Can you wear polish regularly and NOT destroy your nails?

[knitknack]

it should be 'can one wear polish' really shouldn't it? My grammar is as messed up as my nails....

Anyway, a few months ago I got really into painting my nails and looking after my hands - I loved it, I've always had self esteem issues and enjoying being 'girlie' in this way and not feeling ashamed of it was wonderful AND I bought a whole rainbow of colours and fripperies and everything was lovely. Then, about 2/3 months later my nails basically disintegrated in front of my eyes - the flaked and peeled such that I've spent the last month with them cut as short as possible, trying not to look at them :(

I know they'll grow back, and I've been oiling them and even taking a calcium supplement but my question is, how do you wear polish regularly without this happening? Is there some secret that I don't know about, or are my nails, rather like my hair, only happy if I don't do anything to them?

Does anyone have any advice?

I wear nail polish nearly all the time, and don't have problems with my nails becoming weak and brittle. In fact the opposite happens, I tend to be more careful with my nails if I'm wearing nail polish and not use them as tools.

I use a base coat, two layers of nail polish and then a top coat, I find maybelline forever strong is the best and lasts up to two weeks. How often do you remove your nail polish? It could be the nail polish remover that is weakening your nails, rather than the actual nail polish.

Like you a few months ago i treated myself to a load of new polishes,base coats,top coats,the whole shebang,& within a month or so my nails started peeling & splitting.

I now wear no polish,i just rub some almond oil into them daily & keep them shortish,they look fab now,so i think some peoples nails just cant handle polish on them.

I have mine done every Monday.
No issue

I think it is different for some people. Even one coat of polish once on my fingernails makes them split, even with base. It's a disaster. Toes seem ok, but I'm jealous of people who can wear it on their finger nails with no problem.

I also think it can be genetics. Me and my sisters have great nails have been told this by numerous manicurists so can have nails done all the time -- other people have nails that peel I have never experienced this.

I'm talking normal manicure; pedicures -- not extensions or gel nails that I have no experience with.

I've never had a problem. It might come down to something in your genes about how strongly they grow, but to maximise strength there are two factors. The first is improving how well you lay them down as they grow, where good diet and possibly a hair/nails vitamin/mineral supplement should help. The second is looking after the (dead) part that is the grown nail. Things that help there are massaging in oils and treatments on bare nails, a good manicure with an oval or square-oval shape, not using nails as tools, and using a base coat.

I read about opi nail envy on here and it has made a big difference to my nails. They are much stronger and colour lasts longer due to repeated coats of nail envy so I am redoing them only once a week and probably benefit from using polish remover less often.

I used to wear nail varnish all the time, don't have the time so much now so only do them oce or twice a week. Only problem I ever had was staining if I didn't use a top coat as I tend to wear black varnish, just use a top coat and stick some bio oil/rescue oil or almond oil on them between painting times.

I never use nail varnish remover that shit is nasty I just pick it off, I heard the other day that nails grow by 3mm a month thats bollocks more like one inch a month I have to file mine daily.

I use Nail Envy and paint on a couple of coats before polis. I am a big fan of Maybelline Forever Strong too - lasts a week for me. My nails seem harder wearing with varnish on them and I try to resist picking it off! After a couple of weeks straight I give my nails a bit of breathing time and don't wear anything for a couple of days.

Nails are currently painted in Maybelline ceramic blue (light blue) love it!

Those that use nail envy, do you do the extra coat every 2 days for a week thing? I tried and it got so thick it would flake off, often taking the surface of the nail with it.

I can't. My nails split and flake. Not on my toes though as I wear it all the time.

My nails are also flaky and peeling . Can anyone with good nails recommend a nail varnish?

I have gel polish done at a salon every 2 weeks.

It's so shiny and strengthens my nail so they rarely ever break!

wow thanks for the answers guys - it really helps to know that others have 'fussy' nails too! My hair's the same, lively condition naturally, but if I use heat on it it soon rebels and starts to spli :( I used to model as a young whippety thing (only catwalk, I was stupidly skinny as a teen) and I wa always being given a pixie crop because my hair couldn't cope with all the attention (neither could I, bu tthat's a story for another board ;) )

I'll never ever need to buy varnish again, using it only on toes until I'm 99 like my granny did still won't use this lot up haha

Blimey, this typing on an iPad malarkey isn't easy is it?!

I always have my nails painted and have never had any problems my nails are always long and very strong

I paint my nails often and I usually have some kind of nail polish on them (always use base coat too, and strengthener if no colour on there). They occasionally get a bit weak and snap, but most of the time they're fine. I think it must be a lot to do with how strong your nails are naturally.

My nails peel quite a lot but I am only 6 months post birth and I know this makes them weaker.

I haven't found polish makes them worse and I wear it all the time. I do like to keep them bare sometimes, I have bought a brilliant buffer - Revlon Nail Buffer in the shape of a teardrop - it's fab and big and it won't wear down after one use!

I nearly always have nail varnish on. My nails are really strong and never break.

Which base coat do you use? Some are better than others. I always wear nail polish and change it every few days. My nails do flake but it helps to file frequently and not keep them very long, I buff my nails now and again and use lots of cuticle cream.

I use Jessica 'Reward' basecoat.

An update! Shortly after this thread I bought Mavala ScientifIque and my nails are utterly transformed!! I wear polish, I take it off again - stuff that was a lost cause for me before!! AND (excited) I've been using his stuff religiously and you'd honestly think, to look at the bottle, that I hadn't yet opened it it's gone down so little - so its a total bargain to boot! The other product I bought was Leighton Denny 'kind' polish remover.

I thought I'd let other rubbish nail owners know that there IS a solution :)

My mother has thoroughly rubbish nails and she uses Mavala products (clear strengthener ones) to keep her nails from disintegrating.

If I have my manicure/pedicure done professionally (while I'm at the hairdressers), my nails are given a proper moisturising/strengthening treatment and are much better/stronger.

Home varnishing without proper care wrecks them pretty quickly.