Pretty nails????

[jetmal]

wondering what you ladies all do to keep your nails looking so pretty all the time!

I am awaiting my new upgrade, and really want my hands/nails to look nice for the debut!

I used to have tips and acrylic .....but I hated being a slave to fills, and breakage, and the cost also got to me after awhile. Then when I had them taken off, my nails were terribly brittle and took forever to get them grown out. My nails dont grow very well, and they peel easily. I have been using OPI Nail Envy, and it does seem to work, but I feel like I still need something stronger......

I did a search and found that alot of you liked the Neutrogena Instant nail Enhancer, so I picked up some of that....I dont really like it. My nails dont feel like they have anything on them, and they did not feel strengthened at all. A cople of them broke while using it, so I went back to OPI . And I too experienced peeling off, esp. after showering.

Is there anything I can do besides getting acrylic overlays??????

Thanks!

 

[belle]

hang in there jetmal!
show your nails a little love and attention and they will reward you.

i''m always looking for new clear coats, trying to find the perfect (non-peeling, long lasting) one. for me, sally hansen seems to be the most consistent. find whatever works for you and make it part of a routine. for protecting nails and building strength, i use one coat of polish each night for 7 days. at the end of 7 days, remove the polish and start over. get a good cuticle creme too and keep your hands moisturized!

 

[Sundial]

I have had good luck with Nail Tek which is available at salons and ULTA stores. You apply it much like Belle is doing with the Sally Hansen. And please stay away from those acrylics, they are so hard on your nails!!!

 

[lilyinct]

The only thing that has ever worked for my nails (and I have tried Nailtiques, Opi Envy, etc) is Sally Hansen Age Correct Strength...it''s in a pink bottle, I put a coat on every other day and start fresh once a week.

No more peeling, splitting, breaking....highly recommended...Good luck!

 

[koko]

You all have inspired me to go put a clear coat on my nails right now! Mine constantly "peel, chip, break", etc....I''m going to get some Sally Hansen Age Correct Strength today!! I''ve been cutting mine back to "nothing" because they were getting so bad. Thanks for the helpful advice.

 

[Lorelei]

I agree with Belle, Sally Hansen is the best and I have used the products for years. Another tip, Belle knows that my nails get a lot of abuse as do hers probably having horses, is to try to square them off at the tips, that way if they do chip, you have some nail to work with to get rid of the chip. I square mine off and just round the edges a bit and they rarely break, if I get a chip it is simple to get rid of it. Also don''t let them get too long, just a nice white edge is enough just past the finger tip.

 

[Mara]

there are other nail threads around here somewhere, take a search up above because i recall one that had TONS of recommendations for hand products etc. acrylic or overlays are so hard on your real nails, i had them when i was younger and it took my nails about 2 whole years to get back to 'normal' and stop peeling and looking so thin. now that i have grown natural nails and had them look great i never would want the fake thing again, esp knowing what it does to my natural nails.

what works for me on keeping my natural nails nice and strong is chocolate milk as a snack during the days and also i keep a coat of polish (or two) on them at all times. clear or natural pink or an actual french or whatever. my nails get compliments but in reality with the polish off they are not as strong as they look. and then they are exposed to the elements and seem to be more prone to crack or chip when no polish on them, even break if i hit them the wrong way. i also try not to keep them too long because that just asks for something to happen to them. i also don't round them at the tips since that seems like the tips then get more susceptible, i do more of a square round thing. (eta lorelei i just saw you said the same last 2 things!)

anyway you can try various products, some worked for me, some didn't, some swear by them, but the thing that has worked for me the best is just to keep a coat of polish on them to protect them. sometimes i get tired of dealing with them and just file them down flat for a few months. greg says then my hands look like 'boy hands'. hahaa. good luck!

 

[FireGoddess]

The thing that works for me is to keep polish on them at all times! It doesn''t have to be bright, or even a color at all, but something has to be serving as a protective top layer. I''m kinda clumsy and I bang my hands around - sometimes too hard and a nail will break, but I wouldn''t have nails at all if they didn''t have a coat of polish on them!

I use Essie''s ridge filling basecoat because it''s a nice, thick protective coat. My nails don''t have ridges to fill, but I just like the thickness of the basecoat. Then 1-2 coats of polish, and Sally Hansen topcoat and ready to go!

 

[glaucomflecken]

when I was in college I used a product called revivanail and I swear I had the best nails of my life. I couldnt find it for a while and just recently found it again and am starting to use it again, and what a difference! also they are pricey but I love the diamancel nail files.

I wore acrylics in high school and they were so rough on my nails. i had them done for my wedding almost 6 months ago and my nails finally are rid of the damage from them. they are so brutal!

 

[jcrow]

ok- so most everyone seems to keep some sort of polish on there nails. anyone notice that their nails don''t look as healthy when the polish comes off? i always feel like my nails don''t breathe or something with polish constantly on.

 

[tawn]

I''m an acrylic nail wearer, cuz it''s the only way I don''t have hangnails and crazy peeling broken nails!

But...you can go to the drugstore and ask the druggist for these tablets (big 1/2 dollar size) with gelatin + other good stuff (can''t recall at the moment). You put them in water and drink one a day, and it really helps your nails grow fast and healthy! It''s $$ though!

 

[MrsFrk]

Try taking some Biotin supplements, it is good for hair and nail strength/growth.
Are you using the formaldehyde-free OPI? I believe they call it Sensitive forumula or something similar.
I''ve heard excellent things about Essie Billionails.
I have very strong natural nails, I apply Solar Oil to my cuticles at least once a day, it keeps them healthy and hydrated.
The thing about protein is that you have to take a break. Your nails can only absorb so much, if you overdo it they become brittle.
Apply the protein (OPI, Nailtiques, Essie, Sally Hansen, whatever) every day, for 7 days (don''t take it off, just keep adding coats).
Then remove the protein, and moisturize like crazy. You can then apply color or whatever, but no protein. Rest for a few days, then start over again with the protein.

 

[autumngems]

I''m so sad. I had acrylic nails and they looked so nice, I went to get a fill and they changed owners so the new guy did my nails and he burnt my nails beds. OUCH so I have these red marks on my nailbeds. I had to have the acrylic taken off and now how to let them grow out, they look so nasty I don''t even wear my jewelry.

 

[marvel]

Date: 3/21/2006 9:36:17 AM
Author: autumngems
I''m so sad. I had acrylic nails and they looked so nice, I went to get a fill and they changed owners so the new guy did my nails and he burnt my nails beds. OUCH so I have these red marks on my nailbeds. I had to have the acrylic taken off and now how to let them grow out, they look so nasty I don''t even wear my jewelry.

OUCH!! This guy needs to be reported to whoever issues the cosmetology licenses in your state. That''s awful!

 

[kittycatsmac]

It''s so funny that I found this thread, I went last Friday night to get acrylics nice french tips, and on my way there I started thinking about how they eat away at my nail beds, I''ve just started getting normal nail beds back after having acrylics for so long. the past few months I''ve been keeping them filled back somewhat short and have little by little been letting them get longer and longer that''s the only way I can seem to get the tips to be good and strong, and also I keep some kind of polish on them at all times...

 

[Scintillating]

Nail question?

Does anyone know what causes ridges on fingernails?
I''ve read different things, poor vitamin absorption, genetics, vitamin Deficiencies, moisture, etc....

In the last year, my once smooth nails, have developed vertical ridges.
I''ve lost a lot of weight in the last year (40 lbs.) and I wonder if that has something to do with it. I have natural nails and rarely use nail polish, maybe 2-3 times a year. I use a lot of moisturizer; lately I''ve been rubbing aquaphor into them.

Thoughts?

Scintillating...

 

[Mara]

actually i feel like my nails look great when i take the polish off of them...i also don''t wear dark colors or anything so the nail beds don''t get stained by pastel pink or the like. and after i buff them up and put some oil on them, they look really great. sometimes i have no polish on for a few hours but they totally feel different without polish on, not as strong, so i end up repainting at least a clear coat or something on them.

re the various plagues of nails, im not sure about ridges but for almost a whole year, my nails were peeling something horrible...and i had no idea why. it just seemed to start happening when we got back from our honeymoon. only in the last 3-4 months have they stopped doing it...really random!!