Ok, I have THE worst nails. They are soft and see-through and they split, “feather”, and I get hang nails too. One of them even looks like it’s on its way to becoming ingrown.
What does this have to do with knitting? Not a lot, except that the yarn catches on my horrible nails all of the time!!! (Amy, I noticed your nails in the videos and they look soooo nice).
I went to a pharmacy tonight and put on my saddest “I need help” look on my face. A couple minutes later, hook line and sinker, I’ve got myself a nice lady (with nice nails :roll: ) to help me. A little research on the net as well, and I’m stocked with nail recovery (and care) products.
It takes 6 months for a nail to grow out. Today is day one.
The best stuff in the WORLD is called “Nail Magic”. It’s sheer pink (doesnt look that way on your nails, its about 7 bucks US, and you can FEEL that your nails are harder right after it dries.
I’m all ears here. My nails have been driving me bananas. They’ve been breaking down to the skin constantly, for the last several months. A couple of weeks ago, just when I was starting to get some white growth again, I broke 5 nails in one day! :doh: I’ve been Praying for my nails to grow out. I’ve got most of them at about 1/8", and that’s the best they’ve looked in months. I used to be able to grow out my nails, but I just can’t seem to do it anymore. I’ll have to try that Nail Magic stuff, KellyK, I could use any help I can get!
The good news is, I just cleaned my kitchen within an inch of it’s life, and my nails are white and clean beyond belief. I’ll have to remember to do some cleaning before I shoot videos from now on!
Here is how to take care of your nails. Example, if your nails just started splitting now, then you actually have to think of any changes you’ve made 6 months ago. Sooo, my nails have been bad for a year. That means I have to think about what happened a year and a half ago. Easy. I had my son
Repetitive and prolonged wetting and drying of the fingernails is the single most common cause of splitting and ridging of the nails.
This is also the time that my hands were exposed to a lot more water than “normal”. Washing bottles, giving baby a bath, going swimming, washing hands after every diaper change, etc. This is on top of the usual that I do: washing my hands after cleaning with chemicals, washing hands after taking out the garbage, having a shower, doing dishes, etc.
I bought Sally Hansen Hard as Nails polish, but no polish remover (remover is bad because of the acetone, so use sparingly). I also bought a very fine nail file (not metal) which I am supposed to use on my nails everyday. I still have to buy a lotion that contains alpha-hydroxy acids or lanolin in it (my pharmacist recommended Complex 15 hand cream; they were out of stock). Finally, I also bought some cotton gloves for future diaper changes and rubber gloves (with a cotton lining in them) for doing dishes.
Phew. One final note is that this stuff is bought in Canada.
Good luck Beldie. I’ll keep that stuff in mind. It all sounds good, except I’m not sure about using a file every day. I thought filing was supposed to be bad? I’ve always been a believer in just using a sharp nail cutter to shape my nails and get rid of snagging rough areas. It worked well for me for years, but now I’ve got to do something more. I’ll try some nail hardener.
Has anyone heard of using a “gel overlay”? I met a woman a couple of months ago and I was astounded by her nails. They were painted red, and the polish had grown out, obviously a couple weeks of growth, and yet the polish was not chipped or worn AT ALL, it was PERFECT. I asked her what on earth she did to keep her nail polish from chipping, and she said she got a gel overlay done at her manicurist. It sounds like a clear coat, and must be incredibly durable! I’ve been thinking of trying it, but I’m afraid that I’ll go into a manicurist’s and they won’t know what on earth I’m talking about. Seems like if it’s that strong, it will be good for helping to grow out your nails!..
I actually tried out some clear press-on nails, after the 5-broken-nails-in-one-day incident. I kept them on for a few days, and they were surprisingly realistic. It looked like I had just clear nail polish on, but with long, natural nails. I painted just the tips with an off-white “natural” French Manicure polish. They looked TOTALLY real. Except in bright sunlight, when they sort of glowed around the edges, like some kind of crazy fiber-optic effect. Ha ha. I decided not to use them while shooting, but they actually were good in that they kept my nails from breaking while I had them on! And they did look good. I might play around with them again.
Amy, I have had gel overlays for years. I have my nails done every 3 weeks. If you decide to have them done make sure you go to a manicurist that knows what she is doing.
If by chance you see the lady you spoke to regarding her nails ask her where she has them done.
My nails rarely break with the gels and yes the polish stays on until my next appointment.
I tried to grow nails for years without any luck. I finally gave up trying many things on the market.
In the summer i garden everyday using rubber gloves. My gels hold beautifully…
Haha, I’ve had my nails done with gel before. It was the day before my wedding. That night I went bowling (10 pin) and they stayed secure (I had artificial tips).
Gel nails are great and I would have gone for them except you need to see a professional to care for them and touch them up as your real nails grow. That’s a bit much for me right now. It can be expensive.
Amy, I’ve heard the opposite about clippers vs file. Clippers will make the nails “feather”. The file has to be soft (and not metal) and you’re supposed to file in one direction with the grain of the nail. So no filing vigorously back and forth.
If clipping works for you nails though, then that’s great. Filing every day for me is to get rid of any snags before they get out of hand and become really noticeable. That’s also why I’m supposed to use a really fine “sanding” on the file. It’s almost like a buffer, which I still need to get too.
A glass nail file is a good investment. They’re much better than metal or emery files at preventing snags and preventing splitting due to filing stress. A good moisturizer is also handy.
For goodness sakes, wear gloves when cleaning/washing dishes/etc.
If you’re not already, take a multivitamin. Healthy body = healthy nails.
I don’t have a problem with my nails, they are really hard by nature
But one friend of mine has. She did have these gel overlays and it really looked great! Unfortuately a bit pricey for a student…
Another friend of mine takes vitamines and swears that her nails went better because of this.
In addition, yes, Nail clippers are evil! I normally never ever use them. I once did and my nails broke!
The only negative to gels or acrylics is that if you ever do get tired of upkeep and remove them, your real nails underneath are left in worse shape than they were previously.
My nails have been weak for years; soft, ridged, and prone to peeling (!) not breaking off. This has always driven me crazy and I’ve tried everything from nail polishes that help strengthen, to nail polishes that actually have fiberglass strips in it to create a shield of fiberglassy goodness.
As it happens, I’m also hypoglycemic - sort of the other extreme from diebetes. This has caused me to radically change my diet to keep from passing out every four hours from low blood sugar crashes…
Since the dietary change and having to change my eating schedule to something WAY more regular, my nails have grown in hard and strong. This is even with working as a veterinary nurse where I wash my hands a gazillion times a day; even when my hands are dry and cracking, my nails still look/feel/are great. My diet is a bit extreme for the average person, but really it’s just an extreme version of “eating right” - little to no sugar, lots of healthy protein (not fatty protein carrying foods), lots of leafy greans (the hardest part), and a very moderated carb intake. One of the only things that is different for me than from other people is that I can’t really eat fruit because of it’s sugar content.
One other thing I’ve learned is that nail polishes can actually degrade your nails too; you have pores in your nails just like the rest of your skin and blocking them with chemicals can cause their own porblems. Even with the strength my nails have now, if I wear nailpolish, they will begin to fall appart after a few weeks of nail polish (which is a bummer because I love nailpolish).
My nails are among the healthiest parts of my body. I started taking Biotin daily over a year ago. My nails have always been pretty healthy, but I could still definitely notice a difference in the strength and appearance of my nails within a month of taking Biotin.
Also, when you file your nails, you should always go WITH the grain of your nail. Never file to and fro like you’re sawing your nail. Start at the base of the nail (whichever side), then gently file down and away with a slight curve at the end. Do this to the other side of the base. Continue until your nail has the shape that you like. Box nail shapes are generally stronger than rounded nails, so if you normally file to a round … try a box. For hangnails, try massaging some oil (jojoba or carrot oil, for example) into your nails and cuticle. The oil should soften the skin around the nail. You might want to invest in some Nail Nippers. They make clipping hangnails a breeze
I’m so glad we’re talking about this, because I’ve been fretting about shooting my upcoming DVD, and really wanting my nails to be nice for it. (You know, my hands are going to be gargantuan on people’s big TV screens…)
The Gel overlay is just a clear coating, right? I know acrylic extensions totally ruin the natural nail. Gel overlays aren’t quite that bad, are they?
I do notice that nail polish, or at least nail polish remover, makes my nails more prone to breaking. But I figure it can’t get any worse at this point :rollseyes:, so I’m trying anything!
I already bought some stuff by Nutra Nail called “Power Gel.” It’s a two-step process, where you coat with one bottle, and then use an “activator” which mixes and is supposed to make them extra tough. It says it makes them “Hard as Wraps,” whatever “Wraps” are. :?? --is that the same as a gel overlay? (I’ve never had a real professional manicure, so this is all new to me!)
Kelly, I’ll probably try the stuff I have, since I already have it. But you’ve got me really curious about the Nail Magic. Maybe I’ll do one hand in this, and one hand in that, and compare them!
Try this stuff. It was originally designed for horse hooves, but it’s so good that people started using it. It makes your nails really shiny too! I think you can get it at Sally’s or Walgreens.
If I remember correctly, wraps are reinforcements make of a thin mesh (not sure of what though, maybe acrylic) and a chemical that “liquifies” the mesh to the nail. Sand and Buff and you have a stronger nail.
There’s also Fiberglass. I’ve had fiberglass nails done. It’s just as much upkeep as acrylic, but it looks more natural and it’s a he!! of a lot shinier!. Unfortunately, none of these proceedure stick to my nails. They all peel completely off withing a week. (I can’t even polish my nails with regular fingernail polish; it peels within a couple days no matter what the “quality” of polish it is). I guess my nails are so strong that they reject everything :?? Or my nails just have an attitude problem … :rofling: My mother went to cosmo school, so I was a lab rat for a time and of all the nail procedures, I liked the Fiberglass outcome the best.
Rounding your nails can cause ingrown nails (another pregnancy induced symptom :rollseyes: ) I prefer the look of round, but have changed to the boxier, square look. Ingrown nails are not pleasant.
Absolutely correct. I have heard that there are polish removers out there that do not have acetone in them and that’s the main ingredient that’s not good for your nails. You might just have to suck it up for a while and have bad nails until your nails grow out. Just be sure to have a protective coating of nail hardener on them.
Or, since we’re all excited for your new videos, go get the gel nails. They are more expensive to upkeep, but you get nice nails quicker and we get more videos quicker.
Rounding your nails can cause ingrown nails (another pregnancy induced symptom :rollseyes: ) I prefer the look of round, but have changed to the boxier, square look. Ingrown nails are not pleasant.
Absolutely correct. I have heard that there are polish removers out there that do not have acetone in them and that’s the main ingredient that’s not good for your nails. You might just have to suck it up for a while and have bad nails until your nails grow out. Just be sure to have a protective coating of nail hardener on them.
Or, since we’re all excited for your new videos, go get the gel nails. They are more expensive to upkeep, but you get nice nails quicker and we get more videos quicker. [/quote]
If you get gels or acrylics or fiberglass or whatever you will NEED to get acetone free polish remover; the acetone will dissolve the materials (gels, acrylics etc.)
I totally understand!! I’ve never had any ingrowns on my hands, but I had one on my toe when I was younger. VERY UNCOMFORTABLE!!! :shock:
for my nails to grow out. I’ve got most of them at about 1/8", and that’s the best they’ve looked in months. I used to be able to grow out my nails, but I just can’t seem to do it anymore. 
I’ll have to try that Nail Magic stuff, KellyK, I could use any help I can get!
