nail biting

Alizarin

I haven't bitten since the start of this thread now, OH even told me yesterday that my nails looked nicer than usual

But I'm finding that mine are getting dirt underneath the (very short!) white tips. What's the best thing to use? I've tried a nail brush but it didn't work. I ended up using the ends of scissors to scoop it out, but I have a feeling that's not going to be very good for my already weak nails!

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

ive got one of those wooden "sticks" that you use to push back your cuticles, on other end theres at end that is used to scrap out dirt - well thats what i think its for lol

Savvy_Sue

End of a metal nail file? They have a pointed curve on them. Just don't use the file bit of them, they're rubbish!

Silaqui

Yeah, if you have ony of those wooden cuticle sticks they are handy - but the long bit from the lid of a Bic biro works well too!

Well done on the non biting - I've made it to 4 weeks 1 day with no mishaps!

xx

claire1234

aaaaarrrrrrrrggggggghhhhh OH has been driving me crazy all day . . . been at the in-laws :rolleyes2

i have resisted from ripping off my nails in anger lol
been quite good and now there growing so im going to have to learn how to style them? not sure clean them up & make them look smart,

my aim is to make my nails nice and keep on top of my hair and eyebrows,
great thread, cant wait to see more pics!

Savvy_Sue

I'll tell you what you CAN look forward to: when your nails have grown a little, you can use the nails on one hand to clean the nails on the other! I think too they will stop looking dirty, given time. Although it will DEFINITELY be worth wearing gloves for gardening and any cooking involving beetroot, blackberries or similarly staining food!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Well done everyone!

Well, I think I must have used about everything from a proper tool to a Bic lid, to matchsticks, anything to get the nasties out from my nails. The safest things are the proper tools, obviously, as anything too sharp will run the risk of hurting (they used to push matchsticks under fingernails, as I remember).

I got a little tool from Boots in the Red brand - just a pointy poky thing with slightly rounded edges on one end, and a rubberised cuticle pusher on the other.

Decided I had better start using handcream more often, so got a tiny trial bottle of Nivea Q10 cream - it's very nice.

Treated myself to a big Leighton Denny crystal nail file - £14 from Boots! It really feels different to a glass file, and, as for the emery boards and metal thingies - pah! Never again!

Also bought a La Seche ridge filler/basecoat thingy - nails feel a lot harder and are a pearly ivory shade, which should be good when I get around to the next varnish, but I think they look OK just with the basecoat.

Hooray for OHs that say constructive things, Alizarin!

Claire1234 I concentrated on clean, with a clear strengthener/top coat on at first, just keeping them in a shape that matched the curve of my fingertip.

Having said all that, I must admit that I have ordered a bunch of OPI nail varnishes and I'm rather looking forward to their arrival, especially a raspberry-purple shade.

Here's to another day!

fernliebee

Silaqui wrote: »

Fernliebee, is that what the cuticle thing does then? Strengthen your nails? I thought it was just a looks thing, how does it actually work do you know?

xx

Taken from this website:

http://styles101.homestead.com/brittle.html


"A hand massage will boost your circulation and encourage nail growth.
Pushing the cuticles back can stimulate new growth. Just be sure to push gently and never cut the cuticles. This can kill the root and cause the nail to fall off and die!

If you want faster growing nails, be sure that your diet is rich in Vitamins A, B-Complex, C, D, E and iron, calcium, zinc, sulfur, and fatty acids. Adding a dietary supplement such as Knox for Nails, Gelatine Dietary Supplement, will provide important nutrients that help promote healthy, stronger nails. And it's great for the hair too!

Your cuticles are very important to the health of your nails. A healthy cuticle can result in healthy, strong, faster growing nails:
NEVER cut your cuticles. This can damage and maybe even kill the root of your nails.

Use a cuticle remover to remove overgrown cuticles.

Before pushing cuticles, apply a cuticle remover or hand cream and massage in the skin for a minute. Push gently.

Apply moisturizer at least once a day and always after using soaps. This will help avoid ingrown nails."


I don't know how it works, but it really did work with mine. I just used my other nails to push them back after every bath/ shower and they really are so strong. They also grow very quickly too. I try to keep them about 6mm long (the white part) as I have a toddler and any longer they get in my way. To do this I have to cut them every 3-5 days as they grow so fast! I do have a fairly healthy diet too, so maybe that has an impact too.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Hiya guys, just checking in - very quiet here today - hope all is well.

I think the cuticles are meant to be there as a barrier to dirt and bacteria getting into the body via the nail bed. As such, any damage to them carries a high risk of nasty infection - have you never got the sore red bumps, sometimes pus filled (ERRRRRGGGHHHH!). I have occasionally and DD2 did last year - I had to sit and repeatedly pierce holes in the skin with a sterilised needle to provide an outlet for the muck, apply drawing paste and a plaster on top, as her finger had swollen up like a balloon (as usual, a Saturday evening, so no doctors or chemists available).

Hand cream lets the nail make its own way up an already swollen finger tip. As the skin is moisturised and flexible, it can accommodate the change. If it is dry and cracked and splitting, it is more likely to get inflamed, ingrown and generally uncomfortable. The swelling goes down and the hands are so much better. It's also much easier to keep clean.

Night all, don't forget, even if you have bitten today, you don't have to tomorrow!

xx

Alizarin

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Hooray for OHs that say constructive things, Alizarin!

To be fair, I did have to stick my hands in front of his face, wiggle my fingers, and ask him if he noticed anything different about my nails :rolleyes: But luckily for him he came up with the correct response!

I didn't think about biting once over the weekend, but it's always week days at work that are the hardest. This is when the hand cream comes in useful! Does anyone else sit in front of a computer all day without much to do with your hands? I don't remember biting my nails half as much when I worked in a shop!