One of my most-asked questions recently has been, “how do you get your nails to grow?” I also get asked about my favorite nail polish colors and whether or not I wear acrylics, so I thought I’d put together a short blog post detailing what I’ve been doing to my nails 🙂
First up, I have been using these hair and nail vitamins from Target for the past several months. You may remember in this blog post I talked about the Olly beauty vitamins, and I do still love those – HOWEVER, the new kind I’ve been using has the exact same ingredients but you get so much more in the bottle for the same price. There’s no difference in the product – they both work really well. The main ingredient, Biotin, is what you really want to look for. Try to find vitamins with at least 2,500 mcg of Biotin! The ones I buy also contain Vitamins C and E, which play a role in shielding your skin from sun damage and maintaining healthy collagen in your skin. I notice a visible difference in the strength and growing time of my nails when I am consistent with these vitamins. And I swear it helps my hair and eyelashes grow too!
Secondly, to make my nails grow long I have been really consistent with getting SNS polish on my nails. I was skeptical at first, but the ladies at my salon in Winston convinced me to try it because I told them I wanted my nails to get healthier! The first time I had it done I literally kept thinking, “what the heck are they doing to my nails!?” (haha) To apply SNS polish, they apply a base polish and then dip your nails in a powder, repeating until the powder builds up to cover your entire nail. The powder will be a little uneven on top, so they sand it down, buff it and then apply a shiny topcoat to finish. It sounds crazy, but it’s amazing – it doesn’t peel off like gel polish, and it is a little thicker and stronger (which I like). It also doesn’t require any UV light to set, like gel polish does.
The coolest part about SNS nail polish is how they take it off. My salon has me put each of my hands in a zip-lock bag filled with warm acetone and a paper towel. Once your nails have soaked for a few minutes, you gently rub your nails against the paper towel, and the polish converts back to powder form and comes right off your nails. I am always amazed by this process – there’s no scraping or peeling the polish off, it literally disintegrates, revealing long, healthy nails beneath. I’m on my fourth round of SNS polish, each time I can keep them on for 3-4 weeks, and each time they’ve had to cut back my nails because of how much they’ve grown!
FYI – I go to Digits Nail Salon in Winston-Salem – they’re the BEST! They have a zillion colors of SNS polish and are really great at applying/taking it off and doing nail designs too. My favorite colors are N6 (pink color) and “Snow White” which is pure matte white (what I have on in the photos).
If you’ve had SNS, I’d love to hear about your experience!
xoxo
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I've never heard of SNS, I'll have to look into it. Thanks for the tips!
http://www.betterlivin.ca
SNS sounds amazing! I'm going have to give it a try! And biotin works WONDERS!
SNS is amazing! My nails have never been so long or healthy! Thanks for the color suggestions!
Your nails look so long and fabulous! I LOVE SNS–it's really helped my nails too!
http://www.rosyoutlookblog.com
I'm going to have to try SNS soon! I always get gel nails, which are fantastic until the second or third week when they just start peeling off on their own. I'll definitely look into that next time I go to the salon.
Taylor | Espresso and Ambition
I've been getting SNS for about a year now and I absolutely love it! It doesn't ruin my nails like gel did and it last so much longer. Gel used to peel, lift and crack on me by about two weeks. I can literally have the SNS on for 3 weeks with no problem.
Oo now I want to try it out! Thanks for sharing this. By the way, I love your top!
http://www.rdsobsessions.com
Your nails look so pretty! I can't believe they last so long! I might have to try it 🙂
http://www.simplynancyblog.com
Really really intresting..you have such amazing and beautiful nails and gorgeous hair!!!
Be Happy with Fashion
Great post! I've been using the Olly vitamins since you recommended them, but I'll have to try these ones out now!
xo, Caitlin
http://thesolcompass.com
1. I know those vitamins are super yummy!
2. That top is gorgeous!
3. I love how bright your photos are!
http://www.keepingupwithcandy.com
I've had SNS since last April. It IS wonderful! My nail place was sanding my nails down each time I changed colors and that left my nails so so thin and I had to tell them to stop. Now, it's all good. 🙂
So cool! I'm still a gel girl, but I'd love to try SNS soon!
Katie | Willow and White
There are no salons that do SNS in my area! I will keep an eye out for it though.
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com/
Biotin helps so much! I'll definitely have to try SNS next time I can get to the salon. And that top is the cutest!
Xo, Nina
Law of Fashion Blog
Oh I need to try these! I have been having the hardest time getting my hair to grow!
xo,
K
http://www.instagram.com/keshiaruberg
Love your nails! I am definitely going to try SNS!
http://www.giltedgeblog.com
I haven't tried SNS but will see if anyone by me does it. I definitely would try those vitamins for my hair and nails, however, I have had laser hair removal and taking anything with Biotin would undo the process. 🙁
wow I have to try these:P
Shall We Sasa
Just a warning to Acne-prone girls: Too much Biotin (the ingredient in this supplement) can make you break out like CRAZY! I started taking this back in October and stopped in November and am still dealing with the breakouts. Just be careful and do your research before you start taking anything new!
Your nails are so nice! SNS sounds very intriguing.
http://www.insearchofsheila.com
I totally swear on Biotin for my hair and nails! They grow a lot faster with it!
♡Kristina
TheKontemporary
I've never heard of SNS…now I've got to do some checking locally! I do gels and love that it last, hate what it does to my nails long term 🙁 I do think Biotin is great-but just go for straight capsules to avoid the sugar in the gummies (I'm doing the Whole 30!)
https://www.soportlandish.com
XO, Julie & Courtney
Ohhh this post came at a perfect time! I've been looking for something like this especially for my hair. I have to try it out 🙂
XO Janina
http://janinafran.blogspot.ca
Ugh I've been obsessed with this top since I saw it on your snapchat story the other day! So cute!
xo, Alexis
https://cincinnatisass.com
Never heard of SNS nail polish before.
http://www.amysfashionblog.com/blog-home/
Thanks for sharing!
xx
Mademoiselle Coconath
http://mllecoconath.com
I've been hearing so much about SNS nail polish! Definitely need to try that <3
BlondieInTheCity.com
I've been wanting to try SNS, I am so hard on manicures that even gels or acrylics start chipping within a couple days, haha. Thanks for sharing!
I love SNS, I have it on now! We have it out here at my salon in Arizona, called NexGen or something similar. The only thing is that I really struggle to take it off at home by myself, I pretty much have to go to the salon. Maybe NexGen is a little different in that way.
Woah, I have seen powder polishes before but did not know about the benefits of SNS! Will have to ask my nail place if they have it. Thanks for the tips!
Isabella
The Chic Mélange
http://thechicmelange.com/
I take biotin gummies too! Hey Caitlin. What lens do you use for your indoor shots?
Thanks a lot! http://vidafashionista.com/