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Bare Nails Are The It Nail: Here's The One Step You Need To Achieve It

Author:

Alexandra Engler

mbg Beauty Director

By Alexandra Engler

mbg Beauty Director

Alexandra Engler is the beauty director at mindbodygreen and host of the beauty podcast Clean Beauty School. Previously, she's held beauty roles at Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, SELF, and Cosmopolitan; her byline has appeared in Esquire, Sports Illustrated, and Allure.com.

Image by Leandro Crespi / Stocksy

Nail trends come and go—influenced by internet fads and runway shows. But a strong, manicured bare nail is always in style. If you are choosing to forgo a manicure at this time or just taking a break in between sessions, it's actually quite an easy look to pull off. You just need, uh, a healthy nail first.

And to do that, it has to start with healthy growth; there's only so much superficial buffering, trimming, and topical tonics can do. How, do you ask? Take a collagen and biotin supplement.

Why you should take mbg's grass-fed collagen+ for nail health.

beauty & gut collagen+ powder

Two of best-studied nutrients for nail health are collagen and biotin, both in mindbodygreen's grass-fed collagen+. Collagen supplements contain hydrolyzed collagen peptides, which are short-chain amino acids. These amino acids are the building blocks for your nails—so if you provide your body with said nutrients, your body will be better equipped to grow healthy, strong nails. In fact, one study found that when patients took collagen daily for 24 weeks, it helped support their nail health 1, including better growth rates, reduced breakage, and improved appearance.*

Biotin is a popular addition to nail growth supplements as has been shown in studies to enhance the appearance of nails.* In fact, brittle, rigid nails are another common complaint for those with vitamin deficiencies, especially vitamin B deficiencies. Biotin has been shown to support thickness and firmness of nails 2 in several human studies: One found that those who took biotin supplements had 25% thicker nail beds 3 than the placebo group.*

Finally, you can also take advantage of antioxidants. Antioxidants have a host of full-body benefits thanks to their ability to neutralize free radical damage in the body. These won't necessarily help promote growth, but they will support the nails you have. Vitamin E is a popular one, as it may even help manage yellowing of nails 4.

The takeaway.

There are plenty of day-to-day things you can do to tend to your nails (cuticle oils, anyone?), but if you really want to pull off the trend of bare nails, you need to start at the beginning: growing and nurturing your nails naturally.

If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medications, consult with your doctor before starting a supplement routine. It is always optimal to consult with a health care provider when considering what supplements are right for you.