long nails

[Kendall]

Yes, Cassandra drink water (distilled or bottled if possible), a supplement (as long as doesnt interact with any medical problems or medicines), massaging hands and fingers (rub them while you are thinking and reading messageboard posts at the keyboard), and some daily lotions should help out tremendously. Keep me up to date, and keep doing it because its worth it. Just make it part of who you are.

Soaking
Soaking in distilled water will absorb into the nail. Warm water opens pores and absorbs easier. Chlorine in regular water dries nails. Dont soak to long, or your skin around your nails gets wrinkly, peels, and damages. To keep the water in you need something with oils (most commonly used) like in lotions, ointements, conditioners, or creams. This will help keep the water in (forms a thin barrier). Oils float on water and oils dont evaporate as easily as water in normal temperatures, yet water cannot evaporate through the oils easily. Wear gloves in cold weather to keep hands and nails protected.

If your in a dry/cold climate you need to prevent your nails (and skin) from drying out.

The main purpose of soaking is to soften up the cuticles. Also mild soaps are added to clean and disinfect the nail area (though the soaps themselves can add in drying up nails too much). Its good however to keep your nails clean. A very mild soap with conditioner would be ideal for dry nails, or following cleaning with moisturizers, oils (I like hot oils), or even plain hand lotion on the nails helps. One person recommends using hand creams on hands, putting them in cotton gloves, and then rubber gloves over, to help the hands and nails replenish moisture over a period of time once or twice a week.

Cuticles are carefully pushed back. They can be cut if excessive. You dont want to damage the cuticles. Their main purpose is to protect the matrix bed (nail root=where the nails are formed). Damaging the cuticle, the root , or the nail bed is very bad and can lead to infection, abnormally shaped nails, and future problems. You can see the matrix/root as the half moon at the base of some nails.

The nail beds themselves should be light pink to dark pink (showing a rich supply of blood to the nails).

[Shereene]

I've always taken a great deal of pride in my nails to and now they're becoming quite long. I enjoy painting my nails in private and in various colours: my favourite being a dark red. (I've always wanted to try brown nail polish but I've never been able to gt hold of any. I guess in the miffle of a boring maths lesson when I look at my pretty, long nails I feel like a school girl.

Shereene

[Kendall]

I havent tried the nail wraps or gel yet, since I have been doing it naturally. I have read about it in my cosmetology text and may order the supplies from the supplier and try it on my GF since she gets very soft brittle nails and keeps them very short. Either that or someone at work that wants to try longer nails just to learn how to do it.

I personally like my nails natural since they dont pop off or grow out weird.

[Jillieann Rose]

I started using a nail hardening produced (it's like a polish) and I us hand lotion a few times a day. It's working. THe last two weeks I haven't had a split or a broken nail. Yea they are grown longer.
I like nature nails too.

Jillieann

[Kendall]

Yes my sister works at sally's so can get discounted when i want to try it. Nice that its working better Jillean, yes even the lotion should be keeping them a bit more flexible, with that hardener. Should grow about 1/4th inch per week.

[Kendall]

My lastest pictures of nails


My Index of my left hand was smashed a bit and has some blue. With colored polish you cant see it. You can tell however that my left hand nails have grown out considerably. They are much more even and similar length.

[Shelley]

Nice job Kendra,

I jut can't quite manage that length but I still appreciate them on others.

Shelley

[Sheila]

I wish I could grow mine out naturally, but I can't. I have tried with all the gelatin and vitamins which I take daily, and oils, but they get so far then nick off then I'm trimming them down so I don't catch them on anything. I tried the acrylics and they pop off all the time. I now get them done with what is called solar gel. They work fantastic and have not had one pop off. I get them done every 3 weeks and for a fill they cost 19 dollars. They charge me extra if they have to do a complete nail and for all ten it is only 30 dollars. I know my real nails suffer and they are very thin now. I don't know how long I will be able to keep this up, but for now I love them. My nails are too thin and they break really easy.  Kendra, your nail are beautiful and wish I could have them like that.
Sheila

[Terri-Gene]

Personally I like the acrylic gel french tips and I'm most partial to fiberglass gells, but yer right, it does soften and weaken the real nail underneith the gel and every so many months or so I have to get the gels removed and go natural for another few months to heal them up.  I haven't worn gelled nails now for several months as I crushed on in a door and literally lost half the real nail undernieth and I want that all grown back out before gelling again.

You have to shop for a good nail job though.  I go to one shop and they make the nail, smooth it and paint it with a clear coat.  I go to another and they make the nail and buf it to a high luster shine and it don't need any polish to brighten it and simply looks like a natureal nail.

When gelled, I generally go in for a fill about every two weeks to fill in the growth area and get it all looking pretty again and so have to shop for price too.  I can get refills for anywhere between $15 to $20 depending on the shop but one of these days I gotta sit down with some time and practice doing it myself.  After all, with the right supplies it really is such a simple thing.  And it would be easier when I chip one also.  because of my work chipping them is easy and polishing them doesn't work well because the polish scraps off or just looks ugly after only a day.  I handle to much paper charts and such.

And the varous shops I frequent only charge me a dollar for any nail that needs replacing.  I get along weill with the techs in all of them and they like me to walk out with a smile.  I think they are amused with me or something, or the way I'll talk to them and other customers about just anything. it gets interesting at times.  At one of them we still haven't figured out who's got the niftyist vacumme cleaner of the group.

Terri

[Sheila]

Terri, I like to have them trimmed to where they look natural. They aren't too long and they have a curve to them. Not the french tip, too square for me. I also get nail polish on them, different color every time. I have only had one chip and that was when I was fastening down a wheelchair to the bus. Seat belts and wheelchairs are a killer to nails. Especially when you have to belt in 12 children twice a day and 4 wheelchairs a day.
Sheila

[Terri-Gene]

No Sheila, Traditionally yes I guess the french tips are square ended and if you don't say anything thats about what you get, I like mine tappered and rounded though and always specify that if having them done at a different shop that hasn't done me before.  that way yes, they look just like natural real nails other then the white tip and when properly buffed out look like they were 'home Grown".

For me, I go to work in the morning and spend two hours picking up used charts and delivering new ones and then have to pack to old ones up in crates to put onto a delivery truck to go back to the actual chart room at the main hospital and unpack and sort the new charts to be delivered to the doctors for the patients they will be seeing.  Thats a lot of hands in and out of crates and baskets with my hands wrapped around the charts and scraping nails against not only the paper but the plastic edges of the packing totes and against the wire frrame of the cart I use to deliver and pick up.  Does a real job on colored polish, yuk.  I like them to be as long as possible without digging or cutting my palms when I close my fist and that way it doesn't interfer with anything I do, other then messing with my contact lens.

the next 2 or 3 hours after that I have to take a large truck and visit all the clinics to pick up recyclable cardboard and dirty laundry carts to take back to the main hospital and then I spend the rest of the day delivering and picking up charts, x-rays and medical specimens till quiting time.  All of it involves getting finger nails involved with hitting or scraping on paper, plastic and metal wire.  That's why I like the Figerglass gell, It is like steel hard and even after the two weeks between nail shop visits still looks smooth and shiny when properly buffed to begin with.

Yes, it is very very hard to keep a good looking set of nails when you have to actually do work with them, but I'd rather have messed up nails then not earn a living.  I like having them done though because I have hands that have seen thier share of trouble and abuse, my knuckles are overly large, there are some vivid scars on both hands etc and I find that drawing attention to the nails takes it away from the obvious defects in the appearance of the hands.

Terri

[Glora Femboy]

My left thumbnail just broke below the skin  It hurt like crazy... and it will take forever for it to get long again.../

[Kendall]

Just wanted to add one piece of info that I learned recently.

Natural oil for nails that works best is Virgin Olive Oil. A record holder of longest nails uses Olive oil to strenghten her nails. Also if nails are stained  or unatural color, lemon juice can lighten it more natural.

[umop ap!sdn]

Wow, your nails are even longer than mine, but not by much. I prefer to grow mine long but they break easily so I often cover them in hardener and top coat. I don't even bother to remove it when I'm getting ready for work.

[stephanie_craxford]

Just wanted to add one piece of info that I learned recently.

Natural oil for nails that works best is Virgin Olive Oil. A record holder of longest nails uses Olive oil to strenghten her nails. Also if nails are stained  or unatural color, lemon juice can lighten it more natural.

I know that sometimes I get lazy and apply additional coats of nail polish on my toes without first taking off the old polish.  It often leads to the nails becoming stained.

Steph

[Kendall]

Wow, your nails are even longer than mine, but not by much. I prefer to grow mine long but they break easily so I often cover them in hardener and top coat. I don't even bother to remove it when I'm getting ready for work.

Nice, always nice to meet another natural long nailer. smiles.

Mine have been rather strong since keeping a high protein, vitamin mineral supplement, and oil to keep from chipping. My nail thickness has increased to the point where I dont break any on the left hand anymore like I used to.

I know that sometimes I get lazy and apply additional coats of nail polish on my toes without first taking off the old polish.  It often leads to the nails becoming stained.

Steph

Yes. At least once a week, remove it all. Try the lemon juice with Q-tips to unstain them. I buy lemon juice in a bottle for other purposes (fish and tea mainly). Its a great natural lightener for hair, nails, and skin. It does have drying attributes, so moisturizing afterwords is necessary. Extra virgin olive oil can be used for other nutrition such as: 1 to 2 tablespoons a day combats bad fats/cholestrol, rubbed on the skin is one of the best skin oils to moisturize (for face, hands, or any body area), and has 1/10th anti inflammatory/pain killing properties as ibuprofen (great to rub on sore joints or use in massages). Not to mention you can use it in cooking (does have a stronger distinct taste then corn oil).

[Melissa]

Hey Kendra, are you on HRT?  My nails seem to have thinned since starting HRT and it seems like any time they get longer than 1/8" they break.

Melissa

[Kendall]

Yes on the HRT.
You also mentioned you were dieting. If low protein (Amino Acid building blocks of hair, skin, and nails), water (water needed to keep them flexible),  and major vitamins (Calcium, A, B, D, Zinc, Magnesium) it would affect your strength. Yes women have weaker nails for the most part. Women however can grow really long nails despite this, with proper care if its desired. http://www.nailpassion.com/famousf.htm

These are women with extremely long nails despite weakened nails from estrogen.

You can always get acrylics if thats what you want to do.

Article on nails

Nail Growth
Nail growth is stimulated greatly by good nutrition and can be affected by general health or disease. Growth depends on age, gender, time of year and hormones. For example, men?s nails grow faster than women?s nails, nails on the toes grow slower than nails on the hands and pregnant women?s nails tend to grow quickly because of a shift in hormones. Nails also grow more quickly in warmer weather. Children?s nails grow an average of two inches per year and as an adult, they grow at about 0.1 mm per day, the same rate that the continents shift.

From http://www.piercemattie.com/blogs/archives/000086.html

[Melissa]

I drink mega amounts of water each day, so that's not a problem.

Melissa

[Leigh]

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003247.htm