Nails?

aquarabbit

How about getting into some color with your nail routines? Do you do them yourself? Or do you have a salon that you go to? Are you more into trendy or classic colors? What about the length? Tell us! Mine is pretty basic.

I use whatever polish remover is cheapest at the store when I run out. I do the same thing with nail files. I've had glass, paper, metal, foam blocks. You name it. I find no real difference, so I go for the cheapest!

I don't really like to clip my cuticles. I do fine on my toes and left hand because I'm using my dominant right hand. But I'm a little less than graceful with my left hand. So I use the Blue Cross Cuticle Remover. No only does it get rid of the perfect amount of cuticles, but it gets rid of the rougher, dead skin around the sides, which have always been a problem for me.

My personal experience is if I have a great base coat, it doesn't really matter if I use a cheap or expensive polish. That really widens the options for colors too. I like the Essie Protein Base Coat. I find that I don't need a top coat if I use this base.

For colors, I'm a trend follower. I usually base it around the seasons. I'm really into mints, corals, and lavenders for spring right now.

A quick tip I have is to help manage those annoying chips and scrapes that always seem to happen. I keep my finger and toe polish of the week next to my bed. That way I can touch up when I get into bed and let it dry while I read my Kindle. It keeps my mani/pedi looking fresh until the end of the week. I keep a file and some clippers handy too since I like to keep my nails short.

catladyksa

Here is a question for you 'aquarabbit'.....any recommendations for dry, brittle, split nails?? all of the sudden, my nails did all that! I have been counting calories, I always take supplements (maybe tooooo many than I should), but I have been trying to figure out why my nails just 'fell apart'!!?? Thoughts??

aquarabbit

Here is a question for you 'aquarabbit'.....any recommendations for dry, brittle, split nails?? all of the sudden, my nails did all that! I have been counting calories, I always take supplements (maybe tooooo many than I should), but I have been trying to figure out why my nails just 'fell apart'!!?? Thoughts??

I wish I could be more helpful, but unfortunately, the same thing started happening to me when I started counting. That's another reason I keep mine so short. But there are a few other things that I know contribute to my brittle nails.

One is the cleaning products I use. I never used to wear gloves. Now I always do. Before, I made my own cleaning products in an attempt to be natural and cheap. But the water in this place is so hard that it just wasn't cutting it. So the chemicals in the products that actually work really did a number on my nails.

Two was that I wasn't getting enough protein and fat. This also meant I was having trouble with my hair falling out and my skin was very dry. So I rearranged my macro goals but still kept it at a deficit. I'm doing 30% protein, 30% fat, and 40% carbs now, and the results are great. I also switched from a regular multi vitamin to a prenatal.

Three was how much I was painting and removing nail polish. That's why I started using a base coat. And the fact that I have really brittle nails is why I choose the protein formula. It really has helped with nail strength and staining. I also mentioned the hand cream I use. Even when I'm wearing polish, I make sure to rub some lotion into my cuticles and around my nails in an attempt to keep them moisturized. That does seem to help.

Four was eating gluten. This is of course a personal one, but I think it's worth bringing up. When I eat gluten, my hair falls out, my nails get brittle, I puff up, and a whole bunch of other stuff. So no bread for me. It's worth knowing if you have trigger foods like that.

Unfortunately, they still fall apart a little bit. I can manage it, but I still have to keep them pretty short.

catladyksa

Thanks for the reply! I agree with wearing gloves when cleaning. I had goggled the problem and that was about all I could come up with...will try and use them while cleaning. I will look at a protein base coat too....sounds like a plan to me. Great ideas/suggestions! Thanks for sharing!!