I’m starting to get my fingernails in shape, but they fight me every step of the way. They split, peel and occasionally break off below the area where the nail separates from the flesh, which hurts alot. I use nail & cuticle creams a lot so I’ve cut down on hangnails but I need a good nail polish to protect the surface.
Here’s my dilemma. I absolutely don’t want any toluene or formaldehyde ingredients in the nail polish. I reluctantly gave up on OPI for this reason. These chemicals artificially harden the nail but cause other problems. I want good color development after two thin coats and I want the brush to help avoid getting polish all over the place. Also, I’d like at least 7-10 days of chip-free nail polish. I already know to brush on an extra coat of top coast about every two days. What are your recommendations for a good quality nail polish with the attributes above?
Oh, I do have a nail maintenance tip. Get a glass or ceramic nail file and lightly go over the free edge every day to eliminate snags .
I don’t study the ingredients of my nail polish, but I had a lot of luck with both Avon and Hard As Nails. They last a long time as long as long as you go through the whole process. Base coat, two coats of color and a top coat. My nails currently look like shit due to winter. You’ve inspired me to sit down and get these suckers cleaned up.
My own experience with my own fingernails is that any fingernail that has been polished is permanently damaged, and will peel and break just like you describe, even with nail polish on. I have to let the whole nail grow out, before it gets strong. It also helps (maybe only psychologically) to rub something nourishing on the nail, like Sally Hansen’s cuticle cream with vitamins A, C, & E.
Well, danggit, I read the title and was coming in here to shout the praises of Opi. I don’t know bupkis 'bout toluene or formaldehyde-free stuff, I just adore the color names they offer.
I’ll second the lotion-rubbing advice though. For me, keeping the cuticles healthy keeps the nails healthy, and just about any lotion will do. It’ll sting if there’s a cut, which reminds me to wash carefully and slap some bacitracin ointment around, which speeds healing so I’m better off than when I started. Hydration helps too, my nails suffer when I don’t drink enough water, maybe that’s what all the gelatin-for-nails craze was about years ago, a water delivery system.
Update: I did my whole manicure routine last night. Damnit if I didn’t get sheet prints. Sigh…I waited two hours AND flapped my hands in front of the space heater. I just can’t win.
Sheet prints piss me off. I don’t understand it. I can wait hours between coats, and hours before going to bed, but I’ll still get freaking sheet prints. Or, I’ll fold clothes and get fabric wrinkles.
I was hoping for a solution to my nail woes short of using chemical stuff. (Remember when Knox advertised to drink their liquid gelatin to beef up your nails? Barf!) Hippie chick here has tried to go the all-natural route recommended by Sattua. By now, though, I was pretty much giving up hope I would ever grow natural nails of any length at all.
My nails might stand a chance in life if I didn’t play both piano and guitar. Both acoustic. Piano especially bashes the poor dears unmercifully. Especially when it’s Béla Bartók time. They never make it very far. If I had to choose a life with short nails vs. a life without music, I’ll take the music, screw the nails.
So I’m not the only one! Hooray!
I’ll do my nails in the daytime, then type away in my journal for a while, then browse online a little. When I’m done, they’re dry. I’ve tried those quick-dry formulas, but they don’t hold up against sheet prints.
Any Dopers know of some decent ones?
I use OPI & haven’t had any “sheet print” problems. I also like Creative Nail Designs (can get them at Trade Secret). My “every day” color is “Negligee” - a sheer beigy-pink (similar to OPI’s “Embrace”)
My grandmother tried the Knox gelatin thing. She was a secratary and also played the piano. Her fingernails never did get very long, but she said she had to stop drinking it because her stocking budget doubled since her toenails started growing insanely fast.
I’ve also found that with age, my nails have gotten MUCH stronger. I used to have the peeling/splitting problem but now they’re like freeking concrete. However, I now have a ridge problem that wasn’t there when I was younger.
I’ll have to give OPI a try. I’ve had it in salons, but have never actually purchased a bottle.
I don’t know the ingredients because I can’t read that tiny writing on the bottle, but I gave up using any nail polish but Revlon. (The regular, not the quick dry.) I hate doing my nails so I want something that lasts a long time without chipping or peeling. It has good color coverage, and two coats is plenty. It lasts at least a week on my fingers and even longer on my toes. Good stuff and reasonably priced too.
You may have something here. Since my gastric bypass surgery, I’ve been taking biotin & prenatal vitamins in addition to the usual regimin my surgeon prescribed. My nails are incredible now.
The ones I have now are called UltraNourish Hair from GNC. I have also used other generic ones from the grocery store. The main thing is to get ones that have a high amount of Biotin. This one has 1200mcg of Biotin and 1000 IU of Vitamin A, along with a bunch of other vitamins. I’ve been taking this one as a multivitamin in lieu of the one I used to take. It’s jam packed with stuff.
LOL, stuff must be heavy. Sinks right to the feet.
One time I ruined a brand-new stocking the first time I tried to wear it; ever since then I’ve made a habit of filing my toenails and moisturizing my feet every time before wearing stockings. For that matter, it’s advisable to file fingernails, smooth down cuticles, and moisturize hands too before attempting to handle the things.
