Apr 5, 2010

Need advice, ladies....

I'm over the peeling nails. OVER IT! As most of you know from my post last week, I did some moving and broke 6 nails in the process. The breakage started because of peeling and of course I have to inspect the peel and God forbid I get a moment to REALLY look at it, then I start picking, lift the peel and off it goes! The aftermath: painful, icky-looking nails filed down to the nail beds.

I've been currently using OPI's Nail Envy for Peeling Nails but I think I need something heavy duty/maximum strength/more potent. This has been the case all my life. When I get fed up, I go the acrylic route but I really want to avoid that this time.

Any recommendations?
Thanks so much.

Happy Monday!

Mari

16 comments:

Skulda said...

I have problems with weak cracking nails. *sigh*

VaidaG said...

When i saw the title of this post i imediatly wanted to suggest OPI nail envy, but.. yeah...lol
You can try strengthening your nails from within. Try some vitamins that contains vitamins b,e,a... there are some special ones, for nails, hair and skin, so it's triple win :)
But they take time to kick in... until then use nail envy religilously. It really works. Just use as it needs to be used. Every single day for a week, and every other day whenewer you feel like.

Unknown said...

oh i have the exact same problem and nothing seems to work so i just hide it under nail polish ;/

~Elizabeth aka Lacquered Lizard said...

I would do all of the above AND apply a thin layer of Orly Nail Rescue to the tips...and keep it there (reapply as needed) until your nail is the desired length. Polish over the tips and reapply topcoat daily if you're working a lot with your hands. Keeping the layers protected while you heal your nails is key. Good luck!

FitterTwit said...

Wow.. do I have A LOT to say here. I'll try to keep it short. I too had HORRIBLY peeling nails after years of having fake nails after years of biting my nails. You get the picture... HORRIBLE! So I tried the Nail Envy Nail strengthener and THAT took my nails from peeling to brittle and easily broken. Here's what I KNOW. Strong, long nails can be achieved with a good diet, hydration and caring for your cuticles (natural cuticle conditioners like soybean oil, coconut oil, and various essential oils work wonders. I also love, love, love Burt's Bees Cuticle Butter). And it takes a good 6 months for really damaged nails to get really strong. Here's what I did in the meantime: NailAidCares.com. I ADORE their nail treatments! They have quite a few products that BONDS the peeling layers to add strenth to the nail without making them brittle. These also work GREAT as a base coat even for nails that AREN'T peeling. The price is PERFECT and the service is even better. I STILL use their Pink Natural Growth Therapy as a base coat. I hope that helps! I also hope my babbling didn't put anyone to sleep! LOL! You can check my blog for TONS of info (including reviews) on Nail Aid products... I LOVE THEM!!!

Unknown said...

One "hardcore" product is Mavala Scientifique. It´s a hardener that´s not a polish, but a liquid which is applied onto nails. I´s not meant for prolonged use, I think the instructions say it should be applied once a week.
When I used it, I reeeeally got my weak nails to grow! I used it daily, though, with a cost - my nails were super hard, but not very flexible. So I suppose moderation is the key.
But that´s a product I can truly recommend!

If Mavala products aren´t available where you live (I´m European), then have you tried CND ToughenUp?
I´ve heard loads of compliments, haven´t needed it for myself (yet, keeping fingernails crossed... ;)

And naturally strong nails need healthy fingertips to grow from.
A healthy diet rich in vitamins and minerals is the key. A multivitamin supplement won´t hurt, either. Calcium with vitamin D is important. So are vitamins E, C, B´s... practically all of them, as well as trace minerals!

One thing that really boosts nail growth and makes them strong, is biotin. It is a supplement one might want to take, if anything.
I´m a pharmacist, and we sell biotin supplements for both humans and animals, but I know that many people use the ones meant for animals, because they are (usually) a lot stronger. And cheaper... ;)

Some people also take silicon (not sliconE ;) supplements, they aid nail and hair growth.

And lastly - make sure you use a good nail/cuticle oil or creme.
I personally love and praise CND SolarOil. It is amazing, nourishing, calming and keeps nails flexible and hydrated.
Often times people forget to use these products, but they are important, as dry nails are fragile.

I´m sorry for such a long post... *blushes* hths!

Unknown said...

Stick with the opi nail envy...also try gelatin, you can get the gelatin that mixes with water that you drink, or just eat jello, also make sure you get plenty of vitamin e, and Co Q-10 helps too!

Ice Queen said...

Oh man! How heartbreaking! To break so many then have them all peeling, too. Bummer and Gah!!!

I am also "blessed" with nails that without much encouragement peel like a banana. Gah! Drives me crazy.

Sadly, as far as I know, there is no way to actually "cure" the condition. I have looked and looked and tried and tried so amny products and haven't found a cure, yet.

But I do know how to deal and keep the peeling under control and to a minimum. Here is how I cope.

Take Biotin. Cheap and redily available at any drug or big box discount store. I take a fairly high dosage. Bioton doesn't do much for hair (contrary to popular belief) but it is wizard for nails. You will need to experiment and find your own dosage. It takes a while to work... Don't expect instant results. Prepare to wait a good six to eight weeks to see a real difference. :) Caution: Biotin supplements can cause cystic acne for some users. It doesn't bother me, but it does, some. So be aware. :)

Daily care. Keeping my nails filed off square with my corners ever so gently rounded and the edges well polished with a glass file lends strength and discourages the peeling bahaviour. Keeping my nails polished, base, enamel, top coats and all coats also wrapping my tips helps protect, keeps water from invading my nails which really can wreak havoc and make my nails peel like mad! Topical treatments can help but no treatment, in my experience will cure the peeling.

When I let my nails get trashed and peel, (it happens fast and hard, if I neglect my nails for even a few days) I have to put them in rehab mode. Use my glass file, file them all down super short and keep filing off all growth until the peeling stops, then I can start to let them grow. I keep them polished with clear or soft pink to keep them protected and look neat without calling too much attention to them while they are in rehab. :D

Never ever, ever using my nails as a tool, scraper or other implement. And I find that keeping them fairly short, just past the ends of my fingertips just helps me to have stronger, less break and peel prone nails. :D

Sorry about the book length comment and I hope this helps a little. :D

Beatriz said...

i do a weekly vitamin E treatment
(15-20 mins completely saturated) - buff and then apply sally hanson triple strong in the green bottle each time i polish. this has helped A LOT!!

Unknown said...

i use the naillife nail revitatizer non formaldhye from sallys it seems to help me grow strong nails

Anonymous said...

I have the exact same problem!!!! The only two products that I have found that work for me are Barielle Hydrating ridgefiller (amazing) and dermelect launchpad. I prefer dermelect, I just got it and have noticed a HUGE improvement already. But its about 18$ so it depends on how bad your nails are if you wanna spend the $$ on it. Its great tho. Truly my new HG basecoat

paintedladyfingers said...

I'm not sure if you've tried using a smooth buffer. My nails used to peel, but I no longer have the issue.

http://paintedladyfingers.blogspot.com/2010/03/apothecary-tool-to-prevent-peeling.html#comments

I also have used glue to seal deeper peels:
http://paintedladyfingers.blogspot.com/2010/03/apothecary-ibd-brush-on-nail-glue-with.html

I hope this helps you!

Akuma Kanji said...

I would use a good hand and nail care cream. Usually they work for me. The more things I apply on my nails directly, the more damage it causes even if it is the treatment. Plus, the more we "take care" of our nails, the worst we are doing. Buffer the nails, to do cuticles and such only increase the fragility of the nails. Sometimes cleaner and more beautiful means more fragile and vulnerable. Believe me ;)

Akuma Kanji said...

Sorry, I forgot to mention that there are some teas that you can drink to fortify your nails ;)

Crystal said...

Jessica's fushion is a miracle worker for nails that peel. taking some extra healthy nutrition or supplements could help too (omega's and special supplements for nails skin and hair)

I have the opposite problem, my nails are too dry and hard as concrete, so they grow, but break when i am not carefull...good luck!

Anonymous said...

Hi Mari!

Sally Hansen has a product called TRIPLE STRONG. two coats then a coat every other night or so... rock hard!

I have very long nails, and I am in law enforcement. I used to break nails just by grabbing something. This really worked for me.

I also take one-a-day energy vitamins... they have more nail nutrients in them than the woman's one-a-day.

good luck!

T