How to deal with brittle fingernails in senior?

Hello E.,

There is an amazing product - the best one on the market - called Nailtiques. I had this problem too until I used this product. I use the formula #2 for splitting and cracked nails. the small bottle is pricy - but is under $20 at any Ulta store. It will last a long time. It is a clear polish, so you can apply and reapply. If it peels, no one really notices. It will stock the splitting, improve the color and it made my nails look beautiful! I never go to the salon! I find it a waste of money and time. Call me a penny pincher, but I enjoy spending my money on other things. (and those people who get fake nails are forced to go every two weeks just to keep them up! It can be VERY expensive and time consuming!)

Good luck! I suggest you pick up a bottle right away and start enjoying beautiful nails! C. B.

My nails were doing the same thing. My beautician recommended this stuff called nail life. She got it for me from the beauty supply. It's clear and you put a coat on everyday, then after a week, take it off and start over. It has really helped.

Hi E., our body is brilliant at telling us when it has a problem, your brittle nails could simply be a nutrient deficiency. B Complex and protein usually help with that concern.

If you appreciate high quality nutritional supplements - peek at this site:

www.shaklee.net/karen_hanrahan

awesome to see the wisdom and generosity of a great grandmother on this site, and a cool web savvy one too!!

It is probably a diet issue - you need to examine what you eat and make sure you're getting enough vitamins and protein. (Most Americans eat too much protein, but maybe you don't.) Cosmeticians and dermatologists who are honest will tell you that expensive nail creams are a ripoff. Any oil massaged into the cuticle, where the nail begins to grow, every night should help. Personally I use Carmex lip balm and have found it effective as anything else I ever used (I have fragile nails and skin because I'm a natural redhead.) I do not recommend Vitamin E oil because it smells fishy and the smell gets on fabrics like clothes, sheets and pillowcase, etc.

My mother has the same problem. Her nails are now about a half inch long. what she does is take olive oil or wesson oil with a Q tip and pushes back the cuticles and then uses a buffer for a short period of time and then applies a clear coat of polish. She believes the buffing is the real answer as it helps circulation. I hope this helps. deb

I am a nail technician and you have a common nail issue that many people of all ages deal with. Having regular manicures can help streghten your nails and also wearing gloves during housework helps. It is important to keep them filed a coat of polish on and a rich thick mosturizer helps also. Sometimes if you are on a heart medication for example brittle nails can happen. Email me if you have any other questions! Good Luck1

Hi E.,

You might want to talk to your doctor and have your thyroid checked. You might have an underactive thyroid as I do. One of the symptoms/conditions of having an underactive thyroid is brittle nails. My doctor gave me the brochure on thyroid dease and brittle nails, fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, amoung other things was noted in the brochure.

A dietry notation was also in the brochure. What also helps me is a pint of chocolate milk daily or a glass of chocolate milk a few time a day for stronger nails and bones. I prefer chocolate milk over regular milk.

I hope this helps.

Try gletin. You can mix a pack of unflavored stuff in some juice.

Hi E.,

According to several nutritional books I have, nutritional deficiencies can cause nail problems. As we age, we tend to eat less and nutritional needs are even greater. According to Prescriptions for Nutritional Healing, a lack of vitamin A and calcium causes dryness and brittleness. They recommend getting plenty of high quality protein, avoiding refined sugars and carbohydrates and eat a diet composd of 50% of fresh fruits and raw vegetables. Also drink plenty of quality water and other liquids. I'm a Shaklee distributor, and I have a book called Healthy Women with testimonies. Here is a testimony on Split Fingernails - "The best thing for split nails is protein, protein, and more protein. The results are quick. I have a local esthetician who sends clients to me when they have poor nails. She can even tell when her clients stop using Shakleee Soy Protein becaus their nails get bad again." I would be happy to send you more information on Shaklee's Soy Protein if you have an interest. I am not a big meat eater, so I consume quite of bit of Soy Protein on a daily basis. When I slack off, I notice a difference in my hair and nails.

Hope this helps.

Have you ever used a crystal nail file ? There hard to find. But I've found them at the LaGrange Hospital Gift shop. Also you can order them online. When you file your nails it helps prevent them from chipping and splitting. It's a great invention and it can be thrown in the dishwasher for sanitizing. The generic prenatal vitamins I bought from Wal-Mart makes my hair and nails super strong. Just an Idea.
I hope this helps !

Hi! I will second the vitamin advice. A good multivitamin is important to anyone. Then, there is something called biotin (not sure if that is technically a vitamin, mineral, or something else) that you can buy in the vitamin aisle. This will help strengthen your nails. Also, certain foods are good for nails, like jello, but you would probably need to eat a lot and I personally never cared for the stuff! If you give all the "natural" remedies a try and you're still not happy, I'll make the case for acrylic nails. "Fake" nails have come a long way, and there are lots of choices now. Acrylic nails are a false nail tip that is glued on at the end of your natural fingernail. Then, an acrylic powder is mixed with something, acetone probably, until it becomes gel-like, and a coating of this stuff is spread over your whole nail plus the fake tip. Finally it is sanded down to be smooth and the tip is trimmed and shaped to the length and style you desire. Polish goes on top and you can't tell what's real and what's not. Plus, the acrylic coating is practically indestructible so there is hardly ever breaking. Every two weeks you will need to go for a "fill in." This is where the gap between the bottom of the existing acrylic and the new nail growth gets coated. A "full set" of acrylic nails costs approximately $25-30 and takes about 1 1/2 hours. A fill-in takes about 45 minutes and costs between $15 and $20. These are prices for "strip mall" nail places and not fancy salons. I've got them, I keep my nails super short because I have 3 little kids, and no one knows. But, my nails always look great and I can usually find 45 minutes every other week for the maintenance. Good luck!

Hello, I see you have a couple of suggestions for Nutra Nail and Nail Life, I am a beautician and they both work very well. The main cause's of hair and nail problems is a lack of vitamins. I would try a good multi-vitamin and Vitamin E on your cuticle's will help also, buy the pills(Vitamin E) and put a little hole in them with a straight pin and put a little of the oil on each cuticle and masage in with gentle pressure. Make sure if your going to polish them or use the Nutra Nail or Nail Life afterwards wash the oil off first. Hope this helps.

Hi E.,

I feel very blessed to be given my mother's fingernails. She had nice long nailbeds, and healthy overall genetics for beautiful nails. That being said though, there are a few factors that I've found when I'm slacking on the maintenance, it defintely wreaks havoc on my nails.

nutrition, is important. I take a multivitamin every day because I don't always eat when I'm supposed to and frankly - a granola bar is sometimes all I have time to eat between waking up and dinner.

secondly, moisture. I would suggest getting a decent nail oil. Or, if you eat avocados spread a little mashed avocado on your nails when you're making gaucamole :) avocado oil is excellent for your nails. Olive oil is another good choice. The oil will prevent them from drying out (washing hands a lot will do this)and prevent layers from splitting away from eachother (we have 7 layers of nail...)

third, the WAY you file can weaken the side of the nail... file in one direction, and not a saw like motion... avoid filing the sides of your nails.

fourth (sorry its so long already but this is another important factor), avoid polishes that contain formaldehyde. It is inredibly drying to the nailbed. Sally Hansen has formaledhyde free polishes - honestly I haven't checked the labeling of others... i stick with either OPI (salon brand) or Sally Hansen.

Getting fake nails is terrible for your natural nails. I've had them a few times and only kept them on for short periods (like the 2 week period of my wedding and honeymoon). It took my nautral nails a month or two to recover and get back to 'good'.

My mother was a licensed nail technician so she taught me how to take care of my nails.

If you've done all these things and still have issues, you may want to talk to your doctor about it, as many health issues become prevalent in our fingernails before we see major symptoms elsewhere.

Good luck, and God Bless

Have you tried Jello? It's supose to stregthen(sp) nails and make your hair shiny.

I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that brittle nails means you're lacking a vitamin of some sort. I know my nails were much worse before I started taking daily vitamins & eating better when I started having kids. Are you taking a multi-vitamin already? If not, just doing that may help, and/or research which vitamin relates to nails, and try to eat foods with that vitamin. Good luck.

Jell-O or any type of gelatin will strengthen your nails

Hi E.,
I'm in the same boat as you!
I've tried everything as well but have learned there is no silver bullet. However, I've found the most effective combination which is:
I don't use nail polish anymore nor do I file the nails but use a nail clipper instead. I rub a good nail and hand cream into the nails and cuticles before retiring, wear latex/rubber gloves when cleaning or washing dishes, and whenever I wash my hands I use a hand cream after drying. It seems that if I apply particular attention to rubbing the cream onto the nails and cuticles, they appear healthier. I've stopped "picking" at the nails, too. I've been doing this for perhaps 4-5 months and so far so good. I'm quite pleased with the results. Good luck and as a mother and grandmother also, I relate.

Hi E., I had the same problem I had heard about Clear Iodine which you can get on line and paint on your nails just google in White Iodine and you will find all kind of information. I am also a grandmother, not yet a great grandmother.

How healthy are your cuticles? Your nails are only as healthy as your cuticles. I try to rub vitamin E oil into my cuticles every night and just let the cuticles drink it in because I put the lotion on my hands and arms.

One other question; do you use gloves when you do dishes and clean your house with chemicals? You need to wear them. Even dish soap is very bad on your hands.
I learned how to do my nails by going and having a manicure done and asking a lot of questions.
I learned you need to have good nail fines to shape your nails. Don't be afraid to soak your nails in very warm water push back you cuticles and trim off any unhealthy cuticles. Another thing is nail polish is only as good as what you are willing to pay. Opi is just great. You can buy it at Ulta and many other health and beauty stores. And don't forget the top coat over your nail polish. I also do not take off my polish every couple days. When the polish looks a little dull I just put a free coat just to freshen up the look. It you have no chips in your polish you might just buff out the nail.
Be nice to your nails and pamper them. Don't forget to drink lots and lots of water.
I am not a manicurist but I was in the same boat as you and finally decided I would like to have nice nails, not really long but just nicely shaped and be able to paint them to look good. Every so often I get mad at my nails and cut them all off because one or 2 have broken. But as a SAHM and WIFE nails are only important to me.

Good Luck,
S.

be sure that you are getting enough vitamins. there is a sally hansen product in a gold bottle called nail growth miracle it is clear polish that you apply daily. it is the only thing that i have tried that really works. you need to be consistent and put it on everyday but it really works! good luck.

Usually brittle nails mean vitamin deficiencies.
Google brittle nails or go to whole foods. They can tell you what your body needs.

Supplement! I have a great one, let me know if your interested.

Hi E.,

I had the problem where my nails wouldn't grow and if they did, they would break and split just like you're describing. Have you heard of Nutra Nail? I've used it in the past and it works within DAYS! It has calcium in it and really does the trick. Hoever, you're going to want to put polish over your nails because it tends to make the nails a yellowish color and I think that's do to all the calcium in it. I stopped using it after my nails got to be the length I desired them and they're still long and hard; just keep them maintained and polished with clear or choose your favorite color.

Hope this helps.

By the way, I'm 37 years old and I had the problem with my nails since I was in my early teens. I also took to using vitamins and my mom had me take a clove of garlic and rub my nails, both top and underside, with it.