help needed for peeling nails

[boffy]

i am nearly at the end of my nail eny and i dont envy my nails. wanted to try something new either prostrong or leighton denny.
my nails are all peeling and thin and split and i have to file the spliiting edge whith leighton denny's crystal file.

many thanks in advance

boffy

 

[MsTrouble]

The nail is made up of three parts: The root or matrix, the nail plate and the free edge.

The nail plate which is visible is made up of many layers of dead cells filled with a thick protein called keratin growing from the matrix and then when it passes your finger becomes the free edge which you file.

The matrix contains all the blood vessels and nerves, the new cells are formed here.
Once the new cells are formed they build up and die and continually push forward to form the nail plate. Then you have the cuticle which overlaps the nail and protects the matrix. If the matrix is healthy then it will produce a healthy nail.

Applying a nail strengthening product will not help with the condition of your nails. If they are thin, soft, peeling or splitting then avoid putting hands continually in and out of water, wear gloves for washing up etc. If you have been ill in the last few months then the effect shows up in the nails a while later. Overusing nail polish remover can also make the nails peel, even more if it is acetone based. Cold weather also dehydrates the nails.

Nails roughly grow from matrix to free edge in about 6 months but can vary person to person.

If you have a nail oil like Avoplex or any other oil or rich hand cream then massage this into the cuticle regulary. The massage itself will stimulate the circulation encouraging nutrients to the blood cells whilst keeping the cuticle protected and in good condition with the oil/cream.

Supplements may help like Vitamin B complex and Omega oils but it is better to have the nutrients coming naturally from food such as oily fish, nuts and seeds.

Hopefully my 'science' bit explains why you need to treat this from the inside out rather than buying nail strengtheners. They can help but they are not treating the cause.

:sun:

 

[LADY TIA]

Any sort of nail oil or balm will help, strengthening products might cause your mails to dry more.

Leighton Denny does a hydra flex range but I would go for something like avoplex, leighton denny's cuticle oil slick tips, something like ultrabalm from lush is great too and really any oil will be good it doesn't have to be designed as a specific nail oil.

Good luck.

 

[G.G.]

I used nail varnish for many years and my nails got really bad.So I decided enough was enough and I stopped using any of them.Cut my nails short and just use a balm or oil befor bed, now they are strong and look good again. I wont use varnish again incase I spoil them again.

 

[MsTrouble]

If you have one of those 2 or 4 sided nail buffers then over use of these can damage your nails as you are removing the top layer. Buffing also produces heat in the nail plate where your natural oils are and therefore drying them out to cause flakiness.

Also the way you file your nails may cause splitting as you are disturbing the layers of the nail plate from the see-saw action.

Years ago I used to use Supernails Nail Eat & Nail Drink (there's a blast from the past!) and then for years Nail Envy. Then I completely changed my diet and now my nails are now healthy and strong with no white flecks. I have not used any nail strengtheners now for about 5 years but religiously massage an oil or balm every night along with hand cream.

 

[perdita]

I don't use anything like Avoplex or any other oils as I hate the feeling of them on my hands and fingers. I just paint on my nail varnish, take it off with an acetone free remover when it starts to chip or grow out and that's the sum extent of my nail care routine. I think nail health comes from within and depends on your diet more than anything else.

I take one of these every morning.

http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/sain...anning/Sainsburys_Hair_Skin_And_Nails_30.html

My nails are strong and grow very quickly but whether that is down to genetics or whether these supplements help I can't be certain.

 

[Breeze]

The best routine I've found for my weak, peeling nails, is using a nail oil overnight (usually Avoplex) & painting a coat of Sally Hansen Miracle Grow on every day.
It's cheaper than Nail Envy but I find it better. You use it similarly, paint a coat on every day then after a week take it off & start again. You can use colour with it if you like.

 

[lilylurknomore]

Always thought if you get peeling nails it's because they're dried out. I don't like oil or creams on my nails during the day but apply some avoplex at night and my nails are great.

 

[Bensmum]

i am nearly at the end of my nail eny and i dont envy my nails. wanted to try something new either prostrong or leighton denny.
my nails are all peeling and thin and split and i have to file the spliiting edge whith leighton denny's crystal file.

many thanks in advance

boffy

I really sympathise with you. My nails were exactly as you describe and they looked awful, the top layer splitting down and then its very tempting to peel them. Nail Envy did nothing for me either (despite all the claims), nor did Prostrong.

What worked for me was Burt's Bees Hand Salve (cheapest I've found is £6.84 inc delivery from healthandbeautyshop.com). It's an oily paste in a tin, which I put on my hands and nails at night. I also find Nails Inc caviar basecoat used on its own (or under colour), gives my nails strength every day, and a lovely natural pinky sheen.

Hope you find something that works for you.

 

[leopard_print]

I got on well with ProStrong. Used it religiously for a while and they were brilliant then got out of habit for some reason and now they are rubbish again. Trying to get back into habit again now!

 

[barbedwire]

I really sympathise with you. My nails were exactly as you describe and they looked awful, the top layer splitting down and then its very tempting to peel them. Nail Envy did nothing for me either (despite all the claims), nor did Prostrong.

What worked for me was Burt's Bees Hand Salve (cheapest I've found is £6.84 inc delivery from healthandbeautyshop.com). It's an oily paste in a tin, which I put on my hands and nails at night. I also find Nails Inc caviar basecoat used on its own (or under colour), gives my nails strength every day, and a lovely natural pinky sheen.

Hope you find something that works for you.

Yep, I second the Burt's Bees Hand Salve. Some time ago my other half bought me a little BB set containing the hand salve and a little pot of Lemon Cuticle Butter along with some cotton gloves. These saved my hands last winter and really improved the condition of my nails.

I tried Nail Envy, it was awful - made my nails peel even more, ProStrong was just meh apart from their nail moisturiser.

The only things I've had any luck with are Leighton Denny's BioBuild Serum which is probably the best product he does and Liz Earle's Superbalm which did a fantastic job of keeping my cuticles and nails in good condition. I really echo the sentiments of the other posters who feel strengtheners can dry your nails out more, it might not be true for everyone but it certainly was true for me.

 

[bartybabe]

Hi, I have had splitting and peeling and fragile nails for ages and have tried lots of things. I agree with good diet and found some nail vitamin supplements helped a bit. I also stopped filtering water as this removes the calcium which is necessary (bottled water is alos lower in calcium than tap water). I found that one of my medicines was making things worse. The best treatment I found and still use it when necessary is Leighton Denny nail serum which is just brilliant - nail envy was no good.

 

[boffy]

thia has been enlightening i knew i would find some informative posting the best info i have ever been given.

i was thinking of trying the bio build so will get that and stop using nail envy as it has made my nails far worse.

interesting about the water filter removing calcium.

i have a bottle of avoplex so will really up the ante and use it nightly.
hopefully with all this advice i will have some half decent nails by summer.

thanks again
boffy.:rock:

 

[MsTrouble]

I got on well with ProStrong. Used it religiously for a while and they were brilliant then got out of habit for some reason and now they are rubbish again. Trying to get back into habit again now!

I’m sceptical about ProStrong as I can’t see how fluoride can help.

Fluoride as we know is normally found in products for your teeth.
The enamel of the tooth is made up of mineral substances and the nails are made up of a hard protein called keratin and does not contain any mineral substances.

The purpose of fluoride in dental products is to reduce acid and bacteria in saliva and therefore preventing tooth decay. So I cannot see how it has any effect on nails.
It cannot strengthen them or help them grow. The water that we drink contains fluoride so in theory everyone would have strong nails?

Nail products containing calcium (a mineral) or protein are also useless as you cannot feed the nail from the outside in. Nails do not contain any calcium either but it is required for nail growth along with other vitamins and minerals.
The polish that contains it will act as a barrier just like any other polish making the nails temporarily thicker.

Nails like skin are a reflection of your health and so some nail disorders (apart from nail diseases) are due to a nutritional deficiency amongst many other reasons such as harsh detergents, nail biting, prolonged use of nail polish and remover, cuticle removers, poor circulation, medication, ill health, use of acrylic/artificial nails, incorrect filing, over buffing, hands in water all the time.

In conjunction with diet, using a good massage medium of your choice around the cuticles to stimulate the circulation will improve your nails and stimulate growth without the need for expensive nail products that claim all kinds of miracles.

 

[jacaranda]

Thanks for all the info Ms Trouble, but some of us don't have good health and have to take meds which definitely doesn't help the nails. Also fortunately I don't do any washing up...OH wouldn't let me replace the dishwasher 15 years ago, so he does it all!!!!!

Not only do my nails peel, but they also break so easily, and ofent in a crescent shape.

Year before last I used Leighton Denny cuticle...the green one...which really helped and then I went onto Nails Inc oil pen (so much easier than all the others) and caviar base and top coat and kept up the nail polish....and they went to brilliant. Last year, began with Swine Flu and ended with the 5th chest infection of the year...needless to say nails were not a priority.

Watching LD before Xmas, I realised my nails were dehydrated and not weak, hence why Nail Envy and all the others made the problem worse, so now I am back from the Christmas visiting...tomorrow starts a new regime. I did use BioBuild but I think I need the other one.

BTW a friend has used his Renovate and now swear by it....she is also another who has to take medication daily.

 

[Buttonmoon]

Leighton Denny renovate. Best thing ever.

 

[Mam]

Have any of you tried Nu Nale cream. It's available at Boots as well as One Stop Beauty for around the £3 mark. I've found this extremely helpful with peeling nails, much better than LD BioBuild which actually made my nails worse, as did the Nail Envy and Prostrong regime!

 

[Mam]

Just an update. Found the Nu Nale cream on Amazon with 5 star reviews. It is available elsewhere a bit cheaper though. Hope this helps.

 

[Twinkle]

I’m sceptical about ProStrong as I can’t see how fluoride can help.

Fluoride as we know is normally found in products for your teeth.
The enamel of the tooth is made up of mineral substances and the nails are made up of a hard protein called keratin and does not contain any mineral substances.

The purpose of fluoride in dental products is to reduce acid and bacteria in saliva and therefore preventing tooth decay. So I cannot see how it has any effect on nails.
It cannot strengthen them or help them grow. The water that we drink contains fluoride so in theory everyone would have strong nails?

Nail products containing calcium (a mineral) or protein are also useless as you cannot feed the nail from the outside in. Nails do not contain any calcium either but it is required for nail growth along with other vitamins and minerals.
The polish that contains it will act as a barrier just like any other polish making the nails temporarily thicker.

Nails like skin are a reflection of your health and so some nail disorders (apart from nail diseases) are due to a nutritional deficiency amongst many other reasons such as harsh detergents, nail biting, prolonged use of nail polish and remover, cuticle removers, poor circulation, medication, ill health, use of acrylic/artificial nails, incorrect filing, over buffing, hands in water all the time.

In conjunction with diet, using a good massage medium of your choice around the cuticles to stimulate the circulation will improve your nails and stimulate growth without the need for expensive nail products that claim all kinds of miracles.

:ninja::ninja::ninja:

Fluoride strenghthens tooth enamel, making it resistant to tooth decay. It REDUCES the acid that bacteria on the teeth produces.

As for nails, well....................I have had good results using ProStrong fluoride/calcium.

 

[QVC Princess]

Many thanks for all the great "science" info - i agree re with the " feeding our nails from the inside out" theory and also that a strengthener would be useless - if the nail is peeling its dehydrated so a treatment such as "LD Hydra-flex seum" would be ideal. Ms Trouble is so right re putting our hands and nails constantly into water(particulary with detergent) and also how medications etc can affect our hair/nails. The only other thing i would want to suggest is using Leighton Denny's Crystal Nail File - using an normal emery board, if not used correctly,will cause peeling nails but you can use the crystal/glass files in any direction without damage - imo Leightons is the best on the market just now. My last tip would be to keep your nails short for a while to allow them to recover and grow - as Ms Trouble has said it can take up to 6mths(results vary) from the nail to grow from the matrix to the free edge - the nail is "alive" at the matrix - the nail bed/free edge is dead therefore we are ideally wanting to encourage a full regrowth for the strength to return(and hopefully no peeling) - the same applies to hair growth.

Ms Trouble - thanks for the blast from the past - Nail Eat and Nail Drink from Supernails i remember a few years ago Debs Flint coming onto the boards to buy one of each from one of our forumites. I now rave about and use Nails inc "Victoria" but in the early days of QVC it was Supernails "Morticia" - remember their "little pot of magic" cuticle cream and "Armour" and "Anchor" base and topcoat?