If you're struggling with brittle nails and looking for a natural way to boost their strength and length, creating your own DIY nail growth serum might be the perfect solution.
This DIY serum is packed with natural ingredients. It stimulates nail growth and enhances cuticle health, helping you achieve stronger, healthier nails.
Contents
In this post, I'll guide you through the process of making your own homemade nail growth serum, the benefits of the ingredients and what else is critical for overall nail health, so you can enjoy resilient, beautiful nails in the future.
Benefits
- promotes healthy nail growth
- nourishes the cuticles
- repairs brittle nails
- strengthens the nails
Incorporating this homemade nail serum into your nail care has many benefits. It’s an effective treatment on your journey to healthy nails!
Most foremost, the natural oils in this easy DIY recipe moisturise your nails and cuticles, bringing essential nutrients to the tissues. Nourished nails mean faster growth!
The essential fatty acids of the carrier oils help repair brittle nails, promote strong nails and nourish the cuticles, the dead skin covering the bottom edge of your nails, also called nail bed.
Healthy cuticles are important for nail health because they protect new nails from bacteria when they grow out of the root. If they can’t do their job, your nails are exposed to health threats.
One thing I want you to understand, which is crucial for your success, is that if you want to have long, strong nails, it is not enough to spread some oil on your nails! NO!
You need to address the cause, the reason why your nails are brittle or unhealthy in the first place. This DIY nail serum is meant for support only, and is not a magical remedy or cure!
The Culprits of Poor Nail Health
- bad habits, like biting or picking your nails
- bacteria and fungi
- gel manicures
- excessive use of nail polish remover
- deficiencies of minerals (iron, zinc) and vitamins (B7)
Having healthy nails is not just a simple beauty trend. It’s also an indication of your overall health and well-being. Stress, deficiencies and coping mechanisms are contributing to poor nail health.
Bad habits such as biting or picking your nails and excessive nail care cause weak nails. Especially gel manicures that are so popular these days have a detrimental effect on your nails!
Painting your nails a different colour every other day is also not that much better. This leads to excessive use of nail polish remover, and those are often made of alcohol which is highly drying!
So, while you’re on your journey to better, healthier nails, please refrain from any harsh chemicals (meaning no gel manicures and nail polishes & their remover!) to give them time to recover and regain their strength.
Other facts that play a role in the overall nail health are deficiencies. In particular iron, zinc and vitamin B7 [1]. It might be a good idea to get a blood test done and to check these three! A deficiency of these minerals and vitamins often also results in poor hair health.
Other, mostly overseen, culprits are bacteria and fungi. If your nails don’t grow properly, discolour, or crumble at the edge, you should check with your doctor or medical professional.
Ingredients
- carrier oils (sweet almond oil, castor oil, argan oil, etc.)
- essential oils (lavender, lemon, frankincense, etc.)
- vitamin E oil
(see recipe card for quantities)
This simple recipe is only using natural ingredients you can trust. No harsh chemicals, alcohol or fluff—or whatever toxic stuff the beauty industry likes to put into their nail serums.
This DIY nail growth serum recipe leaves you with many choices so you can tailor it to your preferences and needs. Of course, I’ll explain the ingredients and purposes in a bit to make it easier for you to choose!
Carrier Oils
Affiliate Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. That means I may earn a small commission, if you purchase the linked product, at no extra cost for you.
- sweet almond oil
- castor oil
- rosehip oil
- avocado oil
- argan oil
- olive oil
- coconut oil (use MCT oil or fractionated coconut oil!)
- jojoba oil
- apricot kernel oil
- grapeseed oil
The best oils to use for healthy nails are sweet almond oil or avocado oil (high vitamin E content), castor oil (anti-inflammatory properties & wound healing), rosehip oil (regenerates tissues), and olive oil or argan oil (highly moisturising).
The most important thing is that you always choose organic, cold-pressed, native oils! This ensures quality and the most nutrients!
Other excellent choices are coconut oil, apricot kernel oil, grapeseed oil or jojoba oil. In the end, all-natural oils are great because they all contain vitamin E to a certain extent and are all moisturising.
But I just thought I give you a small list to choose from. My favourites are avocado oil because of its nutritional value, rosehip oil because of its powerful tissue-repairing properties and castor oil because of its moisturising and antibacterial properties.
Essential Oils
- lavender essential oil
- lemon essential oil
- frankincense essential oil
- myrrh essential oil
- tea tree essential oil
- rosemary essential oil
- grapefruit essential oil
Which of the oils are the best essential oils to use in your DIY nail growth serum? Well, that depends on your goals and your focus. When it comes to essential oils, quality matters! Always use high-quality, pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils!
My favourites are lavender oil, frankincense oil and rosemary oil. Lavender essential oil promotes nail strength, encourages nail growth and protects the nails from infections.
Rosemary essential oil stimulates blood flow, so essential nutrients can be delivered to your nails. An alternative is grapefruit essential oil which also increases blood circulation.
Frankincense essential oil, just like myrrh (it’s a little better but also more expensive), has a powerful effect on our nails. It is known to have many benefits for nail health.
Tea tree oil is great for when your nails are infected by bacteria or a fungus. Lemon essential oil is not only antibacterial and a disinfectant, but also brightens dull nails.
Vitamin E Oil
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that promotes nail health. Though most oils contain vitamin E in various amounts, adding vitamin E oil (affiliate link) to your DIY nail growth serum will enhance the moisturising and nourishing effect.
Equipment
You don’t need anything fancy to make your own nail serum. As you can see in the pictures, I use an empty nail polish bottle (you can get them here on amazon, affiliate link). If using essential oils, make sure to use a tinted bottle.
A roller bottle or a glass jar (together with a dedicated brush for application) will do just fine. Ideally, your container, bottle or jar is tinted (amber is best) because essential oils are sensitive to light and will lose their potency more rapidly.
Instructions
How to make this DIY nail growth serum?
Very easy, very simple. Just combine the oils you want to use in your bottle or jar. Screw on the lid and give it a good shake. It’s ready for immediate application.
How to use this DIY nail growth serum?
Apply a thin layer of the oil serum 2-3 times per day, or as much as needed. Don’t overuse it though because you don’t want to soften the nails too much. Allow the oil to sink in fully before applying another layer.
You can use this serum for several months and it may take a while before you see the results. This is a natural product and natural ingredients do their magic over time.
Also remember, if you don’t address the core, the main cause of your problem, applying oil to your nails won’t make a massive difference!
Storage
Keep your DIY nail growth serum in a cupboard away from the light. If using an amber glass jar or bottle, you may keep it out of the cupboard.
The shelf life depends on the oils you’re using and their expiry date. Generally, this serum will last for up to 12 months. Please note that the potency of the essential oils may wear off over a long period of time.
Safety and Warnings
Always make a patch test before you start using any of my recipes to avoid skin irritations. Essential oils are mostly tolerated but can be irritating to some individuals.
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- 1 nail polish bottle (ideally glass & tinted)
- glass jar & a brush or roller bottle (alternatively)
Ingredients
- 5 ml Castor Oil
- 5 ml Rosehip Oil
- 5 ml Avocado Oil
- 10 drops pure vitamin E oil
- 2 drops frankincense essential oil
- 1 drop rosemary essential oil
- 1 drop lavender essential oil
Instructions
How to Make
- Combine the oils you want to use in your bottle or jar. I start by adding the essential oils and vitamin E oil first, then top up with the carrier oils. I don't really measure them. Screw on the lid and give it a good shake. It’s ready for immediate application.
How to Use
- Apply a thin layer of the oil serum 2-3 times per day, or as much as needed. Allow the oil to sink in fully before applying another layer.You can use this serum for several months and it may take a while before you see the results. This is a natural product and natural ingredients do their magic over time.
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