Debby’s in Digit Danger: My fingernails go through seasonal cycles. Sometimes they are long, strong and healthy. At other times, like right now, they split and bend and look ragged. I’ve used Sally Hansen’s Maximum Growth, but it doesn’t seem to do much. Got any ideas? Also, why does Sally Hansen have so many products that all seem to do the same thing (i.e., Hard As Nails, Maximum Growth, etc.)?
The Right Brain Hammers Out A Reply For Her Nails:
It’s hard to say for sure what the seasonal changes are that you’re experiencing, but many things can affect the condition of your nails. Here’s our top 5 finger factors to avoid when your nails look hammered.
1. Excessive environmental dryness
Are your nails worse in the winter? If your nail condition is literally changing with the seasons, it may be due to humidity. Nails, like skin, are subject to the drying effects of the environment. Solution: If your nails are dry and raggedy in the winter use more lotion.
2. Hyper hand washing
Does your job (or hobby or home life) cause you to wash your hands on some occasions more than others? Washing your hands with soap and water can dry out nails. That could be causing an apparent seasonal change. Solution: Use a mild hand wash instead of bar soap and don’t skimp on the lotion.
3. Damage from drying solvents
Are you engaged in any activities that would expose your nails to solvents? For example, home repair projects (like painting a room or varnishing wood trim) could be seasonal activites that negatively impact the condition of your nails. Solution: make your husband do it. (That’s a suggestion from Sarah.)
4. Negative nail product usage
Do you occasionally use nail hardening products? Since you asked about several Sally Hansen products, I’m guessing you do. Those products do make nails harder but they can also make them brittle and more prone to breaking. That`s because they use a chemical called formaldehyde to cross link the keratin protein in nails. Solution: Skip the hardeners and see if it helps. (And to answer your question about why they have so many products that seem to do the same thing, we have one word: Capitalism.)
5. The horrible heartbreak of psoriasis
Psoriasis is a disease that causes your skin to become red and scaly. About half the people who suffer from this condition also have nail problems, particularly pitting, rippling, and/or splitting of the nail. Unfortunately, there is no cure for psoriasis, so you’ll have to amputate the affected fingers. (Just kidding; I wanted to see if you were still reading.) Solution: If you think psoriasis might be responsible for your nail problems, check with a dermatologist for treatment options.
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{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
I liked this post, Right Brain. But you neglected to mention that you can also ruin your nails by using artificial nails that can cause fungal problems.
I ALSO HAD BAD NAILS AFTER USING ARTIFICIAL NAILS FOR YEARS.I TRIED T.I.P.S. A CONDITIONING FOR NAILS AND CUTICLES AND NOW MY NAILS ARE GREAT.I ORDERED T.I.P.S. FROM QVC AND TOOK A GAMBLE ON THE PRODUCT AND IT HAS WORKED WONDERS ON MY NAILS.
It’s taking months for my toe nails to grow out from formaldehyde damage and it’s not pretty. I was using a kind of red Revlon polish with formaldehyde without using a base coat like I should have. My nails were cracking and yellowed so bad that I showed them to my doctor. We both thought it might be fungus, but fortunately it started growing out healthy and we figured out the real culprit. I still keep my toenails colored red, but now I never use formaldehyde containing nail polishes and they are doing much better. The problem, though, is that many nail polishes don’t have an ingredients list on them or it’s so small that it’s unreadable.
Many products don’t use formaldehyde any more. My husbands nails are as bad as mine and he never used most of the products I have. Maybe it is age, but once the split goes below the cuticle…there is no hope. Creme helps, but the answers on this page were as useless as is the page.
Get the T.I.P.S. treatment thru QVC. The polish remover is also the best. I like to wear reds, and only need 3 cotton balls, and it doesn’t dry your nails. But the treatment REALLY works if you stay with it, and use it faithfully. It only takes a minute. I keep a bottle by the TV and next to my bed. If you find that it works for you, get on the Auto-Delivery system from QVC. If you go to ASK Cosmetics.com….this is the name of the company. They are in Canada, and can answer any questions you might have. But, GET THIS PRODUCT !!!!!!!!
Left Brain,
You are wrong in telling Right Brain that artificial enhancements cause fungal infections/problems.
The issue is not the products, but the tech using the products.
Many women insist on going the cheap route, patronizing shops that use MMA, which is banned by the FDA for use on nails; they go to these places who do not wash and sanitize implements between clients. They are sacrificing their health and safety issues for the sake of money.
Many of the Deep Discount Shops aka DDS use files from client to client without cleaning them. They give pedicures without cleaning the tubs correctly, but that is another issue I see you have covered.
Nails are ruined by uneducated techs. Techs who do not keep up with their education. Techs who use dremels to ruin and chop up the nails so the MMA will adhere to the nails.
Fungal infections are actually less common on the nails; more common on the feet. BACTERIAL infections are the most common on the nails. Some undeducated techs and the public call it mold and fungus, of which it is neither. Fungus is usually white or yellowish and it is between the nailbed and nailplate. The bacterial infection is usually between the nailplate and the enhancement. The warm. moist environment is perfect for the bacteria to give off its by-product, thus causing the greenie. If not taken care of by removing the artificial product, the green will turn black and the nail will most likely need to be removed.
It is sad that some doctors and others will tell women that the “fake nails” are the cause of the infection. In reality, it is the uneducated tech using dirty, unsanitized implements that are more the cause of the infections. Also, when the tech uses a dremel with a sanding band on the nails to ruin them for the sake of making the MMA stick on the nails, it is thinning the nails, making it ripe for moisture to be trapped, then causing the bacteria to grow.
Clients should be sure that no tech uses a dremel to destroy the nail. Find a tech who has taken classes on how to use this and cause NO pain. Also, be sure your salon/shop does not use MMA. (Methyl Methacrylate) Which, by-the-way, 99% of your Deep Discount Shops use MMA.
The bottom line: You get what you pay for!
Lynnette
OOPS— fungal infections are less common on FINGER nails—more common on TOE nails!
Sorry for the mistake!
L
Lynette: You raise some excellent points. Thanks for taking the time to help educate the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
Meg: I’m happy to hear your nails are growing back! And thanks for helping us warn reader about some of the dangers of nail products.
Linda: I’m sorry that you found our answers “useless” but we’re just trying to provide as much info as we can on as many questions as we can answer. Hopefully you’ll be more satisfied with some of our other posts.
Thanks to all for being part of the Beauty Brains community!
To those who think acrylic nails are harmful to your nails:
If you have had or are having problems with acrylic nails…check the salon you are getting them done at.
Many of them use products which contain MMA. It is dangerous stuff and most women have no idea the harmful effects it can have on their bodies.
I have been getting my nails done consistantly for over three years now, never had a single problem with my nails.
Search the harmful effects of MMA and you will be amazed.
Also, here is a link:
http://www.beautytech.info/articles/wixt2-14-02.htm
You get what you pay for, maybe that extra 10-20 dollars a month is worth it in the long run!!
I’ve read the story. I thought that artificial fingernails are made of polymethyl methacrylate (Plexiglas), not MMA:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylic_glass
Contact lenses are made of it, too.
Patientia,
MMA is a liquid used to make those products. It is also used BLACK MARKET from the Deep Discount Shops that many women patronize.
MMA is the liquid that they use to apply the product. When mixed with the powder, it becomes cement like. It is actually being a nail REPLACEMENT and not what should be a nail ENHANCEMENT.
Anyone who gets their nails done at one of the DDS are risking their health. There are many women who are not able to wear nails anymore because of the MMA overexposure. It seeps into the skin and can, over time, cause liver damage. This is documented. Read the link that Tabitha left above.
MMA is used to make Corian countertops and is used in bone replacement. When used CORRECTLY, it is fine.
Why do you think those places, the DDS, are so cheap? MMA is only about $50 a gallon. EMA or Ethyl Methacrylate is much more expensive.
Over time, the MMA on the nails becomes brittle. Within four weeks of application, the product becomes yellow. Why do the employees at the DDS wear masks? They KNOW that the filings could be harming them. Why do they not give one to the client?
I have seen many women who have lost their nail when they hit their hand and damaged the nails with the MMA on it.
Any product on the nails, should, when traumatized, should break JUST LIKE THE NATURAL NAIL WOULD. There should NEVER be anything put on the nail that is stronger. Like I said above, MMA makes for a nail replacement.
It is banned for use in nail products by the FDA. Most states Boards of Cosmetology have made it illegal to use in salons. You can be fined if found using it. Unfortunately there are not enough inspectors to go around checking.
Tell tale signs of MMA use:
* extremely strong odor
(but, EMA product also have that “acrylic” smell)
* No visible containers that announce what product is being used
* Techs wearing masks and none of the clients are offered any
* being told you are getting gel nails, when a liquid and powder is still being used.
* Product will not soak off in 100% acetone in 20-30 minutes.
*MMA does not soak off
* it takes hours to hand file the product off
* from the techs end–the filed product, MMA, smells like cat urine
Women need to find out what is really going on at those places. And, who would want nails that look like shovels and Chiclet gum anyway? Again, the bottom line, you get what you pay for!
Lynnette
I would just like to say I’ve been wearing acrylic nails for a very long long time and have never had any problems. I think the choice you make in who you choose for a tech says it all. When you walk into a shop you’ll know right away. Look around if it’s dirty walk out. I’m not hip on all the product names and info but I do know that my nail shop disinfects thier tools. I have even gone a step further and have my own tools. I bring them with me every two weeks to my nail appointment. I love my nail shop and my tech.
Laurie,
If you came to my salon, I would not use your implements. I ONLY use SANITIZED implements. You are taking yours home and if they are not washed and sanitized, they are not clean.
Same goes for ANY salon/shop that has a box for their clients. Those implements MUST be washed and put in a sanitizer to be cleaned before the next use. If they are not, they are only dirty implements in dirty boxes.
Also, it is NOT necessary for any salon to sterilize in an autoclave their implements. We are not in a sterile environment, so good sanitation is ALL that is necessary.
Lynnette
Acrylic nails thin out your nail bed. Never get them!
Thanks, Right Brain. I’m also wondering whether Biotin supplements are useful to strengthen nails…….and what exactly is Biotin, anyways?
I like Sarah Bellum’s suggestion, too. That “girl” deserves a raise!!!
Catherine,
Acrylic nails do not thin out your nail bed. You probably meant the nail PLATE. But it is not the product that is thinning the nails, it is the uneducated and unskilled technician that is ruining your nails. When someone uses a dremel to shred your nail, it is classic for MMA application. THAT is what ruins your nails, along with the MMA.
BUT– to get back to the original question:
there are clients who do go through seasonal nail issues. Winter wreaks havoc on nails. Dry weather, less fluid intake, etc…. Everyone should use a good cuticle oil to keep the nails hydrated.
Hope this helps some!
buenos dias,
Lynnette
Hi Karen, to answer your question, Biotin is a B vitamin that will help to strenthen and grow your nails. The down sides are you will not see immediate gratification. It will take the average person about 3 months to grow a full new nail. You can get a “brand” name for about $25 at drug stores it is 2.5 mg but to get results you should get 5mg’s I buy mine at the vitamin shoppe. It also helps to strenthen and grow your hair as well-same protein. Use a good cuticle oil or cream at night as well to keep your nails hydrated, and always keep them polished. A base coat containing keratin amino acids is working for me ( I have worked in the retail/ beauty industry for 21 years and also am a licensed nail tech with salon experience-so I know all about the DDS’s and you definitely do get what you pay for! So pay a little more!) I try to take a more natural approach. Hope this helps!
Thank you, Dena!
Hi everyone,
Interesting. I just had my nails done in acrylic and have a sneaking suspicion that MMA was used, as all the tell tale signs listed like, using electric file, masks etc etc. Now I have had them filled once and want to take them off…. how do I do this without wrecking my nails??? They are already very weak. Someone said just to let them grow out??
Thanks
Laura
Thanks, Lynnette. (yay, someone else who spells it correctly! :p) Now I know whom to avoid.
This is why there is a nail shop every two feet where I live-cheap, toxic products. There’s one in particular that just screams TOXIC when I walk by and the smell chokes me and I can’t understand why the clients aren’t wearing masks as well.
Heidi’s Nail Solution is a wonderful product for reparing both brittle, damaged nails as well as dry cuticles. Some see results in as little as 3 days. Check it out.
People keep saying that the nail techs can ruin the nails, but when I purchased glue on nails from a drugstore, they made my nails thin and weak. There was no filing or drill used, just glue and the nail shell. So do nails need time to build up their health again between nail enhancements?
wanting to know if there is a danger in “Professional Strength Nail Glue” purchased at Wal-Mart?
I have been trying to cut down on the cost of “artificial beauty” by buying the nail shells and glue at Wal-Mart. Putting them on myself …saving time and money. I have been wearing them for 6 months never leaving the house with my real nails showing. Is there a danger in the glue we put onto and into our nailbeds?
Thank you!
I am offering my opinion on this forum and not sure if everyone will agree. That said:…..
the nail glue will not hurt your nails. Hospitals and doctors are using this type of glue as a liquid stitch now instead of the traditional stitches.
The nail glue is NOT thinning your nails. If your nails feel thinner after you remove the nails, you most likely are removing them by pulling them off and tearing off layers when you do this.
You can soak off with 100% acetone. Do not waste your money from store bought items that say “for artificial nails.” You can even use 100% acetone to take off the polish without ruining your nails–contrary to what you have been told. The acetone evaporates so fast it does not have time to lift your nails. If your tech tells you different, then s/he is not keeping up with their education.
If you used remover and it did not even budge the product, then you surely have MMA on your nails.
If you have the correct products on, your nails will soak off in 20 minutes.
For those of you who think their nails are thin DUE TO THE GLUE–if you put a wig on your head for the amount of time you had the nails on, your hair would also seem thinner. You are covering up your nails for extended periods of time and the removal will make it seem that the nails are thinner. The nails will bounce back.
Just be sure to not rip the nails off the nail plate.
I hope this helps some of you.
buenos dias,
Lynnette
Want to ask Lynnette about OPI Nail Envy for Nail strengthing, does it have formaldhid in it? Also would like to ask Dena about Biotin for the hair and nails, I take 2500mcg a day, she mentioned taking 5mg. How much more would take me up to 5mg? Thanks I really enjoy reading all the tips
I was on the borderline, now you’ve convinced me. What’s the best way to get these acrylics off my nails with the least amount of damage possible? Thanks so much for all the great info!
Using good bar soap (the real kind with the glycerin intact) will not dry out your hands. Commercial soap with the glycerin removed will dry out your hands. A “mild” hand wash is likely to be made of detergents and is probably not better than real soap. Even when my hands are in and out of my soapy water all day I don’t have to use lotion.
I took my last set of nails off myself, and it wasn’t pretty. I waited a while to get them put back on which I did last Friday. I now have large white areas that start at the top of my nail, and the skin is puling away from the nail bed. I am SICK over it and SO afraid that I might have a major issue on my hands. I am going to the nail place today to show them. WHAT DO I DO FOR THIS? I put some extra virgin coconut oil under the nails praying that it will help. I have gone to them for a long timw without any problem, and I have taken my nails off by myself quite a few times. I have bad arthritis in my hands and the nails make them look a little better and distracts from the ugly appearance of my knarled fingers. Please, please offer some advice. Thanks!
How well does the oils penetrate through layers of polish?
I have to disagree with some of the comments made about fake or acrylic nails. I think the glue that you use to stick them on helps grow your under nail. However, when taking the nails off you can break the under nail as it is will become more softer. There is this new product called Frenchie you can buy it in local drugstores or at your local asda or tesco. Its a clear liquid oil that helps get away any cuts beside your nails from biting. It also keeps nails strong so they have more of a chance to grow. It also smells of marzipan. Hope this helps some people out.
Yeah, I was also wondering about cfreeman’s question. Most people who use nail polish regularly only have it off overnight at most, so how do you go about moisturising the nails? Thanks so much for all the help so far.