they rely on the fact that you don’t know what all those big words mean in their ingredient lists.

Heck…I didn’t either before I started doing research for this post! Companies rely on the fact that you will assume they know better because they have a lot of money to put into research and development.

Please know that I have nothing negative to say about Zoya. Zoya makes great polishes that are adored by nail technicians and the nail community. In fact, I own several of their polishes as well.

I just want you to be able to separate the marketing hype from the truth.

My hope is that you will read nail polish product descriptions with a clearer eye and if you’re still not sure… Ask Ana!

Have a Question You’d Like Ana to Answer?

If Ana features your question in an “Ask Ana” article, you’ll get an email from us within a week asking you for your shipping address. Woohoo! This is our way of thanking you for asking a great question and helping deliver more value to our NailCareHQ readers, Blissettes and the Bliss Kiss™ community. Info@MyBlissKiss.com

The post Nail Growth – Does Qtica Nail Growth Stimulator Work? first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.