Nail Tips You Can’t Afford to Miss for Healthier, Beautiful Nails!

Sometimes, the littlest changes can make a difference in the appearance and health of your nails.

Not very long ago, my fingernails were an abomination.  They were weak, developing a strange curve, and breaking regardless of strengthening products, nail polishes, etc. Finally, I did find a solution and turned that ugly nail problem around.  Today, I want to share some valuable nail tips that definitely can help you too!

Your diet plays a part in how your nails look.  Even though you may think that you are eating all the right nutrients, you could be lacking essential building blocks of what makes up those nails.  Don’t forget, the medications you take even over-the-counter ones may help alter the nutrients that your body is actually taking in.  Therefore, it is quite possible that you may need a biotin supplement.  Please look for one that has some sort of regulatory seal before you swallow or better yet talk to your doctor first if you're on medication. (When it comes to what goes into our vitamins, we are left at the mercy of companies with how this industry is currently regulated.  If you don’t believe me, then read my earlier post and look at the picture of what a seemingly innocent vitamin did to me).

Another important thing is keeping your nails from drying further.  Make it a habit to apply hand cream or lotion every chance that you get and be sure to rub some in over your nails in the process.  The hand cream will replenish that moisture and help further condition nails. 

Before you attempt to paint your nails, it is a good idea not to do it regularly.  Nails need time to breathe, especially less than healthy ones.  Try spacing your manicures out and skipping a week in between doing another.  

Something else to keep in mind is reading the labels of your current nail products to avoid bad ingredients that could be contributing to this problem.  For instance, toluene and formaldehyde that are used by some brands for thickening and use in how well the polish adheres to the nail are, in fact, very harsh and bring on brittleness.  Acetone in nail polish removers also can zap all the moisture from nails, causing them to dry out.  A better option would be switching to a non-acetone remover or at least relying on the acetone variety less than you had.

Learn to respect your cuticles since they protect the root of your nail from infection.  Be careful with that skin. Cutting it is a bad move and can hurt how the nail grows.  Instead, gently use your orange stick and push the cuticle back with a towel after showering.

We all heard of nail salons that can pass on infections because of less than sanitary handling of their tools and products.  Yet, it is just as critical to keep your home manicure tools as sanitary as possible by cleaning them with soap and water each time you use them.  

The way you file your nails to shape them can also affect your nail’s health.  Square nails are quite popular, but if made very square those nails also have a tendency to tear at the corners.  If you file the nails too round at the corners, the same holds true, but  only what you’ll be doing is making them more prone to splitting.  What I suggest is incorporating both the square and oval shape while filing to form the squoval shape, a square that you gently round at the corners.  

Just as important to nail shape is giving some thought to nail length.  When you have extremely long nails, you have greater chances of breaking them compared to somewhat shorter nails.  Furthermore, a shorter length looks more polished and professional than nails that look like talons.

For more nail help, do look in my labels section under nails for additional tips and DIY treatments.  Take care and try these tips, but just remember to be patient.  I am sure that you will see an improvement soon enough!  

Winter Nail Survival and How to Stop Nail Breakage

Nails need special consideration during winter.

Winter is particularly hard on your nails due to the lack of moisture in the air that can dry them out. Even healthy condition nails are not immune.  The problem is even worse every year that you age since nails also develop a bit more brittleness with each birthday. However, there are some measures you can take to better strengthen your nails.

Changing Your Nail Care to Adjust to Winter Can Keep Them Strong 

Filing and shaping your nails is important, but don’t be fanatical about it.  Too much overdoing at this time of year with how dry the nails can be can weaken them further and cause splitting. 

Your best option is to go with a shorter nail. The longer you keep your nails, the more chance of subjecting them to breakage.  

Besides the nail surface, you also need to take better care of your cuticles now as well since they also are affected by harsh winter weather.  Moisturize your hands and cuticles every chance you get to help counteract the damage and keep them healthy.  After all, they defend the nails against infection.

Habitually moisturize both your hands and cuticles.  You can try hand lotions or creams specially formulated for both hands and cuticles in mind or separate products of hand creams, lotions, and cuticle creams and soaks.

Polishing nails also helps strengthen them in addition to separate strengthening products.  Yet, it is just as crucial to look for products without nail-drying chemicals like toulene and DBP.  Ingredients like acetone can be more brutal for weak nails.

If you don’t have a dishwasher or when doing housework, your nails would thank you if you wore gloves since the ingredients in those products can further weaken nails, especially the ones with antibacterial formulas.  Nonetheless, latex or rubber gloves often are hard to work in.  

What I found that work better is buying a box of surgical gloves at a pharmacy or one online that is latex-free and disposable.  They are about $10-$18 for about 100-120 count.  This type of glove is thinner for easier maneuvering for when doing dishes instead of the bulkier latex gloves.

For additional help in this area, I have two other posts that you should read:


http://nuts4stuff.blogspot.com/2014/02/restore-fragile-nails-with-these.html

http://nuts4stuff.blogspot.com/2014/03/tips-for-growing-and-strengthening-weak.html

The Answer to Your Problem of Weak, Splitting Nails!

Over the last few years, I noticed my fingernails kept getting weaker and weaker with deeper ridges.  If that wasn’t bad enough, two of my nails were starting to look flat across and curve inward, which is far from beautiful. The only thing I could do was keep the nails short and keep experimenting with every nail reinforcing product that I could find in my quest to get my once beautiful nails back.

The strength of them was so bad that I had to run for the nail file or scissors once or twice a day despite some of the products I had tried earlier.  Seriously, I didn’t understand why this awful change was happening.

Of course, I know that diet plays a role.  However, who can really say if we have enough of the right nutrients to handle our unique body’s chemistry, especially with the way our foods are processed, preservatives, or any medicines that must be taken?  

After I did some research, I found that biotin, (vitamin B 7), could be what I was lacking. This particular vitamin helps the body’s metabolism to become better functioning for how it treats energy and transports carbon dioxide from the body’s cells.

Biotin can be found naturally in foods such as cooked eggs, nuts, sardines, legumes, nut butters, whole grains, mushrooms, bananas, and cauliflower.  

Already the thought of what biotin could do to benefit my nails, stop hair loss and shedding that I lately was experiencing and, perhaps, even help with weight sounded promising.  The problem now was the dosage. 

I picked up a bottle of the maximum strength 5,000 mcg. Though there is no known evidence of biotin interfering with medications, you may want to ask your physician before starting with any new supplements.

Please be careful in your choice of vitamins.  Look for a brand with some sort of quality seal to safeguard your health in what is a very unregulated industry.  Trust me on this, read those labels carefully because bad ones are still sold nationally alongside good ones and in stores where you shop.

I took one softgel a day.  I didn’t see any difference the first week.  By the second week, I started noticing a bit more strength when touching the nail surface.  It wasn’t as bouncy and frail.  

Over the next two weeks, the condition of my nails improved more.  The deep ridges were giving way to finer ones while the two down curving nails were straightening themselves out with a rounder, normal curve.  I also wasn’t running for my nail file or scissors like before.

It has now been about six weeks and most of the old nail has grown out, leaving faint ridges, a normal curve to my nails again, and harder nails.  Furthermore, I haven’t been shedding as many hairs as before I started with biotin.

I honestly recommend anyone that is experiencing the same problems with their nails or even losing more hair than normal, should think of picking up a jar of biotin.  This really helped and is still helping me with my nails.  I only hope this helps you in the same way.

Summer 2014 Trind Caring Nail Colors and Keratin Treatment for Nails Kit Review

**Disclaimer:  This post has been compensated through a free product (s) or monetary payment.  Opinions are solely mine. All links are "no-follow" links.**

Trind Nail Polish Remover, three nail polishes, and Keratin Treatment for Nails

Some of us keep our nails always polished and looking like those hands modeled for a magazine.  Then again, there are people like yours truly that love the look of those fashionable, chic colors but suffer from weak or sensitive nails to complicate things.

When I was asked if I would be interested in trying Trind’s Keratin Treatment for Nails Kit along with some of this Dutch company’s other products, I was thrilled because of my own recurring problem with my nails splitting.  Through the years, I have tried to remedy this with various strengthening formulas, which didn’t do all that much for a long-term solution.

The Trind Keratin Treatment for Nails Kit ($45.95) is chemical free, using the protein Keratin to strengthen while moisturizing the nail. For those readers familiar with the company’s original Nail Repair, this strengthener is designed specifically for those with added sensitivity issues like damage from wearing artificial nails, or medicines, etc.  Thus, it also will take up to four weeks before you get the results that you’re after.

You get a bottle of Nail Restorer that you coat your nails with first before using the second bottle of Nail Protector, a shiny protective top coat.  I have used this kit for a couple of weeks and already noticed improvement with less nail breakage than usual! I will keep using this without question.

You can also follow up that Nail Protector, once completely dry, with nail polish like Trind’s Caring Color Nail Polishes ($13) that are formulated for optimum nail health.  I received Appletini (a fresh green), Surf’s Up (peacock blue), and Mint Julep (blue green bordering on aqua) from Trind’s Spring/Summer 2014 Collection.  

This is Trind Caring Color Nail Polish in Mint Julep.

The bright colors are perfect in keeping with the season. They are easy to apply with a nice consistency of formula and the right size brush to handle the task.  However, I must admit these nail polishes aren’t the longest lasting nail polishes.  Wear gloves if you intend to wash dishes or do work around the house because your manicure will suffer.

Then again, once you see those happy colors, you might want to keep rotating just for fun with such dazzling Trind Caring Colors available on their website.  Pop over and find your strength in beautiful nails!

I also got a bottle of their Nail Polish Remover.  This formula is acetone free, extra mild and rids any flaws in a flash.   

Tips for Growing and Strengthening Weak Nails That Work

Weak nails have plenty of DIY beauty options to improve their condition.

My weak nails are prone to ridges and breaking. Having allergies makes them react adversely at times to some nail products and lacquers, which compounds the problem.  However, I found some great tricks that are helping to strengthen and keep them healthier. 

In addition to using a homemade protein-rich soak, I have been immersing my nails daily for about five to ten minutes in apple cider vinegar or warm olive oil, rotating one day with the vinegar and the next with the oil.  Usually, I make time to do this when watching television or taking a coffee break.  

I also have been massaging them with castor oil every day as well.  At the same time, with all the vitamin E packed in the castor oil, it is intensifying the benefit of the olive oil for shaping up my cuticles. 

Just as important, I have been taking additional vitamins of biotin, calcium, magnesium, and zinc to also tackle the problem from the inside from a nutritional standpoint.

The longer than I have been doing the rotating cider vinegar-olive oil soak in combination with the castor oil treatment, the better conditioned my nails are becoming.  My nails are gradually strengthening because they are breaking less. Furthermore, my nails are growing faster now.  

For more tips, do read my earlier post that I shared because these suggestions can possibly help you too!