Things That Work...I Think.

I wanted to document what I personally use right now for nail care. That is, things that seem to be working.

As anyone who has browsed through old posts can see that it is quite a chore to make my nails and cuticles presentable.

In the past the way I'd trim my nails was to bite them. If I had a nail that was too long I would risk bending it backwards if I ran into something, and that really hurt because they were always soft and bendy. I'd always bite my cuticles and the skin around my nails, too.

Ch-ch-ch-chaaaanges!
          - David Bowie

Had I not seen the changes, I'd not thought it possible.

While I can't toy with my genetics, I've seen three things happen with my nails:

1. I have seen my nail beds get a wee bit longer. 
2. My nails are stronger, breaking less, and are thicker. 
3. Finally, my cuticles are much better. 

What has worked?
Here is a little photo story of what I use. (I may change products and it would be nice to compare down the road)

Cuticle Oil
Wow! This has made a huge difference! Remover dries my cuticles out so badly! This was on sale for 75% off, so I thought I'd try it. Yay! Total success!

Body/Foot/Hand Butters
This may sound extreme, but a foot butter works on my hands. I'm outdoors frequently, and live in a dry climate. This helps seal in moisture.  It's got shea butter and glycerine as main ingredients. Glycerine is hydrophilic, it attracts water. Disadvantage in a dry environment: it wants it from your skin, so I use this with damp hands.
It doesn't hurt that Sally Hansen was discontinuing this line and it was on sale for about $1.62.

Coconut Oil
I have this for my hair (about a teaspoon in your hair for 30 minutes before shampoo is so moisturizing! Fabulous for horse's tails too!)
Because it melts at a lower temperature and the molecules are pretty small, it really absorbs quickly and doesn't have that heaviness of jojoba or vitamin E. I'm a fan. This alone, has been a turning point fo my cuticles. I massage in the coconut oil, then put on normal hand cream. HUGE improvement! (plus I can mix it with pure shea butter for easier application of shea butter)

Cuticle Remover
I might experiment with another brand, but for now this one works for me.

Nail Growth
I always was a bit skeptical about these products, largely because I felt your genetics are your genetics.
I found Sally Hansen Nail Growth Miracle in a blister pack at the dollar store and felt like I should try it. I used one coat under some polish and my nails seem to be responding. Hmmm. Must rethink this!

Anti-Peeling/Moisture
This is a Ross find. It's Nailtek II it's for peeling nails. I use it about once a week. I didn't have too many peeling problems, but I would get cracks on the sides, now less so. Good deal! Nice product!

Pump Bottle for polish Remover
This I refill. It's a great invention!

That's all I use for now. I will do a post on top coats, base coats and some other things I've tried.

Coming up: Part II of the Sally Hansen sheer/frost/glitters, some more greens, and even more green!
;D Yes. So. Funny.

Thanks for reading!