Gloves, gloves, gloves, ladies!

[Accolady]

I just wanted to drop a little tidbit to those who think
they cannot grow long fingernails.

The most important advice I could give someone wishing
to grow long nails is to WEAR GLOVES when doing chores.

Household duties such as doing dishes, washing produce,
cleaning poultry, etc. are all factors which keep nails wet.
Wet nails and more chores = danger.
Keep those gloves on.

Rubber gloves are very inexpensive, and often found
two for one dollar at your local dollar store.
It may seem silly, but I often wear light cotton gloves
around the house!

Also, if you do not care for colored nail polish, even
a clear coating is better than nothing. Try to keep something
on your nails, ladies!

To keep your nails from absorbing the colors in your
red or pink tinted polish, a coat or two of a clear polish
will keep the color from your nail bed as much.

Karen Marie's fave nail polish?

L'Oreal Mega Hard!

[Stephanie]

Even though I don't personally follow those guidelines (ahem), I definitely recommend them. Gloves are awesome. Especially cotton ones with some potent AHA moisturizing cream underneath.

As for clear coat, my all time fav is OPI's Nail Envy. It beats out all of the other protein/clear coats that I've ever tried. Seriously awesome stuff.

Revlon makes some great colors, but OPI is THE BEST when it comes to long lasting, high shine color and quality. Man, I should get paid with the way I recommend them. LOL

Steph

[snippet]

I don't like gloves! I hate using them, I lose touch with everything - gardening especially.

But I will try using a clear coat. Thanks for the tip on OPI Nail Envy Steph - I'll have to check it out.

Besides nails breaking in the cold or my klutzy fingers banging into things and breaking a nail, my biggest problem is breaks at the side of my thumbnails. I should keep an open account with the superglue people.

[pgw]

when I wash the dishes my dishwasher can't. I also use them for some of the cleaning I do around the house . . . especially if it involves my hands being kept wet for a period of time.

I don't use polish on my nails. They break and split all the time anyway, but it seems as soon as I apply polish, bam!, there appears a split! Could be when I notice my nails would look nice with some polish is about the length they start to break?? <scratching head> And to think, I use to have long, nice nails when I was so much younger.

[Jillipede]

when I do dishes or cleaning around the house that involves getting my hands wet. I think I do it more to keep my hands from getting dry and chapped in the winter, plus I like being able to use HOT water when I wash my dishes. Jillipede

[Feye]

My gloves are always on when doing the dishes. They keep my hands from getting wet, and then I don't have to re-apply Lush's Helping Hands all the time.

I haven't really thought of it being good for my nails, I've been mostly concerned about my sensitive skin. I also use gloves for doing laundry, because I'm allergic to strong washing detergents.

That nail strenthening serum sounds very interesting, I'll go check it out

[Sheila]

for me I need to be able to feel what im doing. I have my own little house cleaning business and my hands are constantly in the chemical cleaner. but I need to be able to feel what im doing.. nothing is more sensitive when you are washing the floors with your hands and a cloth. you can feel if there is something stuck on it.. and then you use your nails to scrape it off. LOL. I don't know what I would do with out them.. they are a tool for me. Unfortunatly that does mean realy dry hands during winter time, to the point of just making a fist and my knuckles cracking at times. Yikes! lol.
But your right, over night I do the vasiline and cotton glove treatments. and they feel so much better the next morning.. till I wash them that is.
Honestly I don't think anything can actually "heal" your skin, same as nails and as hair. once it is damaged it's damaged. Just drink lots of water..from the inside out. don't forget our skin is Water proof! lol and any type of cream or oil you put on is only going to sit on top and make it SEEM like it's helping till you wash it off.

[Anne]

MUST wear gloves! I hate touching leftover food! EWWWWW!!!!

LOL! I don't wear them for my nails, I just have a BAD memory from Summer Camp and now I just can't touch leftover food when I do the dishes!

[gabiwags]

and for my personal "Hypocritical Oaf" musings

I do not wear gloves for anything - even when messing with paint thinners and such. But I really, really think you all should D...g