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Posts: 1156
Joined: Dec. 6 2006
From: Hamilton, ON
How to keep nails from breaking
So the nail salon thread got me thinking - I recently ran out of my nail hardener (well, the bottle decided to crust with hardener so I can't open it! But same difference), and I figure it's about time to maybe get an improvement. My nails have a tendency to break (small breaks but they matter) when I don't use any product, but I haven't liked the products I've tried so far (Sally Hansen stuff) - for one thing, they tend to peel off after a couple of days leading to weird inconsistencies, and for another, THEY'RE SHINY. Which is, you know, awkward. I've heard all sorts of crazy things (a friend of mine swears by super glue!) but I'd like to hear discussion about what people use, pros and cons, etc.
Posts: 3055
Joined: Aug. 30 2008
From: Boston, MA, U.S.A
RE: How to keep nails from breaking (in reply to Adam)
im trying opi's nail hardener for men. it has a matte finish so no awkward situations or trying to explain to people that you're not metrosexual but a flamenco guitar player.
they sell for around $17 in stores but i got three bottles for about $10 or less on ebay.
also, if you can find it, try "total nail rx." it's a two coat nail hardener. the first coat is a "nourisher" or something like that while the second coat is the hardener. it works much better than hard as nails. it doesn't come off with rasueados, at least not for awhile, and i'm pretty sure it made my actual nails stronger instead of weaker.
RE: How to keep nails from breaking (in reply to Adam)
Like I said in the previous nail thread, that constantly curing your nails with alcahol in soaps, shampoo, dishsoap, methyl based cleansers, and etc. will dry them out and make them crack, or split, or break. So I give them a soak for about a minute or two at a time in vinegar, and the nitric acid cuts all of that alcahol, and it makes them strong, pliable, and flexable, and solves the problem so that the worst thing they really do is tear slowly on the tips when I play. I just clip them and always keep a finger nail clipper handy.
I think that having hard nails that are cured and dry are actually the problem that I try to avoid. I have great nails for playing the flamenco, and I never put anything on them, except of course, vinegar, and vaseline intensive care. And of course I am repeating myself. It's the opposite of putting nail hardener on your nails. Works for me. Great idea for a thread...... Gary Redundancy sucks!
Posts: 232
Joined: Mar. 1 2007
From: Florida and San Francisco Cali
RE: How to keep nails from breaking (in reply to Adam)
I've been lucky as I have no problems with my nails...when I first started it was pretty thin but the more it got used to the impact of the strings it got harder..at least thats I what I noticed..its also gotten thicker in diameter when I compare my right hand nails with my left. Since I moved to Florida my nails are even stronger cause of the tropical weather (humidity)..I noticed my skin has gotten nicer as well..must me from the salty air..but thats another story
Be careful using acrylic nails.. what I've noticed from friends their nails never recover and get thinner but that could just be them.
RE: How to keep nails from breaking (in reply to Adam)
i used acrylics for over 10 years. I let the arylic grow out, when i decided to go natural. my nails have fully recovered and are thick and healthy. Took about a month and a half.
For a while, i had been using just some Barielle nail re-building protien on them, but now they are completely natural, and un-covered.
All i do now is , about every other night before bed i dip my nails/fingertips in olive oil. This seems to keep them from getting dry and brittle. TK
Posts: 121
Joined: Jan. 11 2009
From: England (West Yorkshire/Lancashire)
RE: How to keep nails from breaking (in reply to Adam)
Soak/brush them in olive oil several times a week and dip in a raw egg once a week. This (apparently!) makes them less brittle and therefore less prone to breaking. Also, I would agree, file them regularly to keep them from getting uneven edges or getting too long.
Posts: 1531
Joined: Nov. 7 2008
From: New York City/San Francisco
RE: How to keep nails from breaking (in reply to MarcChrys)
quote:
Soak/brush them in olive oil several times a week and dip in a raw egg once a week. This (apparently!) makes them less brittle and therefore less prone to breaking. Also, I would agree, file them regularly to keep them from getting uneven edges or getting too long.
‘must agree with manicuring nails, filing, sanding and keeping them at a non-hazardous length. I have been doing that quite religiously for two years now, and am pleased with the results.
With regard to the assortment described of edible groceries, exotic lubricating grease, myrrh and incense, each with magic properties, no doubt, I respectfully decline. I love my eggs and bacon, in the morning, and a trifle of balsamic vinegar and mashed garlic on my tomatoes. I will eagerly stick my fork in it and occasionally even my hands, should sobriety fade … but no… not my nails!!
Posts: 3055
Joined: Aug. 30 2008
From: Boston, MA, U.S.A
RE: How to keep nails from breaking (in reply to gj Michelob)
quote:
With regard to the assortment described of edible groceries, exotic lubricating grease, myrrh and incense, each with magic properties, no doubt, I respectfully decline. I love my eggs and bacon, in the morning, and a trifle of balsamic vinegar and mashed garlic on my tomatoes. I will eagerly stick my fork in it and occasionally even my hands, should sobriety fade … but no… not my nails!!
well, what about eating with your finger tips? you get to feed yourself and nourish your nails as well. dont wash your hands, keep the fingers slick with the mess, and play guitar. guaranteed, your picados, tremolos, and arpeggios will be finger licking good!
Posts: 1531
Joined: Nov. 7 2008
From: New York City/San Francisco
RE: How to keep nails from breaking (in reply to at_leo_87)
quote:
dont wash your hands, keep the fingers slick with the mess, and play guitar. guaranteed, your picados, tremolos, and arpeggios will be finger licking good!
ha ha ha... a more frequent string-change would be in order with that "diet".
RE: How to keep nails from breaking (in reply to Adam)
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.
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