a_arnold -> RE: How to keep nails from breaking (Mar. 21 2009 17:50:47)
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BIOTIN. It's one of the B complex vitamins. If your nails are brittle, it's likely a deficiency. Like Nealf says. Symptoms of biotin deficiency include brittle nails, and commonly occasional eczema on either side of the nose or between the eyebrows, and a few other symptoms you can read about on the web. And Biotin -- a refreshingly inexpensive dietary supplement in pill form (one little pill a day) -- really works. Your nails don't get thicker, but they get less brittle and therefore more resistant to breakage. I find I still need something like Sally Hansen to stiffen them up a bit, but Biotin really works. At least they bend instead of breaking. I play at least 4 hours a day, and at least weekly for studio dancing -- loud and vigorous rasgueo. I used to regularly break my A fingernail from golpe, and other random nails from time to time. The person who first recommended biotin to me noticed that she had to get her hair cut twice as often after she started using it. That sounded like hard data to me, so I tried it, and it DOES work. It's not a miracle worker, but it is the first thing I have used that has a definite effect, even if you don't have a deficiency. The trouble is, it takes months for your nails to grow out enough that the effect reaches the ends of your nails. An extra benefit is that they grow faster. I've tried all the rub-on creams (Straight Hoof and nail cream, etc), and they (sort of) help keep them from drying out and getting brittle too, but Biotin makes a real, noticeable difference. And as far as Sally Hansen goes, it really needs to cure overnight before you can play on it, and even then it only lasts a day or two. I put it on after I have stopped playing for the day (just a 3mm strip along the edge of a, m, and i) and let it cure overnight before playing. Superglue, when it peels off, takes a layer of nail with it. I used to use it for emergency repairs, but thanks to biotin I don't need it any more. Tony Arnold
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