Nails..................

[BusyMum]

Do keep on with the supplements. It does take a while. About three or four months I'd say. I have to take a bucketload of drugs every day and the side effects are drying out my hair, skin and nails. I could live with the hair and skin problems but the nails were a nightmare.

I also use whatever oil I can on my cuticles. I don't care what it is as long as it goes on there. Face oil, body oil, hair oil or proper nail oil. I don't mind which.

me too Tinks...I've even got a bottle of Argan Oil on the go, thinking hair & nails are both made of keratin so what's good for one should be good for t'other - sadly I'm still to be proved right!

 

[Sarah Pocket]

Hope your ribs feel better very soon PR. You have my sympathy as I fell on my back in the ice in February and can still feel sore where I landed.
Thanks also for asking this question about nails as yours sound just like mine: weak, flake, split, etc. and most nail products just seem to harden them up and make them more brittle. I must say I did see improvement with Leighton Denny's Renovate which is available from QVC but have run out of it so might try the tea tree tip!

 

[Spooky]

yep along with having the hideous stroppy moody monster head on best part of the time, and all the menopause stuff, hot flushes, night sweats, weight gain etc etc etc. I too am losing my hair coupled with really bad dry skin on my face (and other non-discussable places, ha!!) and nails that are an embarrassment. I fully agree about face oils too, as I too slaver on various ones and am currently waiting for my Decleor advanced order TSV from the other week, but for the moment the things that I find are giving me slight relief are several items from the Liz Earle range. The superbalm in a pot is good to massage into your face and her hand cream is very good too for all over the hands and nails, its all only temporary help as nothing will resolve until my body decides to work properly again, but any help at the moment is good help as far as I am concerned.

Try that too PrussianRed, I have been told that the LE Superskin Concentrate oil is also very good but its about £40 a go, so I am resisting hoping that eventually it will turn up in a TSV, whether that could be massaged into your nails/cuticles Im not sure, but I don't see why not, worth a go.

And yes I agree - humour is indeed the best medicine - or at least I keep telling my hubby that when one minute I am fine and the next I am like a hormonal dragon. But for us humour is best kept for night time, as when I'm meant to appear from the bathroom like a goddess for him, I instead appear as his ever expanding wifelet complete with white cotton gloves concealing layers of hand cream with a oil slicked shiny face to die for. It can't be easy for him but bless him he has resisted complaining about things so far - I remember very clearly the day I went in for the hysterectomy, when he said "don't cry love, you are having the op but we are in this together". So remember when you feel like your body is failing you big time, in your head you are still the same sexy young girly!!!

 

[PrussianRed]

As menopuase goes, I seem to have got off fairly lightly SO FAR !!!!

Aside from the nails, and the battle with the mid-life fat cells (stubbornly settling on what was once my waist) my biggest gripe is that my fingers have got bigger and none of my rings now fit I've never really liked wearing them, so not a huge deal, but I do hate my short stubby hands!! So I will try to improve the nails at least!!!

 

[Tinkerbelle]

Ach men are funny. I have a few health issues, am pushing 50 and am a size 18/20 but I make the best of myself. And I'm happy to say I do a pretty good job at making the best of myself.

Anyway I heard my other half talking about me to a mate. I'm never ever meeting that mate. He was describing some near perfect creature I didn't recognise! Still ... he's short sighted ... lol. Bless him.

 

[Itchy]

Spooky, you are really going through the wars at the moment. I do feel for you as you seem to have all the awful effects of the dreaded menopause and not just one or two that many women experience.

I have no advice to help your symptoms, but I do use the Liz Earle Superskin oil as a nail and cuticle oil all the time. I was tempted some time back to buy OPI Avoplex, but as I buy and use Superskin all the time on my face at night, I thought I would use that even though it is not sold as a nail oil. Anyway, I love it and find its really good for cuticles and nails. I do hope things ease up a bit for you soon.

 

[Spooky]

oooh thank you Itchy, glad to hear that superskin concentrate oil is ok for nails and hands, will definitely try that then. Evidently there is a LE TSV soon so I will keep an eye out that day as if its not in the TSV you never know it might be shown at a special price or EP or something, to make the £40+ more appealing. I know it sounds daft cause it adds up the same in the long run, but if it only costs say £20 to start with I feel I have a bargain LOL. You mention that you use the SS cream too, is it really ok? as I've heard the fragrance is a little odd? which tbh has put me off buying the duo as I feel unfeminine at the best of times at the moment so to smell odd too, lol. Does it really smell fishy which some of the reviews state?

 

[Itchy]

I have never got a fishy smell from the Superskin. It does smell slightly of oil, which might be off putting. Its definitely not a feminine smelling cream, but I really like it and I use the Superskin oil on top or mixed with it and the oil smells gorgeous. It would be great if the Superskin oil is in the forthcoming TSV, but i would not hold my breath. The last few LE TSVs have left me cold and in the past, I was the person sitting up until midnight eagerly waiting for them. I would be really happy with a TSV of superskin moisturiser, superskin oil, and C&P, but I don't think for a minute I will get that!

 

[Tinkerbelle]

Spooky I don't like the smell of Superskin much but I did get used to it quite quickly and no one else noticed. To me it just smells a bit "manky" which is not good now is it?

Don't know if you've tried it but L'Occitane do a wonderful lemon verbena hand cream. It's almost gel like and quite light but it instantly makes the skin feel cool. Smack it on the back of the neck and wrists when you're having a glowing moment. It does help and the zingy lemon smell makes me feel better too. Worth a try maybe.

 

[Spooky]

As menopuase goes, I seem to have got off fairly lightly SO FAR !!!!

Aside from the nails, and the battle with the mid-life fat cells (stubbornly settling on what was once my waist) my biggest gripe is that my fingers have got bigger and none of my rings now fit I've never really liked wearing them, so not a huge deal, but I do hate my short stubby hands!! So I will try to improve the nails at least!!!

I mentioned to the consultant last week about the weight issues as I lost 4.5 stone last year which was fab and a real confidence boost as people were commenting etc, but since Christmas I have put 1.5 stone of it back on, partly due to swelling etc from the op and lack of movement and etc, and partly because my ole bod just seems to pile it on now ( I go to the gym 5 times a week for using the treadmill as they say walking is the best recovery, but despite this I haven't lost any of this weight at all. He said its because when you menopause you metabolism goes right down", so whatever you do at the gym will either take forever to shift the added pounds or it will literally maintain you where you are at. Bit soul destroying eh.

I don't have a problem with my rings as you seem to, which is a real shame for you, but what I do find is that I keep my short nails painted all the time, not for decoration purposes so much (although I do admit I love glitter topcoats. sparkle, sparkle, sparkle!!!) but because it acts as like a barrier for the flakiness, seems to seal the nail. Obviously once the ends all start chipping then the nail bed will be more visible and the flakiness is rife again but at least whilst there is a bit of protection on it helps for a few days.

Today I did two coats of Nails Inc Ryder Street (the metallic pale blue they had on the other day) and two coats of Barry M holographic top coat. So I feel all twinkly now ..... )

 

[Spooky]

yes my ideal LE TSV would be C&P, hand cream, superskin face oil and the No.1 essence perfume/fragrance perhaps with a sample of shampoo/cond thrown in for me to try but like you say it'll never happen ... it is only ever bucketfuls of the moisturiser in the pot, eyebright and the spray toner.

oooh Loccitane Verbena hand cream .. sounds yummy ... I have a Loccitane outlet store near here might pay them a visit in the next few weeks to see if they do it. Its not in the upcoming TSV as that is all the Almond range I see.

Thank you!! xxxxx

 

[Tinkerbelle]

I'd buy your TSV Spooky )

I like all of it and although it's not the handcream I normally buy it's very good so I'd be allowed under my self imposed rule ... of only buy what you know you'll use. Oh no hang on ... it's the Elemis perfume I like. Dozy madam ... lol

 

[Weathergirl]

When on the skin the superskin moisturiser is pretty odourless. It glides on, and sinks in really well. I like it because it's quite thick, how I would imagine old fashioned cold cream would feel but actually sinking in nicely without greasy residue. I have posted before about the fish oil content. It's fantastic for sensitive skin. People with eczema benefit from fish oil because of the EPA content. Sorry it stands for a long complicated word I can't pronounce, but the A stands for " acid". Anyhow, dont let the slight odour of fish oil put you off what is IMO a fantastic cream for dry sensitive skin.

 

[YORKO]

Morning All

I can highly recommend Mavala Nail Shield as this product saved my nails after years of wearing gel overlays. You get 2 bottles, one which applies what looks like small fibres onto your nail and then a clear coat that dries smooth, its about £12 and each bottle is 10 ml. Worked for me.

Ta

Yorko

 

[Spooky]

for anyone interested as we've been discussing it on here, the Liz Earle Superskin concentrate is currently showing at "3 Easy Pays" ... so £13.42 plus P&P for a try out.

 

[Toadette]

I feel your pain Spooky re the menopause....im going through hell. Hot flushes, night sweats, havent slept a full hour in over a week. Mood swings are outrageous. Oh the joys in being a woman.

My nail/cuticles are very dry too, at the moment i have a pot of superbalm on the go aswell as a bottle of avoplex, but they are still peeling :sad: x

 

[Spooky]

aaaahh I'm sorry Toadette, its rotten isn't it. My GP has refused to prescribe HRT for me due to my age but last week my consultant at the hospital gave his complete backing and was annoyed that my two previous appts with him had been cancelled by the health authority, as otherwise I could have been already on it by now. Infact he dictated a letter to my GP infront of me "telling" my GP to prescribe it. I just burst into tears cause finally it felt somebody was listening to me, are you on it?? I admit I seem to live in cloud cuckoo land convinced it will hold all the answers, but goodness anything has got to be better than living and attempting to cope like this!

I sooo understand and feel for you, take care hun. If I find anything that helps I will let you know! xxxxx

 

[iloveshopping]

I love hrt. Was lucky enough to get one that suited me first go. Had a scare with a lump in breast but was benign.

 

[Spooky]

iloveshopping ... alert .. daft question coming up, sorry!! ... how do you know if it doesn't suit, cause I am suffering so many issues as it is, is there anything obvious or different so I'd know? what brand are you on, I was told I should be sequential to start with, two different types.

I am so sorry about your scare, god it must have been awful time for you! had you been on it for long at that point? Hope you are all ok now!! (you don't need to answer anything you don't want to obv!!) xxx

 

[Toadette]

Im on day 12 of 'Menoserene', which i bought from Healthspan. Its herbal, my friend at works mum started taking it after being taken off HRT and going thru hell, comes highly recommended.....downside is it could take up to 3-6 months to start working.
I did have the merena coil fitted 6 yrs ago and had it removed a year ago. I want to avoid HRT if i can help it so thot id try this route and then maybe the coil again....if im still alive by then, hubby might throttle me first!!!!
The mood swings are the worst for me,,,im really struggling to cope with stupid day to day things, and keep wondering if its stress/depression or the meopause, the line is very thin.
I go on holiday in a weeks time... first time away with just me and hubby....Im dreading it incase my moods ruin it for us both...x