Please help re vile fingernails

[JaneiteIsTrite]

Arghhh. My nails are so awful that they look as if I bite them: I don't. They are weak and short and keep flaking and are just hideous. Is there anything I can do to turn them into beautiful strong ones instead?

File them down as short as possible with a diamond file and use masses of good handcream? Don't even try to grown them in this cold weather.

I don't think super short nails look bad, provided the cuticles are done and your hands are well looked after.

Cleaning products are the death of nails.

How are your hands?
Are they dry?

I am a cleaner which is not condusive (sp?) to nice nails but they are the one thing I make a point of looking after, well those and my eyebrows.

I do my cuticles weekly, always have on french manicure pink (but not the white) which I re-do weekly. I buff every fortnight as I have ridged nails.

I carry handcream in my pocket and put on every time I wash my hands at work, and at home do every night before bed.
In this cold weather I do vaseline and gloves at least twice a week.
I use a file on any hard skin, which I do get as my hands rub on the hoover and mop at work (how glamorous!)

Have you tried any of those hardening varnishes?
I don't use them as I find they make my nails dry and more likely to break but they may work for you.

Thanks both.

Hands are fine. Cuticles are fine. Lots of handcream - check.
Dp does the cleaning!
What is a diamond file?

They are all sort of flaky though, as well as short. And they seem to break at the touch of a feather.

Any diet stuff I should do?

It's expensive put OPI nail varnish strengthener is brilliant!

That's but not put!

My mum had flakey nails that continually broke, tried everything before using Nailtique and she now has GORGEOUS looking nails.

Vitamin e capsules are good broken and rubbed over your nails, or you could take them as a supplement.
Or just eat more vitamin e rich foods of course.

I would try the hardening varnishes though, I think the Sally Hansen stuff gets a good name?

Do you have white spots on your nails? Are you veggie? Zinc deficiency can lead to white spots and flaky nails IIRC.

Nails grow slowly (obviously) and can show up general dietary deficiencies. Mine were terrible as a vegetarian teenager- helped by the right supplements, and eating fish.

Perhaps you should get it checked out by a professional.

No to white spots but yes to veggie.

Vitamin E or Zinc maybe a good move then?

Yep- zinc is often lacking in veggie diets- being most prevalent in fish, shellfish & meats; esp if the veggie takes iron- as that can block what zinc there is available. Zinc helps skin too- it's a general connective tissue catalyst.

Thank you. I don't take iron but probably should. I think you can get zinc and iron combined, so might try that.

Burts bees lemon cuticle cream -- you rub it into the nail and nailbed.

Thank you.

I've been dabbling with the Rimmel Nail Rescue. A chum recommended it and I scoffed as I've tried everything in the nail hardening arena.

Have ben using the rimmel one for about a month and have to say the results are mighty fine.

Paint it on, they say every day, I often forget this and do it every other day and in about two weeks you see better, less flaky nails. It's dead cheapo too, def under a fiver. Have tried the opi and what nots, but found they flaked off with my dodgy nails.

Plus, lots of Neutrogena hand cream at every oportunity - this is a must!

Thank you. have been using the Garnier Hydralock combined with Clarins handcream. Hands are okay but nails are crap!

Will investigate the Rimmell.