Wanting strong nails

Hi ladies, I’m on the hunt for a great nail strengthening routine. Not keen on the Revitanail with formaldehyde in it, and Jamberry Beauty Boost can be purchased separately now (they were 2 I used to use). I’ve tried Blackmorez Hair Skin Nails supplement but didn’t notice any change. The Jamberry one with Biotin seemed to be the best I’ve tried. Any suggestions?

Hey hun, have you tried taking Biotin? That seems to be popular with growing strong nails. Also there are some nail products out there that nourish your nails, There are some reviews here that you can read from other BR Members.

Unfortunately I personally can't recommend a specific product because I'm yet to find one that works. I'm also super slack in that department ha ha ha. But I think what was recommended to me was magnesium, zinc and vitamin c as well as the Biotin and I think silica (hope I spelt that right lol).

Another thing you could do is to go to your local pharmacy or health store if you have one and describe what is going on and they will be able to recommend a product for you.

Hope that warble helped somewhat xxx

You don't want to put anything on your nails, these are dead no matter what miracle gro potion you are sold to work on your actual nails is rubbish.  Treating the cuticles is the way to go, applying a good quality oil twice a day promotes stronger nails that grow faster with less likelihood of splitting or cracking.  Nails are very porous and when wet they soak up moisture and the drying out is what causes weakness, so protecting them by keeping them covered in polish is a bonus too, even if it is a base or top coat, don't allow them to get wet naked, opt for gloves for washing up too if able.  

I used to suffer from really bad nails that I resorted to treating with acrylic additions to get the length I wanted which in turn only made them worse.  Doing the cuticle oil application often and keeping my nails covered at all times I now have quite long nails that are strong enough for me to do everyday activities like typing at a high speed without them being damaged.

Also good to note that how you handle your nails on a day to day basis will effect them too, such as opening can drinks, the ring pull will weaken your nails, I opt to open with a knife to pull back, pushing buttons or light switches with the tips weakens too.  

Twice daily application of a good quality cuticle oil will eventually help to strengthen your nails, but it will take time.  Acrylic or hard gel overlays can help to add strength and allow you to grow your natural nails. These will not damage your natural nails if the person applying and removing them is professionally qualified. The only time acrylic damages natural nails is if the nail tech (or person wearing them) incorrectly removes them, or prep work is not done correctly.  Acrylic enhancements should never be picked off, peeled off or popped off with a plastic tip (this applies to gel polish, too) as doing this will remove layers of your natural nail with it. Acrylic should always be soaked off and gently removed, and the removal process (or application for that matter) should never hurt in any way. 

Paint-on nail strengtheners sold in pharmacies or department stores don’t really work.  Nail technicians have access to a professional nail strengthener called IBX Treatment that works differently to paint-on products by actually creating a strong network inside the nail plate.  IBX Treatment does work, although it’s not a once-off thing. Depending on the amount of damage, you will need 2 - 10 treatments to completely repair damaged nails. To find qualified nail techs trained in using IBX in your area, use this link and select the relevant area and service required using the drop down menus, to see if there’s anyone near you. To read more about IBX treatment, click here.  To see an actual person’s nails before, during and after IBX Treatment, click here.

I hope this helps. 

Jojoba oil is really good to use as a nail oil since it's natural and the composition is really close to the natural oils your body produces. I've been applying nail oil religiously and it does make my nails stronger. 

Also it might seem a bit obvious but to be careful with your nails is really important. Bashing them around or picking at stuff with your nails makes them chip easier (as I learned the hard way)

Great advice here, but just wondering though, could you use Hempseed Oil?

I don't have Jojoba Oil but do have Hemp and it seems to be quite raved about for skincare and dilution of essential oils but would it be good for strengthening nails?

Not sure if you would know lol.

Interesting read. I need to ‘love my nails’ a little better as well. 

After having tried the nail box best beauty box used to have . I’ve come to enjoy and love nail strengthening polish and cuticle oil treatment . I think it does make a difference . I’ve never tried hair & nail supplements before (I’ve often wondered if they work or not).

I tend to use a cuticle oil and then a nail strengthener. I'm using Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails currently and it did take a while to have an effect, but my nails don't break as much when I use a nail hardener.

I'm a Jamberry beauty boost fan, like you I've never found anything like it - when I stopped using it (they removed it from the general purchase), my nails weakened and went back to their brittle, breakable state.  I didn't try to find a replacement. .  I am a Jamberry stylebox subscriber (and for full disclosure also a consultant) so I can add Beauty Boost into my stylebox for myself, and I do it for my customers who are fans but don't want the Stylebox - they just pay for beauty boost, and I ship it to them - so that's an option if you want to stick with Beauty Boost.    Lots of cuticle balms and oils can really help with strength and growth too 

Oh my goodness, my nails are so bad too.  They are soft and break really easily but thats prob more due to me being a cronic nail biter.  I'm interested in the cuticle stuff, must look into that as one of my daughters chews her cuticles really badly and we havent found anything yet that will stop that either.  :-)

Biting the skin around the nails not only looks bad, but it can lead to Paronychia (inflammation and infection of the skin around the nail). Chronic Paronychia does need to be medically treated and if it’s bad enough, it can cause permanent damage to the natural nail. 

I don’t know how old your daughter is, but maybe allowing her to paint her nails on the weekends would help, as this would encourage her to look after her nails instead of chewing the skin around them.  Having nice looking nails definitely helps to discourage biting and picking, especially if people are asking to see her nails / polish and are commenting on how good they look.  It’s sort of a reverse psychology thing where it makes her want to look after her nails by herself without being told to stop biting them.  

This has worked for a few people that I know, so it may help her, too, if you’re keen to give it a try. (It works for nail biting, too) 

Thanks ladies - lotsof greatadvice here. I’ll continue with cuticle oil and explore other biotin supplements.