fingernails

[Stephenie G]

What do gg's do to keep natual finger nails growing long & from chipping .Every time mine grow a little long they catch on something & crack & then I have to cut them very short.( i'd like them longer than average male but not quite as long as a gg) Any tips would be appeciated thanks Stephenie g

[Caith]

Stephenie: I'm no GG but I can tell you my nails were always thin and brittle and fragile until I started getting regular manicures at a salon. The way they carefully clip, shape the corners, then file and buff my nails has made a world of difference. They're stronger and healthier than any other time in my life. And right now, they're about a week overdue.

[Jadeanne]

Stephenie,

I have brittle fingernails, but on advice from my dermatologist, I started using an over the counter lotion on my hands and fingernails that contains alpha hydroxy. It seemed to improve things.

I use Jergens Skin Smoothing lotion which is fairly inexpensive. I buy it in a large pump bottle.

According to my dermatologist, any cream or lotion with alpha hydroxy content will help - at least it shouldn't make things worse.

[Kimberly Kael]

Not a GG either, but echoing what the others have said here: keep your nails shaped nicely without nasty corners. Manicures are a treat and will keep your nails and cuticles in much better shape than you're probably used to. Make sure you're eating well or consider dietary supplements to keep your nails growing rapidly and will keep them from getting too brittle.

One thing I'd add: get a good file and make a habit of using it often. Run your fingers over your fingernail ends to find and rough areas or nicks and take care of them before they snag on anything.

[Curly(SO)]

The best tip I can give is...don't do any housework or manual work I once worked with a girl who always had perfect nails, I asked her how she kept them like that and she said her boyfriend did all the housework...lucky girl!

Seriously...Wear gloves for tasks such as washing the dishes, cleaning, gardening, washing the car etc, it's the best way from keeping your nails from getting damaged.

Love,
Curly

[Carolynn]

For some people as you age your nails get more brittle on the hands and thicker on the toes. Doesn't matter if you are GG or TG. Manicures do seem to help, so does a hand care regimen. Plus the latter makes the skin of your hands softer too!

[CJ]

Hi all,

Curly wrote: The best tip I can give is... don't do any housework or manual work. Nope, scratch that one, Curly! I do most of the housework here (laundry, dishes, cleaning, cooking, etc., everything except the vacuuming) and yet Roxanne still manages to chip or crack a nail! (My theory is that she overuses the selection wheel on her Blackberry. )

As far as healthy nails go, I've found iVillage's advice to be sound:

Healthy Nails Now

The best way to make sure your nails are healthy is to moisturize them daily, and care for your cuticles. The cuticle is the nail's protection between the exposed dead part of the nail and the matrix, where new cells are generated. Removing the cuticle destroys the nail matrix, which is essential to healthy nail growth. On the other hand, you do want to keep cuticles from becoming overgrown, which suffocates nail growth. The solution: Liberally apply a cuticle remover (not cuticle oil or cuticle cream), which will make the cuticle more pliable. Then, take an orangewood stick and anywhere the cuticle skin touches the nail plate, push it back using tiny circular movements. Hold the stick at an angle so that you do this gradually and gently, without going inside the cuticle. Use a moisturizer daily to prevent dryness.

Eat Right

Though you can't feed the nail directly, a good diet is essential to overall nail health. Biotin-rich foods like eggs, soy, whole grains and liver are said to be extremely helpful to nails, along with foods rich in sulfur minerals like apples, cucumbers, grapes, garlic, asparagus and onions. Also, be sure your diet includes essential fatty acids, or EFAs. Like vitamins and minerals, foods rich in EFA's, such as salmon, nuts, seeds and tuna, help keep nails shiny and pliable.

Do Not Use Your Fingernails as Tools

Using your fingernails as tools to perform tasks -- pushing back your cuticles or scratching a label off a CD is a no-no! Use proper tools for picking and scraping and not your nails.

Heh. Can you imagine that? This CD has been trying to have a label scratched off for years now!

Good luck, Stephenie!

Love,
CJ

[Denise Douglas]

As several others have said, I'm not a GG, but I'll share what worked for me. I'm a carpenter by trade, so I'm extremely hard on my hands/nails and playing keyboards as a musician doesn't help either), I was constantly tearing or breaking my nails. A few years ago I started some HRT, the progesterone seemed to help my nails (and those annoying dry patches of skin like knees and elbows). Keeping them trimmed short helped to, but I was just not satisfied with the way they looked (too short). My wife suggested that I get acrylic nails done, I have been doing so for the last 4-5 years and get a "fill" every other week. As a bonus (again at my wife's suggestion), I now get the tech to wax my eyebrows about once a month while my wife watches and tells the tech "no, it needs more arch". I realize that the OPs intent was what can be done with their own real nails, but I found that my real nails just didn't work for me as long as I still do the things I do.
DeniseD

[Stephenie G]

thanks everyone for your tips, especially the don't do any more housework . I do most of cleaning , cooking( SO can't cook ) etc . Maybe I should get a maid( no that won't work either , less money to spend on shopping) . I definitely plan on getting a manicure & nails done . thanks Stephenie g

[ChristineK]

OK here is an old remedy that comes from way back and works. Get an old pair of nylons. Clear coat your nails and inlay a small nail cover of nylon wile it is still wet. Reapply clear coat, once dry, file everything smooth. Apply color of choice and enjoy. You can even do a French manicure with this as the nylon disappears once clear coated.

This process is a basic fiberglass technique.

[Virginia]

Damn, Christine I knew I was going to like you!!!! You are one smart girl!!!!!! I just threw out a pair of nylons but I have another pair just waiting so I am going to try your suggestion - that is sooooooo cool!!!!

I have been wearing the clear glue on nails then after trimming them down to only "talon" size I put a coat of neutral color on them, but they still seem to pop off at the most inconvenient times.

What amazes me is, I could probably remove deck screws with my thumb nails but the other are like paper and don't break but tear so easily really weird, but then again, I am a weird girl - no comments - Jeannie!

Thanks again for the tip on the nylon, I am definitely going to try it and report how it works!

Virginia