People with nice nails - advice please!

[stickersstickerseverywhere]

Morning,

In an effort to spruce up how I look after several years of pregnancy, babies, nappies etc, I've realised my nails need attention. People with nice nails, how do you look after them? I'm still in the nappy changing years, but hopefully near the end (please toddler twins, potty train soon!) so my hands are constantly being washed. I use tonnes of hand cream, but the only nail care I do is trim, file and dab a bit of glue on any when they break, which is far more frequently than I'd like. I always tell myself I'll paint them when all ten are completely unbroken. That never happens.

Any tips? Thank you in advance!

Keep them short, with a square cut. Clarins hand and nail cream is great, as is Burts Bees overnight moisturising globe thing. Nails Inc detox overnight treatment is fantastic.

I go to a local vietnamese place who use nexgen on it - a powder thing. My own nails are underneath and have never been so long

Shellac!

Wear washing up gloves when washing up, cleaning or using any chemicals, carry on with the hand cream and maybe try a nail oil? I use OPI Acoplex but I expect any oil would do.

If your nail bed isn't strong and healthy don't shellac. As pp said, keep them short for now. This will help limit breakages. Use a hand cream that is more of a vaseline consistency, like Elizabeth arden 8 hour, as it helps with frequent washing. I also rub it into my nail bed once a day when they are clean. I usually have them painted for a week at a time and I give them a week's break between. You probably don't have time to be taking many long baths at the moment but I'm also careful then to keep my hands out of the water. There are also vitamins you can taken to strengthen nails.

Silica supplement has transformed my nails.

I'd advise differently to the previous posters and say no gel : shellac - it absolutely destroyed my nails. Only getting. Back to normal now after 6 months since last shellac

Start using nail oil or rub a small amount of sweet almond oil into your nails as a cheaper alternative. Nail envy is a really good nail straightener, you can buy it online for much cheaper than the shops and make sure you're getting plenty of calcium in your diet. If you're on a low dairy diet try more green leafy veg.

Use nailtiques formula 2 for a few weeks, take Perfectil Skin, Hair & Nails supplements with the nailbooster (or equivalent) & use Sally Hansen cuticle remover once a week. As other posters have said keep your nails short & filed too😊

I’m a beauty therapist. Unfortunately a lot of the time the health of skin or nails comes from ‘within’ (hormones etc) or luck. For example you can use all the products you want but often it’s just what we are given.
Short, round nails with no snaggy bits are best for maintaining no breaks.
Avoid gel.
Use a strengthner regularly.
Vitamins and supplements can help.
Avoid soaking in water for long periods of time.
And massage in oil and/or cream regularly.

Keep them relatively short. Clip/file any snags. Don't paint finger nails, other than special occasions. moisturise with body shop hemp cream every night, eat well and drink
A lot of water :)

As others said, Keep them short-ish and neatly filed. I file weekly.
Use a nail brush to ensure under nails are super clean.
Use oil/hand cream nightly.
I paint myself with Dior Nail Glow which gives a nice polished finish.
Gel nails only once or twice a year for holidays or special occasions

Definitely no gel etc - worst thing you could do to your nails!
Regular hand cream, nail/cuticle oil applied before bed, good quality file for filing and buffing, and keep them short and neat!

Thanks for the tips. I'll make more of an effort to trim and file regularly - there are one or two that are a bit long at the moment, and it's this sort of neglect contributing to the breakages! I'll look for an oil too. Diet is full of calcium and plenty of veg, but could probably do with drinking more water.

Can I hijack please, what is the best way of getting my cuticles under control? They grow so far up the base of the nail. I try and push them back in the shower/use the nails inc cuticle remover but nothing seems to work. Where am I going wrong? Desperate to paint my nails but they're all cuticle!

Shellac’s not damaging, neither is any other nail coating. It’s over zealous buffing and aggressive removal that damage.

Doug Schoon is the industry leading chemist who writes nail tech textbooks on the chemistry behind nail coatings. He is on fb and you can go on his page to ask questions.

Daily application of a mineral oil free nail oil will help ie solar oil or dadi oil. Mineral won’t fill the oil channels up because the molecules are too big, it’s like trying to fit a bus into a garage designed for a car.

Your nails will always feel more ridged after a coatings removed because the products level out so well. You get used to the smoothness, when that’s removed the ridges feel massive.

There’s a lot of fakes out there too, cheap gel sold as shellac. I see colours on the internet discontinued over 5 years ago in up to date packaging 🙄.

When DD was in nappies i put Waitrose Bottom Butter on her bum everytime i changed her nappy and used it everytime i washed my hands and throughout the day. My nails were glorious (and DD never once got nappy rash!).

Is there a tv program you watch each week?

Bear with 😁
I always sit and watch country file on a Sunday night. I bring my wooden cuticle sticks thick hand cream and I spend the time moisturising my hands and gently maintaining cuticles.
I reshape my nails and am regularly asked how often I go for my nails done. The answer is about once every 3 years when I get a free manicure with a spa visit.
My hands are getting old and knackered having had eczema all my life but the nails are still pleasing.

I swear by OPI nail envy and Seche vite. They make my nails so strong that no one ever believes they are my own. Buy from ebay or amazon though as these are the cheapest places. I even have them on subscription at amazon so that I never run out!

I still haven't quite mastered cuticle maintenance and always botch my right hand as my left can't wield a tool properly!

I love the suggestion of using a regular show every week to maintain your nails, I am watching The Masters right now and painting my nails (and mumsnetting) 💅🏻

Strumpers I do exactly the same thing -Sunday night, glass of wine & tv😊👍

@BlueEyedWonder I was looking at Dior NailGlow. Do you think it's worth the splurge?- it's on my list of things I would like at the moment😊

Onynx I've just been having a google and found out that a brand called Orly do clear French manicure top coats that are loads cheaper then Dior, one shade being Beverly Hills Plum and another Bare Rose, I've just ordered Bare Rose from eBay at the princely sum of £8.65!

I wish I could wear polish, but whenever I do I develop white patches at the end of my nails where they are starting to lift from the nail bed - they can become painful. I wish I could find a solution.

I have ridged nails that I buff but that only works so much. I love the smooth finish of polish but I just can't use it!