RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (Full Version)

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Thedirtymexican -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (Jan. 10 2011 10:59:26)

quote:

ORIGINAL: frhout

Just got a couple of Sally Hansen Hard As Nails with nylon. There is a sticker on top of the orginal ingredients and Sally Hansen has changed the formula - formaldehyde is not there anymore, so cancer should be less of a problem.


I found that Sally Hansens advanced Hard as Nails with Nylon and Rentinol, not only provides a protective layer but also strengthens my nails. Picado and rasgueos are louder and clearer.



Ricardo -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (Jan. 10 2011 14:22:45)

Cool. Hard as nails rubbed off for me with one rasgueado. Krazy glue or similar product is best.



yohan -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (Jan. 10 2011 15:10:30)

What do you guys use for polishing the nails?
those special guitar files or is sandpaper with grid 2000 or something also ok?



Ricardo -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (Jan. 10 2011 15:38:59)

quote:

ORIGINAL: yohan

What do you guys use for polishing the nails?
those special guitar files or is sandpaper with grid 2000 or something also ok?


I like the emory board standard two sided thing so long as it is not new. I will rub it on the ground or something if it is new. Then instead of the really light sand paper, I either play on my jeans or just play the guitar.

ricardo



Lavek -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (May 23 2023 8:21:21)

Hello everyone,

I am playing Flamenco guitar for one year now, however playing music since the age of twelve. One of my biggest regrets with regards to nails has been using any type of application, and I've tried them all! Powder acrylic, glue, strengthener, false nails, etc. This is all very toxic and harmful to the body and nail.

This was absolutely destroying my nails over the first 6-9 months I was using these chemicals and I didn't even know it! My nails became brittle and would literally break within an hour of practice. Compare that with la mano izquerda, strong as hoofs!

After much research on women's forums and YouTube, I found that Vitamin E oil and Olive Oil reinforced strength and growth. This has worked wonders for me. This is a natural option and the woman who holds the world record for the longest nails swears by it.

It has been over a couple of months of recovery using the above mentioned and so far my nails have come back to their true form and strength. I apply this 1-2 times a day, especially before going to bed, massaging the cuticles and letting those oils simply soak in over night.

Salud,
Lavek



Ricardo -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (May 23 2023 12:10:54)

quote:

This is all very toxic and harmful to the body and nail.


If the product has only Cyanoacrelate (brush on nail glue, krazy glue, etc), it is absolutely non toxic, and not harmful. What makes the nail brittle is premature removal, or letting the bottle go bad (it should be stored as food).

However, glad you think you have found something that works (basic vitamins and oil?). If you are practicing rasgueados as normal required, with exposed nails, the strings erode the nails from the top much like the nail file does when used for shaping underneath…and just as quickly. The idea is to provide a layer of protection (i.e. second skin) to take the front line wear as the nails grow. There is not really any way around this problem. CA glue is the same ingredient as that used as “liquid bandaid” which is used to seal wounds avoiding stitches, as it is non-toxic and acts as this second skin layer temporarily. Good luck.

PS., fun to know 18 years later, the same complaints and excuses keep popping up, and I still have the same answer. [:D]



JasonM -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (May 23 2023 23:13:24)

My favorite is this stuff. If anyone tries it make sure it’s the original and not the Powerflex. That is too flexible and doesn’t sound good.



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devilhand -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (May 23 2023 23:59:03)

Anyone tried this? I want to use it while practicing rasgueado.

https://www.sallyhansen.com/en-us/nail-care/nail-care/diamond-strength-instant-nail-hardener



Ricardo -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (May 24 2023 13:14:06)

quote:

ORIGINAL: devilhand

Anyone tried this? I want to use it while practicing rasgueado.

https://www.sallyhansen.com/en-us/nail-care/nail-care/diamond-strength-instant-nail-hardener


It is essentially nail polish, n-butyl acetate and nitro cellulose…like guitar finish. Not sure if it is as durable as CA glue. I just remember trying nail polish early on and a few rasgueados took it off. I assume this product has some thing that makes it more durable than basic colored nail polish.

And to Jason, I use Powerflex, as it is the only one they have around here. It is just a marketing label. Ingredient is the same thing, CA glue, nothing more. In fact that is what people should simply check for on the back. CYANOACRYLATE. If it says that and “warning, very sticky!!”, then you are good to go.

I will repeat, the only problem with any product that has the above ingredient is if the bottle is old. You won’t know really until you put it on and it dries. If it gets a bit jelly like it is no good. Throw it away and find a fresh bottle, store in a plastic zip lock, and it lasts for months. You know it is good if you put it on and play for a dancer, then check and NONE of it has rubbed off. If you put some on, play rasgueado and little wear spot forms, THROW THE BOTTLE AWAY and get a new bottle.



JasonM -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (May 24 2023 18:28:43)

quote:

And to Jason, I use Powerflex, as it is the only one they have around here. It is just a marketing label. Ingredient is the same thing, CA glue, nothing more. In fact that is what people should simply check for on the back. CYANOACRYLATE. If it says that and “warning, very sticky!!”, then you are good to go.


Powerflex... I know they say both say Cyanoacrylate, but I think they are a little different. I cant find the regular stuff around much in stores so maybe I just got an old batch or something but it didnt feel as hard



estebanana -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (May 25 2023 9:16:24)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Thedirtymexican

quote:

ORIGINAL: frhout

Just got a couple of Sally Hansen Hard As Nails with nylon. There is a sticker on top of the orginal ingredients and Sally Hansen has changed the formula - formaldehyde is not there anymore, so cancer should be less of a problem.


I found that Sally Hansens advanced Hard as Nails with Nylon and Rentinol, not only provides a protective layer but also strengthens my nails. Picado and rasgueos are louder and clearer.


My first guitar teacher told me rubbing garlic and olive oil into your nail and cuticle helps keep them healthy. It makes sense because the cuticle is healthier when it’s supple.



etta -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (Jun. 4 2023 17:11:59)

Nails; I quit flamenco back in the 70's largely because I could not keep good nails (and by chance ended up with a banjo, metal picks). As I later returned to the guitar, I tried many products. To date, the best so far for me is two layers of silk on no more that half of each nail and several coats of nail glue over the silk. Recently I have discovered ibd nail glue (available on Amazon), and so far I have not had to replace or repair a single nail for playing with this combination. This glue dries in seconds and seems indestructible. I no longer play for dancers (never fun for me) but do play everyday for myself. etta



silddx -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (Oct. 20 2025 17:58:27)

I have tried a bunch of things on my nails over the past four years. Superglue, superglue and muslin, superglue and silk, olive oil and garlic a la John Martin ... these all worked for a week or two before they started to fail. John Martin of course did not really work, other than having moist nails that smelled of garlic. I heard an expert and some consumers say Sally Hansen Hard as Nails was not effective at strengthening nails.

I have been trying Orly Nail Defense for the past four months with great success. Although it is apparently impossible to strengthen nails externally, same as hair, this stuff genuinely seems to have strengthened my weaker nails, notably p, m and a.

It dries very quickly and hardens over time (it seems ever so slightly soft initially), and it's dead easy to remove with gentle nail polish remover. I do this and apply a fresh coat every few days or sometimes longer.

I am very pleased with its durability, seems longer lasting than superglue for sure. I play about an hour or so a day, and there seems to be no wear to the finish even after a week.

In short, WAY better than anything else I have tried.



Ingredients list:

Ethyl Acetate, Butyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Alcohol Denat, Heptane, Isopropyl Alcohol, Propyl Acetate, Adipic Acid/​Neopentyl Glycol/​Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer, Ethyl Tosylamide, Trimethyl Pentanyl Diisobutyrate, Camphor, Benzophenone-1, Dimethicone, Polyvinyl Butyral, Tocopheryl Acetate, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Melissa Officinalis (Balm Mint) Extract, Equisetum Hyemale (Horsetail) Extract, Anthemis Nobilis (Chamomile) Flower Extract, Calcium Pantothenate, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Ci 60725 (Violet 2)

Images are resized automatically to a maximum width of 800px



Ricardo -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (Oct. 21 2025 12:09:15)

Always show the back ingredients so we know what you are using on your nails to protect them. What you have here is a product that uses the same type of thing as the CA glue products, however, they have replaced the Cyanoacrylate with NITROCELLULOSE lacquer. Remember the glue was invented for the skin and works like that, and dries very hard IF YOU KEEP IT FRESH LIKE FOOD. Nitro lacquer is like plant based and will not be as hard, as I understand it...and we know from the spraying of guitars it is not so safe for the body (the CA glue can be eaten in small quantities with no adverse affects). I am not saying this product is "not safe", just to make you aware of what is doing the job.

Again if you don't find success with basic CA glue the only reason is that it is not fresh. Sadly since the pandemic I have noticed new bottles having been stored too long, so I am having to discard them quicker than in the past. Also, for whatever reason, in my state of MD people tend to STEAL these things like crazy so either my local store has locks on them and I can longer just grab some on the way to a gig, I have to get the store manager to unlock the product, or they are simply the only thing completely "sold out" all the time.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/ORLY-Treatment-Nail-Defense-Protein-Enriched-Strengthener-0-37-fl-oz/392969226?sid=6f127de8-2dbb-40de-a44f-7b9c7b929ed7



silddx -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (Oct. 21 2025 13:38:24)

quote:

lways show the back ingredients so we know what you are using on your nails to protect them.


Thanks Ricardo, done.

quote:

Again if you don't find success with basic CA glue the only reason is that it is not fresh. Sadly since the pandemic I have noticed new bottles having been stored too long, so I am having to discard them quicker than in the past.


My main issue with CA is removing it, it's really tricky and involves sanding it off, I haven't tried superglue remover. Whereas this ORLY stuff is so simple to remove. You're right though, my CA is not fresh, but they were when I bought them.



Ricardo -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (Oct. 21 2025 14:45:06)

quote:

My main issue with CA is removing it, it's really tricky and involves sanding it off,


NOOOO!!!!! As I said time and again, RESIST THE TEMPATION to remove it at all. You just put more on top, done. If for whatever reason you don't want it on, you WAIT. It comes off gradually on its own. Never try to remove it or you damage the thing it is protecting!!! If you have to sand it it is WORKING for god sakes!! Doing rasguedos all day is plenty of sanding.



silddx -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (Oct. 21 2025 17:02:02)

Yeah but no but I had to remove it if I had silk or muslin with CA on it that partly cracked or came off, and to try other stuff. The garlic and oil won't work on top of superglue.



El Burdo -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (Oct. 21 2025 17:32:10)

quote:

(the CA glue can be eaten in small quantities with no adverse affects)


I'm not eating anything with the word 'cyano' in it. ...



Arash -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (Oct. 21 2025 18:29:47)

quote:

ORIGINAL: silddx

Yeah but no but I had to remove it if I had silk or muslin with CA on it that partly cracked or came off, and to try other stuff. The garlic and oil won't work on top of superglue.


In case of a crack showing up, brush on nail glue like that Kiss brush on glue, use some acrylic powder on top, brush on another layer. This is more for emergency though, not as regular routine



silddx -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (Oct. 21 2025 19:59:40)

quote:

In case of a crack showing up, brush on nail glue like that Kiss brush on glue, use some acrylic powder on top, brush on another layer. This is more for emergency though, not as regular routine


Thanks man. The ORLY seems have solved all my problems though.



12850bd -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (Oct. 21 2025 23:49:22)

I dont use nail glue anymore but I found the best way to remove any of these CA /acrylic products without any damage,

1 soak a lump of cotton wool in acetone
2 Place it over the CA/acrylic nail
3 place a sheet of aluminium foil over the top and fold it tightly around the fingertip to stop acetone evaporating.
4 Sit and watch TV for 20 minutes
5 Remove foil and cotton wood

All the glue on your nail will be a soft mush which can be wiped off leaving the nail undamaged.



Ricardo -> RE: One approach to stronger fingernails (Oct. 22 2025 13:16:33)

quote:

eah but no but I had to remove it if I had silk or muslin with CA on it that partly cracked or came off,


Unfortunately gluing stuff to your nails is considered "long term" or "permanent" solution. What I am talking about is the use of the glue ALONE. It will NOT affect your natural nail so long as you don't try to remove it. The natural nail emerges after a week or two gradually and is fine if you are NOT playing or doing anything to damage them. It is the scraping of the glue that causes damage. Anybody applying "fake nail" material to the nail needs to understand this to be basically "permanent" and that if you change your mind about it you have to give some months to recover the natural nails.

For professionals they go one way or the other typically, because the in-between time for a major transition will affect your jobs. When I break a nail, I know it will be a long time before I am back to "normal" so a fake nail construction is a necessary evil for a week or two that I know will need a recovery time. After about a week using the fake thing (usually paper towel construction) the broken or split nail should be growing just enough to start over with it that simply glue protection alone will work as the natural nail heals under it. Normally this is only ONE problematic nail while the rest are operating normal with glue. A month or so later that ONE nail should be good like the rest. Doing this to ALL the nails at once is the problem.

My colleagues that gave up on glue long ago only use fake nails and it is a permanent solution. Then there are guys who claim they use NOTHING, so they just damage the natural nail and don't play frequently enough to thin them down before they recover. I go through brief periods where I don't need anything because I am not gigging much or practicing at home. If I pick up a guitar I am not worried at all. The worst is the dance show rehearsals, because they require both volume and expression with the rasgueados, so I can't get away with playing weakly or they think that is how the show will sound.



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