Need Advice on Hands!

[AMALEEKEL]

Ok ladies...
I know many of us are anxiously awaiting our beautiful erings...but I have a slight problem I want to fix before I get mine!
I have horrible nails!
What are your tips/magic potions/products for having beautiful nails?
Mine are very weak and my cuticles are very d

ry.
Please help me beautify my hands!!
I know this sounds silly...but I know some of you out there have great tips and tricks.
Looking forward to the advice!
Amanda

 

[lisaC]

Ladies Home Journal(Jan 2005) suggest SOS Cuticless Instant Cuticle Remover ($5.99) Twice a week, leave on for 5 min then wash off.
Lisa.

 

[glaucomflecken]

Hi there!

I used to use this nail strengthener product in college called Revivanail. It was kind of expensive but WOW did it make my nails great! Mine always peel and break so they never got long but with that stuff they were strong and stayed healthy. I haven''t seen it for a while but just did a web search and found it! Wow I''ll have to start using it again...

Try not to use a metal nail file, I''ve been told they are too harsh on the nail.
Try not to use your nails as a tool to open soda cans or anything like that.

When I give myself a manicure I usually soak my nails/cuticles in a bowl of warm water and warmed olive oil. Makes my cuticles very soft.

My favorite lotion ever is Lemon Custard body butter by jaqua girls. I swear that stuff smells soo good. It also is very rich and keeps your hands soft and hydrated and the scent lasts through handwashings and everything.

Good luck!

 

[goldengirl]

Try a nail-strengthing product for your weak nails. I use Sally Hanson Hard as Nails, but really I think anything would work. And pick up a cuticle cream...rub it in maybe 2x daily and that will help soften and hydrate your cuticles. The problem is it might take a couple weeks for you to really see the benefits of what you're doing, as the cracked/dry/peeling cuticles have to have time to heal. Get a good rubber-tipped cuticle pusher, soak your nails in warm water & olive oil (like gl suggested) for 5-10 mins, the push back the cuticles and afterwards, massage in a little cuticle cream. I do this in the evening when I'm watching TV. And make sure at least at first that you keep them kinda short and file them regularly... if they get too long and break, I think it looks worse than having them all uniformly shorter.

Or you could just go get a manicure!

ETA: make sure you're always using a hand cream with SPF in the morning! Keep in mind that your hands will be the first place to show your age if you don't!!

 

[AMALEEKEL]

Goldengirl-You''re right I do need to go get a mani! But I am trying to wait till I at least have something to work with! haha.
Plus, cash is short due to Christmas & my BF''s birthday...so I''m just looking for "home remedies".
i will try to olive oil thing.
As long as i can keep lotion on them...i think i''ll be okay.
Yall might think I''m silly...but I definetly need to get them in shape before Engagement time!
Thanks ladies!

 

[Bethanying]

Another good thing to do is to rub plain old hand lotion vigorously into your nails/cuticles- this stimulates the blood flow to your hands/fingers and it will help to build strong nails.

Also, I don''t know if you use/have used acrylic nails, but it really only makes your nails worse if you are not going to wear them for the long run.

Hope this helps- and hope your engagement comes soon too!!!! I was an "original" lady in waiting- worth the wait but it was a painful wait!!!

Bethany

 

[MrsFrk]

Rub in cuticle oil every night before bed, and use a really rich hand cream as well. Nailtiques is a nail strengthening system that works well on natural nails. IMO, short, tidy nails are very elegant, as long as the cuticles aren't raggedy and nasty. Paraffin dips are great too, they make your hands nice and soft.

 

[AMALEEKEL]

I''m not big on acrylic nails- I''ve tried them a couple of times..but they''re just not me. I am a short nails kind of girl.
I''m not expecting an engagement very soon...but Just want to be ready when it comes!
Thanks for all the great advice!

 

[MrsFrk]

At the moment, I have gel nails. I have very strong natural nails, but I like my nails polished, and it just doesn''t stay on. The gel is not as destructive as acrylic (I''ve never had acrylics, but this is what I am told by my nail gal- they don''t file the natural nail before applying gels). The gel is clear and thin, so I can go without polish if desired, and my nails don''t look "fake"- though they are fairly short.

 

[appletini]

I just have my natural nails, but I get a manicure once a week b/c I have a bad habit of picking my nails when the polish starts to wear off. This way I can grow them out and my hands will always be ready for whenever I am surprised with a proposal.

 

[Diamonds4Me]

My nails were absolutely horrible. Thin, flat...they were so thin I could bend them backwards towards my nail bed and it didn't hurt. It was like paper! I used to get tips because they were so bad. Finally I gave up and now they look better than they did with tips!

I use O.P.I, Nail Envy. I get it from the nail salon for about ten bucks but mine comes with a free bottle of lotion. I don't know if they all do or not. Then every night I take a vitamin E and bust another one open and rub it into my nails and cuticles. Don't wash it off! In about a week you should really notice a difference. I have read that you shouldn't take vit. E if you have problems with clotting or if you're getting ready to go into surgery for any reason. It won't hurt you to rub it into your cuticles though.

 

[Diamonds4Me]

Oh! Almost forgot! I also use L''Oreal''s ReFinish Micro-Dermabrasion kit and before I wash it off I rub it into the tops of my hands. Very good for exfoliating your hands as well as your face!

 

[moremoremore]

Take vitamins and drink more water too!

 

[ForteKitty]

Do they really rip the acrylics off your nails to remove it? My friend just had hers removed and she said it hurt so bad she thought her nail was going to rip right off!

 

[AMALEEKEL]

Right now I''m using this awesome kit from Avon- it''s a 4-step process...this really thick moisturizer, a buffing cream, cleansing gel and hand lotion- it is doing wonders- makes your hands sooooo smooth!
If i can just get those cuticles in order!

 

[goldengirl]

Date: 12/13/2004 11:54:38 AM
Author: ForteKitty
Do they really rip the acrylics off your nails to remove it? My friend just had hers removed and she said it hurt so bad she thought her nail was going to rip right off!

Only the really, REALLY BAD salons!!!

They should soak them off in a bowl of acetate... nail polish remover. They generally stick your nails in a bowl of acetate, cover with a towel and put a bright light over it to warm it a little. Then they tell you to pick at them as they start to soften and peel away. Eventually you''ll have picked all the acrylic off, then they do a little buff-n-shine to make it look like your nails aren''t as damaged as they really are, and away you go!

You could pull your nailbed up if you just ripped them off!!!

 

[flopkins]

plain ol'' vaseline rubbed on the cuticles every night works great! really softens and hydrates, plus it''s cheap! (i don''t do this every night, but a friend of mine who did this religiously had the most beautiful nails!)

 

[Alice in DiamondLand]

solar oil (get from beauty supply store) works magic. apply daily and in one week, you''ll be amazed. Also, i suggest that you go and get a manicure and get them to shape them up. There is something about getting your nails done that just makes you want to take better care of your nails.

 

[MrsFrk]

Date: 12/13/2004 1

6:51 PM
Author: goldengirl

Date: 12/13/2004 11:54:38 AM
Author: ForteKitty
Do they really rip the acrylics off your nails to remove it? My friend just had hers removed and she said it hurt so bad she thought her nail was going to rip right off!

Only the really, REALLY BAD salons!!!

They should soak them off in a bowl of acetate... nail polish remover. They generally stick your nails in a bowl of acetate, cover with a towel and put a bright light over it to warm it a little. Then they tell you to pick at them as they start to soften and peel away. Eventually you''ll have picked all the acrylic off, then they do a little buff-n-shine to make it look like your nails aren''t as damaged as they really are, and away you go!

You could pull your nailbed up if you just ripped them off!!!

Goldengirl is absolutely right, there should be no ripping off of acrylics. The acrylics actually bond with your nail plate, and if they aren''t soaked off, it WILL rip part of your nail off. One thing- they soak your nails is pure acetone, not acetate. It''s kind of time consuming, so some of the cheapo salons just pry them off. If you''re gonna invest in nails, go to a reputable salon. The prices will be higher, but there is a reason for that. I just began getting gel nails (I love my nails to be painted red, but between nannying and being in a lab for school I wash my hands a lot, the polish comes right off) and did a ton of research before going for a manicure, I was just appalled at the lack of sanitation at some places.

 

[chantal990]

I have always found that at long soak for my nails and then putting on hand and nail cream works really well. Also I have used Revitanail as recommended by glaucomflecken and I have always found it to work well.

 

[Jennifer5973]

When I was in college, I worked as a receptionist/bookeeper for a salon for 2 summers and I learned how to do nails by watching the girls. I have horirbly thin natural nails so I do a "glue and dip" method of acrylic powder--apply a very thin coat of nail glue and dip nail into jar of clear acrylic powder. Buff/shape and then do another thin layer of glue & a white block buff. As a finishing step, do cuticle oil and a light buff (I use a worn white block for this) ....result is you have a very thin layer that protecs the nail/keeps it from breaking yet isn''t think like so many hideous acrylic jobs (they look like little footballs).

I still do my own nails becasue NO ONE--from cheap salons to the day spa--does them like I do. Nice and thin and secure (you MUST glue the seams). Years ago, I started becasue I had no $ for nails, so over all these years (10+) I have gotten really good--I can do my own french perfectly.

 

[cflutist]

Jennifer, you''ve got some of the prettiest nails I have ever seen. Why don''t you post a picture so we can all drool?

 

[Diamonds4Me]

another thing is olive oil and salt. make a thick paste and rub it into your hands at night. Rinse off with warm water, no soap, and pat dry with a towel. Your hands will be super soft in the morning.

 

[fire&ice]

This is not an infomercial. I do not work for Mary Kay. But, I swear by their hand products. They have a hand cream called "Satin Hands" - really norishing w/o being greasy (don''t like to guk up my diamonds!). They also make a three step hand treatment that includes an exfoliator. It really works!

That said, diet can have an effect on your nails. A regular vitamin, water (as suggested) & making sure you get enough calcium helps.

 

[Mara]

I grow out my natural nails once every few months, but then I get tired of them and cut them off. Anyhow, before the wedding obviously I was growing them out and I was shocked at how beautiful and strong they were with relatively little care. I drink alot of milk, aka with coffee or chocolate lowfat milks for breakfast, and found that worked pretty well to strengthen my nails naturally. I also kept a clear nail strengthening coat on at all times, I preferred one from Sally Hansen but can't recall the name now. Also No More Peeling worked well when my nails peeled sometimes. When I didn't have a clear coat of something on, I felt like my nails were more brittle. But with it on, I could press down on them and couldn't even bend them!

However, ever since coming back from Hawaii/Tahiti my nails have been a peeling mess! I keep cutting them off and trying to start from scratch to no avail. It's really bizarre and don't know what happened other than maybe putting on some random nail polish in Tahiti that maybe dried them out? I have no idea!

I also use nail removers that have oils in them so that helps prevent them from drying out the nails, and also I use acetone free stuff. I would always get compliments at the nail salon, the ladies would always ask in amazement if those were my real nails...but in the last 6 months, it's all downhill!

Hoping for a turnaround.... I use alot of hand creams and get a manicure once a month, but anything else I do myself at home and even have gotten pretty good at doing a french manicure at home by myself. Oh and for hand creams, I love Solar Butter right now (I forget who it's by but I got it at a manicure salon in SF) and also Thymes dry hand cream is a great purse small bottle.

 

[yellowfan]

For anyone interested:

I buy the bliss out hand cream and use with their gloves to moisturize my hands daily for 20 mins. I have to wash my hands numerous times a day (being a nurse) so this is a tried and works product. It is costly but I feel worth it. A friend uses the one put out by bath and body works, true blue spa, I think their gloves are cheaper. You don''t have to use the cream with the gloves but I do for the extra protection since my hands crack and get very dry easily!


To order blissout.com bliss gloves and hand gel, they also have a foot one! also sephora.com sells them.

Bath and body purchase in person! true blue spa and potion 9 cream

Hope it helps someone!
Lori

 

[Mara]

the foot bliss stuff is heaven!!!

 

[sahmama]

Prenatal vitamins have been my salvation. I used to have really brittle yucky nails, but when I started taking pnv before becoming pregnant I noticed a difference right away. The baby is now 9 mos. old and I''m still taking them (but still nursing too). They get so long I actually have to cut and file them now!

For cuticles/softening, I got these gel-lined gloves from Bath and Body Works for Christmas. You just put on a layer of any kind of hand lotion, and wear them for a couple hours, or even to bed if you want. They also make the booties for your feet. They''re kind of spendy, but watch for a buy one get one sale.

 

[moremoremore]

You know- I bought a bottle of prenatal vitamins about a year ago e/t I have and had no desire to have a baby...it was for my skin and nails...I read about it in a magazine. Maybe I'll actually start taking them. I assume but will double check that it's ok to take them as a daily supplement all the time...

 

[Diamonds4Me]

MMM-Please let us know if they work. Where do you find them?