My fingernails keep splitting...

For months now I keep splitting fingernails on my right hand... Not by finger-picking, but just bashing them into things, and breaking them vertically down towards the cuticle. Is there anything I can buy in the local pharmacy to protect the broken nails? A nail lacquer? - I don't want to look like I'm wearing nail-polish! Is super-glue safe? Sometimes I've just had to wrap a couple of bandaids over the fingertip for a while.
I guess some of you finger-pickers might have some tips on repairing nails...

super glue

its safe, I use it liberally

Sally Hansen "Hard as Nails"

Eat Jello.


Really.

Ok, thanks - I'll try those. I guess that nails are basically dead material anyway, I just wondered what glue would do to the finger under the nail. I don't think I can eat Jello though - I'm a vegetarian. I have been for thirty years and I just started breaking them a few months ago... Always seem to have one broken: I do a little hybrid picking occasionally. I'll see if there's an alternative to Jello - is it the gelatin or a protein that helps?

Ok, thanks - I'll try those. I guess that nails are basically dead material anyway, I just wondered what glue would do to the finger under the nail. I don't think I can eat Jello though - I'm a vegetarian. I have been for thirty years and I just started breaking them a few months ago... Always seem to have one broken: I do a little hybrid picking occasionally. I'll see if there's an alternative to Jello - is it the gelatin or a protein that helps?

gelatin

I have REALLY strong nails- use ém as screwdrivers!!I eat yoghurt most days cause I don't drink milk at all'. Or you could try calcium tablets but they taste yuk.

I'm a maintenance man in a factory, so it's constantly a problem for me too. What helps the most is that I keep several nail files around... in my tool box, the truck, my chair, nightstand, etc. If I keep the nicks and rough edges under control, they're a lot less likely to snag and be a problem. Hard as Nails is also good. I've used crazy glue too, but I only use it for bad problems. I don't know if it's same for daily use, but it sure is handy stuff.

Thanks, yoghurt and nail-files are good!

Oh, and I'll try calcium too, that makes sense...

For months now I keep splitting fingernails on my right hand...

I had this problem. Someone told me that Zinc helps. I started taking it and it seems to have helped me (though perhaps it's a coincidence and it just improved on its own).

start taking beta carotene pills. and eat jello for real.

Ok, thanks - I'll try those. I guess that nails are basically dead material anyway, I just wondered what glue would do to the finger under the nail. I don't think I can eat Jello though - I'm a vegetarian. I have been for thirty years and I just started breaking them a few months ago... Always seem to have one broken: I do a little hybrid picking occasionally. I'll see if there's an alternative to Jello - is it the gelatin or a protein that helps?

Last time I tried to shoot a Jello.... the bullet just lodged inside of it! :mrgreen:

Really... Vegitarians won't eat Jello? Why????? :confused:

Last time I tried to shoot a Jello.... the bullet just lodged inside of it! :mrgreen:

Really... Vegitarians won't eat Jello? Why????? :confused:

Because gelatin, a key ingredient of Jello, is made from the from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones.

Because gelatin, a key ingredient of Jello, is made from the from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones.

That's why I love this place... learn something new every day! Thanks for the answer! :cool:

I like Sally Hanson Double Duty myself. Um...the clear bottle.

Kinda the same problem here. I have tested many things in types of glue. Ended up with Nail repair glue. not just ANY nail glue because some bottles tend to lock up on the glue and to not have a brush (it would become useless). I ended up finding one with a small brush at the end of the lid that stays usable. This one is great. But I guess you guys stateside cant find this product. It's called Depend.

I had the same problem when Ii started studying classical guitar in college. Find a music store that specializes in classical or acoustic guitars. They usually have a supplement you can rub directly on your nails (you could probably find something similar at drug store). Use the supplement regularly and make sure to file and buff your nails daily. The buffing will smooth out your nail better so that your strings won't catch on them.

Eat Jello.


Really.



Calcium and Proteins too...

I got a banjo recently and just can't get on with finger picks - I've played classical guitar all my life and never really had any problems, however the steel banjo strings were just ripping my nails to shreds.
I went to a chemists and they recommended a nail hardener called Diamond Hard and I can now use my nails to cut through wood! The hardener is a bit shiny but it's clear so its not noticeable

Thanks for these suggestions. I did find a multi-vitamin at DuaneReade called "hair, skin, nails". It has lots of extra stuff, including zinc and lots of things I've never heard of... one is "horsetail", which I guess is a plant, not the tail of a horse! I was thinking that my nails were looking good, then yesterday I bashed my finger into a cabinet door and put a split across the nail. I'll paint it with something...

....I keep several nail files around.....
Yup. Buy em by the 10 pack for $1. Great investment. I file my finger tips as much as the nails....

That's one area I've been very lucky in as my finger and toe nails are so hard and thick I can't even cut them with regular clippers. Same with my teeth if they are related. I've had a total of one filling in my 53 years on the planet, that is no cavities, root canals, pulled teeth. partials, veneers or anything else. When it comes to things related to bone, I was (if naiils are, I have no idea) mine seem hard to destroy.

calcium and see a dr

Simple - acrylic extensions, yeah, you sometimes feel a bit dumb just asking for one hand to be done but you'll get used to it :)
Like you mine was more through clumsiness than any dietary need, and yup, you'll always break one on the way to that important gig !!
I tried the gel ones but for me they didn't work, they seemed to soft and prone to wear, acrylics are great, try a set.

OP update. I've been putting some Sally Hansen Diamond Strength on my right hand, and today I jammed one finger into a hidden metal bracket. It's bleeding under the nail to about a 1/4" back, but... the nail didn't break! Yay!