The Long Hair Community

allymrtn · February 9th, 2005, 12:06 AM

Any tips for hardening nails?

I'm currently using Sally Hansen's Nail Hardener, but would prefer not to use something like this.

Also, any tips on trying to break my lifetime nail biting habit? It's terrible, I chew till it hurts, and my nails haven't reached the end of my fingertips in forEVER.

And when they do grow out a bit, I usually have them in my mouth (not biting, just there), and the nail is super bendy.. I need harder nails in order to grow them out!

Dick · February 9th, 2005, 05:38 AM

I just happened to see your post about your nails.

This might be of some intrest.

I have been taking Hair Formula 57 for several years now for hair growth enhancement. It seems to be working. However, I've really noticed the effect on my nails! They grow faster and are much harder than ever before. Keeping them trimmed almost requires my bench grinder! (If guys could have long nails I guess I'd be in great shape

. haha)

The supplement is sorta expensive but I know there are alternates out there.

Something to consider --

Good Luck;

Dick

prairiechild · February 9th, 2005, 06:06 AM

Taking a good calcium supplement will help. Citracal is very good. Some of the other forms of calcium are not as good. I've heard that if your calcium tablets don't disolve after being in water for 30 minutes that your body is not getting the calcium out of them. I tried that with a couple of cheap brands of calcium and they didn't dissolve so I just buy Citracal. Some people have problems with constipation when taking Calcium but if you get the Citracal with Magnesium you won't have any problems.
I chew my nails off and on. I tend to do this most when I'm stressed or studying so what I do is keep a nail file in my hands at those times and just file when I want to chew them. It really helps.
Prairiechild

Baptista · February 9th, 2005, 06:34 AM

I think there is bitter flavored nail polish out there (somewhere) to deter chewers. Alternatively, apply a nail polish remover which contains BITREX to your nails when you feel stressed or like you might chew, bc it is supper nasty tasting and will keep you off your nails -- just be sure to moisturize at night bc it is a bit drying.

LETCO · February 11th, 2005, 09:51 AM

I highly recommend the T.I.P.S system, through QVC. It's an oil that you brush on to your nails and cuticles, then massage in. A co-worker gave me some for my birthday, and I've been uber-impressed with the results!

Isis833 · February 11th, 2005, 11:43 PM

I use Qtica Nail Growth Stimulator which I ordered over the Internet. It claims to grow nails 1/4 inch in 14 days. It's true and my nails, weakened and short (from not wearing gloves with cleaning products) soon became very strong and long! I now have to file them down because I prefer a nice, medium length.

Qtica, which costs about $20 (I found a site with free shipping), uses garlic enzymes to stimulate growth and amino acids to hydrate the nails and keep them strong.

Chamomile betty · February 13th, 2005, 06:22 AM

Honestly, a good mulit should help you out.
Keep your nails nice and smooth and invest in a good buffer. It will give you shine so you dont have to use any clear polish.

HTH
Angel Hugs and Love

SilkenTresses · February 14th, 2005, 09:18 AM

My daughter used to suck her thumb, and I used bitter topical for her thumbsucking habit, then later she started to bite her nails and we used that for it and it worked now at 15 she keeps her nails long. It's in the drug store, you can ask the pharmacist for it.

LauraJean · February 24th, 2005, 04:27 PM

I have used the T.I.P.S system in the past and I loved the results. Then I got stressed out and chewed them all off....Yep another BAD nailbiter here.
I have tried the childrens no-suck nail stuff and it doesn't work for me, I just scrape if off with my teeth and then chew away at the nail. I try to wear gloves as often as possible, but then people look at you funny.

There was an episode of 'Queer Eye For The Straight Guy' that had a nail biter on it and they gave him an adult version of that no-suck stuff. Does any one know what this stuff is called? I'd love to get some!

Hair Formula 57? Where do you get this from...GNC? Internet? those are pretty much my options here.

Keep the suggestions comming. I need all the help I can get!

MorningDove · February 27th, 2005, 09:09 AM

I had habits of picking and biting at the nails, but not any more. Here's what I recommend:

Keep good quality cuticle nippers, files, creams and oils all around the house, in the car, etc. Get in the habit of applying cuticle creams, nail-strengthening creams, and hand creams frequently. (To the extent that your budget allows, become a nail and hand cream product junkie. Substitute the habit of applying creams for habits detrimental to the nails.) Push the creams gently against the cuticle and nail bed, and also scrape a teeny bit under the nail tips.

Sometimes I use a polish-type product, either Nailtiques Formula 2 or OPI Matte Nail Envy. Follow the instructions and make sure you go at least a full week between "removals". Use only a gentle non-acetone remover.

Wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from water. Also, wear gloves outdoors in cold weather. If you garden, wear gloves.

I've just completed 10 days of hard physical labor outdoors[long story]and had amazing (for me) luck with my nails using:
a. OPI Matte Nail Envy--buy it on Tuesdays at Trade Secret
b. Mavala Cuticle Cream--sorry to say it's somewhat expensive and hard to find in the USA
c. Originails nail strengthening cream just $5 from Sally Beauty, and
d. A&D diaper ointment as my hand cream, the one that's like petroleum jelly, not the one with white zinc oxide, and
e. I wore gardening gloves most of the time, and
f. I applied cuticle and hand creams over and over and over!
The main point isn't the brands of creams you use but applying very very frequently.

By the way, the advantage of OPI Matte Nail Envy over the other shiny types is: When I use the shiny types, and a chip develops, or it starts to rub off at the nail tip/edge, which is unavoidable, I tend to pick at the nail and the polish. But the imperfections and chips in the matte formula don't show, so I don't tend to pick at the nails.

Here is one other idea: On my bedroom desk, I have a magnifier on an adjustable stand on a desk, and in one of the desk drawers are nail care products. I trained myself to take a seat there at least once a day and use the magnifier to assist in trimming hangnails, filing any rough spots on the nail tips, and applying creams.

But to reiterate my main point, my nails became a lot better when I decided to place hand and nail creams all over the house, not just in the bedroom. I have them in my car, my gardening cart, hubbie's car, kitchen, breakfast room, family room, here in my home office, bathroom, purse.

Also, see my comments elsewhere in this forum about including Essential Woman oil in your breakfast. Do a word search on Essential Woman and you'll find it. And drink lots of water, too.

Hope these thoughts are helpful to you.

joyinc · February 27th, 2005, 10:53 AM

i could never get mine to grow nice, so i wear acrylics. but i agree that supplements will make a difference... i used to take gelatin for that

StellaRose · March 2nd, 2005, 09:13 AM

Another idea is to get them Silk-Wrapped. You can do it at almost any salon and it is really gentle to your nails but makes them way stronger. And the OPI Nail Envy is a great idea. It works really well.

summerharvest · March 2nd, 2005, 10:31 AM

Anti-bite products never worked for me...the habit was too strong, and also I rub my eyes a lot - a big OUCH if you have something on your fingers! What finally stopped my nail-biting was getting fake nail tips applied at a salon. They're really hard on your natural nails, but it might be worth it to kick the biting habit.

To make my hands look nice for my wedding, I had fake nails applied at a salon several months in advance - I'm a chronic nail biter too & wanted to see how nail tips would look before the wedding. They looked really nice, and somehow having nice-looking nails (for the first time in my life!) helped keep me from biting them. My hands would head for my mouth, then I would see the beautiful nails, and stop. When the fake tips started to come off I removed them, and started taking really good care of my natural nails - I kept several small jars of hoof & nail cream around the house, and oiled my nails/cuticles nightly with jojoba oil. About 6 weeks before the wedding, I started using Essie Millionails to keep them from breaking, and it worked like a charm! On my wedding day, I had beautiful natural nails - woohoo!

Now I've gone back to keeping them short for convenience's sake, but they're a pretty, healthy short b/c I still use hoof & nail cream & jojoba oil regularly, and haven't bitten them since before the fake nails. You can find hoof & nail cream at just about any drug store or beauty supply store, or you can get a big jar (more economical) at pet supply stores, and divvy it up into smaller jars at home.

HTHS