# Making my nails stronger? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 2, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-my-nails-stronger/651781 "2013-03-02T00:18:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-my-nails-stronger/651781/1 "2013-03-02T00:18:50Z")
I love having long nails, but it seems like they’re always breaking! Any tips (heh) on making them stronger, that doesn’t involve fake ones? My grandmother always had long nails that were like steel. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-my-nails-stronger/651781/2 "2013-03-02T01:50:10Z")
Biotin supplements really do seem to help. I’ve also had really good results with Sally Hansen’s Hard as Wraps polish. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-my-nails-stronger/651781/3 "2013-03-02T04:11:38Z")
I take a hair, skin, nails formula multi-vitamin. Not sure how it’s working because I’ve been stressed and bit most of my nails off. My hair feels great though! The only other think I can think of is my skin and nails are always better when I am on a higher fat, higher protein, lower carb diet. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-my-nails-stronger/651781/4 "2013-03-02T18:43:23Z")
My nails take a beating at my job. I work with hand tools and assorted solvents. I am not after significant length, but have been having trouble with splitting and shattering. I’ve been taking a biotin supplement for about two weeks. I’ll let you know how it goes. Years ago my grandmother started adding knox gelatin to beverages (urged by advertising, no doubt) to strengthen her nails. She said it worked great but she had to give it up because it also worked great on her toe nails which grew faster than she could cut them and she kept shredding pantyhose. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-my-nails-stronger/651781/5 "2013-03-02T21:36:21Z")
Eating products with gelatin can help. Something as simple as eating Jell-O gelatin. I have trouble with nails and eat Jell-O at least twice a week. Of course you don’t want to consume gelatin if you are a vegan as it’s made out of animal products. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-my-nails-stronger/651781/6 "2013-03-03T03:56:02Z")
I’ve heard that the Jello thing is just a myth, but I’m all for eating more Jello. (A sweet snack, but not as rich as cookies or ice cream!) ---
**Author:** ![RememberMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@RememberMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RememberMe)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-my-nails-stronger/651781/7 "2013-03-03T05:31:47Z")
Get Pregnant. Me ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-my-nails-stronger/651781/8 "2013-03-03T05:39:19Z")
> [@RememberMe](#): > > Get Pregnant. > > Me No kidding! I never had such fabulous nails as when I was pregnant. LOL! ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-my-nails-stronger/651781/9 "2013-03-03T05:51:03Z")
I’ve no personal experience with it myself (being a guy and short-nailed), but I’ve heard for years that a fair number of women use a product for horses called “hoof hardener” with success. Nails and hooves are biologically the same material after all; something meant to toughen hooves works on nails too. You might look into that.