I recently decided to grow my nails after years and years of biting them (I know its horrible) and im struggling! My thumb nails are doing ok, but after a few weeks now, my finger nails are starting to go very weak and break / snag easily. Has anyone got any tips to make them stronger? Ive tried using nail hardener but its not working. Thanks all x x
Nail hardeners are a quick fix and contain formaldehyde which weakens the nails even more with frequent use.
Nails need moisture so use a good handcream all the time. Wear rubber gloves for housework ..washing up etc.Soak them a couple of times a week in almond oil.Invest in a good nail styler and buff them every day which brings the blood to the nail bed and stimulates growth. Keep the cuticles pushed back and file them in one direction only. No sawing ! Clip ,don't file any raggedy bits.They will grow stronger but if you have always bitten your nails the growth will be weak at first.
I can strongly recommend the Mavala range of nail hardeners. They cost alot of money (i seem to recall about �13 for a bottle) but it is worth its weight in gold. I also bought a two stage (two bottle) strengthener from them which I used at the very beginning and it was fabulous.
My Mum used to say that eating raw jelly was good for strengthening nails - not sure of where that came from, but I know it was a great excuse to eat a cube of raw strawberry jelly every day!!
I used to bite mine years ago, now they are really strong, a buffer must work as shaneystar2 says , i used one ages ago for weeks on end every day, - give it a go susanlisa :)