Fake fingernail help please

[kenny]

I'm getting in to teaching and playing guitar more than ever before.
My natural fingernails on my right hand wear away, chip, and split too often now because of friction against the metal guitar strings.

HELP!

Recently I found out that some guitar finger picking pros (like James Taylor) get/wear fake nails.

I don't care what they look like, as in pretty.
They just need to last as long as possible when rubbed, banged when strummed against metal strings.
What should I get?
I'd rather buy it and apply it myself instead of paying for any nail professional's time.

I would not paint anything onto them (as in hardener) since that would come off on the strings and may change the sound.

 

[momhappy]

I've never had fake nails, but I do know that they can be quite damaging to your natural nails, so be aware of that if you choose to go that route.
Do you currently take any supplements that encourage nail strength and/or growth (like biotin, etc.)? That might be something worth researching.

 

[manderz]

Well, if you want to DIY, I think that you have 3 options.

1. Gel nail polish. You can find TONS of information on the thread that's popular in Hangout now, https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/calling-deejay-diy-gel-manicure.196559/ Some brands even have a matte top coat so that you can keep it looking as natural as possible.

2. Press on nails. I'm honestly not sure how well this one would work for you, but it would be the cheapest of the three. Something like this, but you could obviously file them to a length you like and that would get rid of most of the design. The tabs on the top allow for easier handling while applying the nail. http://www.amazon.com/Kiss-Products-Everlasting-French-0-07Pound/dp/B004U1YULU/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1449887331&sr=8-12&keywords=kiss+press+on+nail

3. DIY acrylic. This is a smelly, kind of yucky process. The directions would tell you to glue on a nail or tip, and then do the acrylic on top of that, but I think that foir what you're looking for, I would just apply the acrylic. http://www.amazon.com/Nailene-Salon-Acrylic-Kit-Deluxe/dp/B004XZNANW/ref=sr_1_17?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1449887399&sr=1-17&keywords=acrylic+nail+kit

To sum up my thoughts on your options, I think that the press on nails would be the easiest, but maybe not the most effective solution. I would still give it a shot, since it will be the smallest investment. Make sure you check out the size of the nails in a store before you go for it, to make sure they would fit. I think that the gel polish or acrylic would be the most effective. The gel would be a little pricier, but you could always go to a salon and ask them for your intended mani before you commit to buying your own supplies.

I know my post is a little all over the place, and I'm sorry for that, it's been a long week Please feel free to let me know if I can clarify anything for you!

 

[manderz]

I've never had fake nails, but I do know that they can be quite damaging to your natural nails, so be aware of that if you choose to go that route.
Do you currently take any supplements that encourage nail strength and/or growth (like biotin, etc.)? That might be something worth researching.

Excellent points as well! If you go the DIY route, it would be less damaging than a salon. They often file the tops of your nails to ensure good adhesion, but if you were to go the DIY route, you could make sure you just gently buff away the shine.

I haven't tried any supplements with enough regularity to comment. Though, I have noticed that the better I treat my body, the better my skin and nails are

 

[kenny]

Thanks, so far.

Painting anything onto my nails wouldn't work since I'd quickly 'play' it away.
With my guitar playing style the back of my nails rub against the metal guitar strings.

I don't really want to drink Knox gelatin. Kinda gross.

 

[momhappy]

You don't necessarily need to drink Knox gelatin - you could try taking a biotin supplement. I have taken one before with some success.

 

[kenny]

You don't necessarily need to drink Knox gelatin - you could try taking a biotin supplement. I have taken one before with some success.

Biotin.
Thanks.
I'll look into it.

 

[momhappy]

I was taking one called Matrix 5000 - it has a high level of biotin that is supposed to support healthy hair & nails. It seemed to work well for me, but I switched to Viviscal because I wanted to focus more on healthy hair and I read some good reviews here.

 

[HopeDream]

Hi Kenny!
Why not seek out a professional opinion?
What about going to a cosmetology school and asking the students for recommendations?
You might be able to have your nails professionally done at cost while helping someone to learn a trade.
Once you see how they do it and what they use, you can replicate the most effective strategy at home.

 

[manderz]

Thanks, so far.

Painting anything onto my nails wouldn't work since I'd quickly 'play' it away.
With my guitar playing style the back of my nails rub against the metal guitar strings.

I don't really want to drink Knox gelatin. Kinda gross.

While gel polish is a paint product, it's MUCH, MUCH stronger than regular nail enamel. Typically, I'm impressed if I can get 2 days out of a nail enamel polish, but gel easily lasts 2 weeks, even when I'm not being easy on my hands and doing things like major house projects. I don't think it would play away, honestly. I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think it was at least worth a shot.

 

[manderz]

Hi Kenny!
Why not seek out a professional opinion?
What about going to a cosmetology school and asking the students for recommendations?
You might be able to have your nails professionally done at cost while helping someone to learn a trade.
Once you see how they do it and what they use, you can replicate the most effective strategy at home.

I personally wouldn't go to a cosmetology school, at least not the one near me. I did, once, and.... Well, it was bad enough that I didn't even want photographic evidence.

 

[kelpie]

Try banjo picks.

 

[Karl_K]

google is your friend....
http://guitarplayernails.com/
http://www.ricoguitarnails.com/index.html
many more.....

 

[PintoBean]

Prenatal vitamins

 

[MJ_Mac]

My best friend gets gel nails. She said the kind she gets is healthier and easier on the nail bed. I'll find out the name for you. She's a designer and is working with samples, moving furniture and generally working with her nails all day. Her nails last a long time. I would just go to a professional to give it a try. You could try it once to see what it's like.

Don't bother with the stick on nails. I have tried them and they all popped off one by one and were gone by the end of the evening. I can see you playing guitar and nails flying across the room .

 

[kenny]

I don't care what my nails look like.
Shape of the edges matters to the music (which I can achieve with a file) but attractiveness does not matter at all.

I suspect what's most important to most of the customers of nail salons is appearance rather than their nails being ultra-hard enough to hold up to being vigorously scraped against very abrasive wound metal guitar strings for hours a day.
It's not about popping off because the glue didn't hold. (Though that would also be bad.)
My main concern is the fake nails being worn away by being scraped against these abrasive metal strings.

Here's a close up of one of the six wound guitar strings.
Note how abrasive the metal (copper) surface is.
(Actually, this is a 12-string guitar.)



Often to get the desired sound I'll drag the entire surface of the BACK of my nails over the rough metal surface of several strings. (Only 3 or 4 of the six are wound with copper like this.)
As you can see anything painted on the back of the nail would quickly wear away.
I was hoping there was a kind of glue-on nail that is SUPER hard.

Maybe I'll post this question on a forum for guitar players.

 

[kenny]

google is your friend....
http://guitarplayernails.com/
http://www.ricoguitarnails.com/index.html
many more.....

Hi Karl.
Thanks.
Haven't seen you in a while.

Yes, google, of course.
I was thinkin a forum full of women would also be a good place to ask since they have a nail thread with a trillon pages.
I'm sure some care as much about durability as appearance.

 

[VRBeauty]

About a month ago I got tired of my nails constantly splitting and breaking easily, so I started taking Regenemax, a silica-based supplement (from what I can tell, it's similar to viviscal). I'd love to tell you that it's working, but unfortunately nail growth doesn't work that way - it'll probably be another three or four months before my nails will grow to the point where I can tell whether the supplement is helping to make my nails stronger. (I also drink an herbal tea mixture daily for additional silica). My nails seem to be more trouble-free now than before, but that could just be because I'm keeping them shorter until this stuff has a chance to work.

What I can tell you is that acrylic tops may provide a "quick fix," but they're just a short-term solution. Most nail techs will buff/file down the surface of your nails before putting on the acrylic, which as you can imagine will weaken your nails until you grow them out again. I don't do gel nail polishes because you to basically soak your nails in acetone to remove the polish. I've heard there's a nail prep product that can be used with gels that actually strengthens nails, but I don't know whether it actually works.

(ETA - those guitarplayer nails are intriguing!)

 

[manderz]

I might have another option, as well. These are intended to be a fashion accessory, but may work well for strength and rigidity. I don;t know how it would affect sound, though, and sizing may be an issue as it's likely marketed towards women (smaller fingers, generally). The link is for reusable sterling silver press on nails.

https://www.bohem.co.uk/product/natural-short/

 

[kenny]

Karl those two link were very helpful. Thanks again.

So far it sounds like I have to chose between supergling on fakies that stays on 24/7 or using double-stick tape to attach fakies that you leave on only while playing guitar.

It's nice the tape requires no prep of your nail beyond cleaning with something harmless like isopropyl alcohol.

The superglue route requires you scrape the top layer off your nail.
Then when your natural nail has grown out too much you have to use a Dremel with their special tips to grind away the fake nail.
Then you have to scrape down again to get to the natural nail.
Doing this a few times would result in dangerously-thin natural nails. No?
Then there is the exposure to Acetone (which builds up in your kidneys) for cleaning/removal etc.

Unless I find something else I think I'm going to give the tape-ons a try.

Now when I look at my hand I'll think of Karl for 6 reasons, 5 nails and 1 Octavia.

 

[Calliecake]

I would think an acrylic nail would be the way to go. The only problem is you would have to get the nail filled every other week and it will do damage to your own nail. So maybe this isn't such a great suggestion. I have acrylic nails because my own were thin and split all the time. My guess is the tape on nails would not stay on. Some women can't keep them for a special occassion (wedding or event) and believe me they are super careful with them.

 

[tuffyluvr]

I use a nail hardener called nailtiques, which works very, very well. As momhappy mentioned, acrylic nails can be very damaging (I've had them and when the acrylic comes off your natural nails underneath are paper thin and very brittle). If you get acrylic nails you will have to be very good about keeping them up (most people get them done at the salon, but there are kits for DIY, though I cannot verify how well they work).

I would suggest trying nailtiques plus a biotin supplement to strengthen your nails. If that doesn't work then maybe you go the acrylic or gel route. I buy my nailtiques off Amazon, but you can buy it at some drug stores and I believe Target carries it.

 

[tuffyluvr]

I would think an acrylic nail would be the way to go. The only problem is you would have to get the nail filled every other week and it will do damage to your own nail. So maybe this isn't such a great suggestion. I have acrylic nails because my own were thin and split all the time. My guess is the tape on nails would not stay on. Some women can't keep them for a special occassion (wedding or event) and believe me they are super careful with them.

When I was young (like, 12-13) my friends and I would get the stick-on nails for school dances and stuff. My nail beds are on the flatter side and they would not stay on my fingers for more than a few hours, but one of my friends had more curved nail beds and she would have to pry them off before going back to school on Monday (dress code didn't allow dark nail polish). So the anatomy of your nail beds definitely dictates how well they stay on. If your nail beds are flatter (like mine) don't even bother! You will just end up with a mess of sticky glue strips stuck to your nails!

 

[jordyonbass]

Don't worry about contamination Kenny, ask any Motown guitarist or bassist about what gives them their signature sound and they'll tell you that well worn-in strings are the secret; 'The funk is in the gunk' is the term they use

I tried clear hardener on the nails on my right hand and never had the issue of the hardener coming off. The issue I had was it literally made no difference; my bass was chewing them up badly with my heavy technique regardless of whether they were coated or not (I have a weird finger style where I will actually come down and hammer on the strings sometimes). So I just keep them very short now however for acoustic work I think it would be ideal.

Maybe thumb and finger-picks?