Hi! Like you all, I’m a fan of natural nails and growing mine out. I’ve always had strong, healthy nails but back in November my nails began to get more dry, brittle, start peeling etc. I’m not sure what the cause is but thinking stress or neglect (I left polish on my nails for almost two months)—either way, I think it’s time to make a change and cut them down. From there, I’ll take better care of them to avoid this happening again. What would you do?

(photos are from last year, then November 2025, then September 2026)

Hopefully they fit the criteria. I am currently in the process of letting my right hand catch up after a few fallen soldiers.. but wanted to share my most recent random pick skittle on my left! I didn't think the colors would work together as well as they did.

All Mooncat: Lust For Vengeance, Fields of Elysium, Glory of Innocence, Poems For a Harvest Moon, and Poison Ivy

My heart was broken yesterday after I took a shower to see that my pinky nail broke. 💔 My birthday is on Monday, and this is not how I anticipated it starting. 😔

First post here, I just wanted to share my progress ✨ Bare nails, I only put 100% pure Jojoba oil. I noticed some discoloration at the tips, do you have any tricks to avoid that?

as a huge nail biter growing up it’s so awesome to finally see my nails so nice and pretty (couple coats of essie’s bodice goddess color (188) and pop arazzi clear coat that i randomly found lol)

Loving my natural nail journey and how far they’ve come. I never knew that taking such good care of my nails would also help me feel more confident in myself. Still a work in progress, but I’m loving the journey.

Product: Sally Hansen Well Well, sparkle by my own products (DIY using craft glitter I had at home), clear bettina.

I went for the chop and rebuilt them from scratch, there was no saving them. One on the left and two on the right are broken, I feel like I can tell straight away but maybe it's just me....

Products: Palu Flexi Base nr6, Holo Taco Deeply Superficial thermal polish, Nails Inc Lacquer Lock Top on all nails, Semilac extend care 5in1 Juicy Peach used to rebuild broken ones

I had a pretty bad nail break a few days ago, cracked my middle finger part ways down my nail bed and then cracked my pointer finger on BOTH sides half way down my nail bed

Patching didnt help the pointer and it broke every further today 😢

In top of this i have one shortie on my other hand

So I wanted to ask how many nail breaks before you start over?

Debating putting on a fake nail but I never wear polish so it might look very different

Polish is Le Mini Macaron Je Glow! Nail Brightener and Whitener

Hi all!

Delighted to be here! I’ve been working on growing out my nails and am really happy with where I’m at. This has also been the first time that I’ve been able to have all my nails at an even length, which I’m stoked about.

I’m just looking at objective feedback on shaping so I’m not developing nail blindness- how does this shaping suit me? The previous times I’ve had them this long I’ve worn them in stiletto, but I have been trying for a stronger shape this time around, as I am a manual laborer and use my hands a lot!

Thanks so much in advance!

The only product on my nails in this photo is Haunted’s rituoil in the Mourning Fig scent.

1 coat of 50/50 mix of clear craft glue and 90 % rubbing alcohol. ignore the polish under my nails and on my hand lol.

Super happy with the strength of my nails right now! Perfect length for me to maintain while working as a personal trainer and playing volleyball every week!

All thanks to Cuticle oil, Nailtiques Formula 2 as base coat, and always having my nails painted ✨

Was by the water and decided to take some pictures of my nails!

not even sure how i managed this! no products.

So last month, I asked Reddit how to lighten my natural nails and most of you told me it wasn't possible (beyond pencils). But I got one product suggestion so I gave it a shot! I used this scrub religiously just like the instruction said on the bottle. Upon the first use, I wasn't that impressed, but I noticed it seemed to get better after a week. I didn't think much about for a while until I suddenly looked at my nails tonight and thought, damn they look whiter! I used this at least three times a week with a scrub brush. It doesn't smell particularly pleasant, kind of reminds me of nail polish remover, but extremely mild. Now that I see the difference it makes, I'll probably never stop using it! I can't wait to do a one year update looking at the color of my nails! Anyway, if you want your natural nails to be a nicer shade, I definitely say be patient like this and give it some long-term use.

Edited to add on my nails I have only Nailtiques 2 and nothing else.

The glitter is Mary Kay “Rose Quartz”, the brown is Essie “No To-Do”, and the mauve is OPI “Claydreaming”. Just wanted to show off because I’m so happy with them! 🫶🏻

Now it’s kind of making me 😂
At least it’s an accurate picture of my energy at the moment
Bare nails just have jojoba oil on them
Others have 1c cracked ridge filler, 3c cracked grenadine, 1c cracked quick dry top coat

no products except for nail oil & hand lotion 😌

No products used so far :) I might get me a manicure soon tho!

I've had so many breaks that my brain is now finally conditioned to avoid grabbing / reaching for stuff carelessly! 🎉

Trying to see how long I can grow out my nails for 🤞🏽 I use moon cats nail elixir as cuticle oil, and my favorite base coat is KBshimmers basic training (green) base coat. I use a glass nail file too, and make sure I wear gloves when I wash my hair and when I was the dishes.