Hurry dancer I need some tips...trying to grow my nails...got shea butter hand cream at the weekend..
I go to bed wearing white cotton gloves and promise myself I will wear rubber gloved to wash dishes...then I forget.
Mountain ash

Mountain Ash, Hello my friend!
Some tips for growing natural nails:
- take a vitamin, a big one, even a prenatal vitamin.(Pre-natal vitamin's are said to increase hair growth too.)
- eat jello! Yes, it's true, eat gelatin! It helps your nails!
- rub cream into cuticles to keep the nail from cracking. your nail is alive under the surface so improve it's condition by rubbing a good moisterizer under the cuticles every morning and night. There are some REALLY good ones. If you want a list of them, just ask. Watch the quality of shea butter that you use, it makes a difference, I big one!
- file nails evenly accross, not to a point and do not TOUCH the sides with an emory board.
- don't use tight gloves when doing housework to protect your nails, gloves can rip nails on the side.
- don't give up on nails, remember, they must be repaired from the place they grow, not from the ends.
- use the moisterizer, or any moisterizer after any water contact to nails. Keep a lotion near your kitchen sink and bathroom sinks. Use just lotion if you are in a hurry. Lubridrem is simply the best to use if you don't have shea or a special cream for your nails. I recommend investing in a special cream if you want natural nails. It just makes ALL the difference!
- Protein in the diet!
- File your nails, as I said, but file them every five days! Lotion them up and file in one direction if possible to keep them a managable length for you.
- Use a clear polish on them. There are good ones, right down to Sally Hanson! If you put a coat of clear polish on them to protect them every five days, they will grown.
- of course, don't bite them!
- If you take medication it can affect your nails, in that case, you MUST use a vitimen suppliment, and gelatin!
-be patient!

Hope this helps, dear Mountain Ash!
dancer

My dear friend has been having chemo and her nails show the pattern of her year...
Me too I have "evidence" from my surgery so I see how life affects nails.
I have had a complete house clean..last week I was a skivy.. so my hands were the worse of the wear..But I do have a clean ahd tidy house...
Its a tradition to clean for the new year here..I just started sooner than everyone else.
Mountain ash

dancer, you have such fabulous tips. Thanks for taking care of us.

mountain, don't you just love a clean home? It gives me tremendous peace when everything is in it's place and nice and neat.

Mountain, you may also want to ask chatty about your nails. I walked around with this peice of paper in my purse for weeks so I could remember to buy the product she uses for her nails. When I was in Wal-Mart, I couldn't find the dang piece of paper. Anyway, she has a product she uses and loves.

Thank you Dotsie, taking care of ourselves, and our surroundings, helps our self esteem and reminds us to put ourselves first since we, as women, tend to put our needs last, or second, often!

I think it's good for every woman to remember to care for herself and to know that she is very worth doing things for.

dancer

Appearex works wonders on nails (ask the pharmacist for it and if they don't have it they will order it). I also use Nailtique. It's a miracle in itself.

I find I'm always breaking nails when traveling. Must be from lugging suitcases through the terminal. It's frustrating. I finally cut them down very short.

Other good ones are any product from Barielle,
http://www.drugstore.com/search/search_r...amp;Ntt=Barille
They work wonders and are worth the cost.

Dianne, You might like to try what I think of as the "Rolls Royce," of nail products and those are from Dior. Dior has this cuticle cream that is SO good, it smells good, it hangs on and it makes your nails so strong! The polish, even clear, hangs on like nothing else and there is a "ridge filler," product that can be worn alone, lets your nails grow and can be buffed to a shine! Their products are some that many women have sworn by for years, over 20! If you'd like to spoil yourself a bit, try them!
I use Barielle or Nailtique, although I like Barielle a bit better when I don't use gel over my natural nails. I use a gel coating now but just ove my natural nails to make them strong because I wear them a bit long and my own nails without the coating would break. But, with gel, you can see your own natural nail underneath and my manicurist applies it so very thin that it is thin as my own nail!

Happy nail growing!
dancer9

Which is the gel coating? I've never heard of it. How does it differ from Nailtique?

Dianne,
The gel coating is the one the salons can apply. The others are good.
dancer

Oh, okay! I'll have to look for the Dior cuticle cream because this winter dryness is doing a job on them.