I do a lot of hand quilting in cooler weather and my nails are splitting again. I don't mean the ridges on the nails -- my doc told me yars ago that it meant getting older. I was not amused.

My nails split in layers which means that I have to keep them really short. Does anyone have any ideas -- I use hand lotions, etc. Perhaps there is one I haven't tried.

I found one in NZ that worked but haven't been able to find any here in the US

Thanks -- Mim

If your nails are splitting in layers, it sounds more like they aren't healthy to start with. Talk with your doctor. Maybe you aren't getting enough calcium? Please don't start taking calcium without talking to a doctor because most people need less as they age. You could be deficient in other nutrients, as well.

They sell nail strengtheners that you apply like a clear nail polish that help. They are found at most drugstores with the nail polish.

In the meantime, slather them with lotion every time you walk by a bottle. It can't hurt.

Maybe a good cuticule cream or oil would help. I have bad cuticles and always use a drop of almond oil on them at night before the bedtime hand cream. You could prob use olive oil too.

Ypur nail are keratin. The condition of yur nails will tell a doctor the condition of your health. My Doctor told me to buff my nails 3 times a day. I bought a revlon nail buffer and carried in my bag. I buffed and buffed for a long time. I was a nailbiter years ago. Now I can use my thumb nails as a screw driver. Buff-buff-buff ladies.The action brings blood to your nailbeds and feeds them.

i had soft nails and was told to soak them in salt water for 10 min a day i also use my thumb nails for screwdrivers etc

Have you had your thyroid checked? My thyroid was always in the normal range but I found out it wasn't normal for me. It took a good Dr. to figure out I needed to take Synthroid to see if that helped my cold feet, cold hands, thinning hair, dry skin, always tired, weight gain, and general feeling not so great but not sick. My nails started to grow and be strong. It won't hurt to find out if your thyroid is in the low normal range. Ask your Dr. Most Drs. are now aware that 9 out of 10 women have thyroid issues.

You also probably need to drink more water. . . 6-8 glasses per day. Dehydration can cause damage to nails, hair, and our entire body.

You could also try adding protein to your diet. Gelatin is a good source of protein and Knox makes a gelatin drink mix, or used to, that would help with nails. And also hair.

What BellaBoo said. Have your thyroid checked.

In the meantime try Sally Hansen Vitamin E Moisturizing Nail & Cuticle Oil. Massage your nails well just before going to bed.

What great info on this subject....thanks ladies!

I've had that problem for years. I use Gold Bond hand lotion BUT I use HOOF, a bamboo based nail strengthener and I now have to clip my nails back (and file). I found it at Walmart. True, DO have your doctor do a full blood workup, and if there's nothing in that, then find some HOOF. It's similar to a clear base polish.

Gelatin is actually NOT a good source of protein. Common myth easily dispelled by reading the nutrition label.

Walmart sells a vitamin for Hair, Nails, & Skin. It's been working for me & I'm 67. It has Biotin.

The thing that cured my nails of splitting like that was a product called ProStrong I get at QVC. I just use the strengthener, not any of the other products. It lasts a long time. I am "elderly" so have that nail problem, and hypothyroid, on drugs for years, but all the creams I tried didn't help, just the ProStrong. I keep a supply on hand. It paints on like water - use twice a day.

Have you ever considered taking fish oil as a supplement? Helps with my nails and dry eye. It's also good for the heart (omega 3).

I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil......in place of any kind of lotions.....none seem to do the job and I have wasted tons of money on useless products. I wash my hands well in fairly hot water to open the pores.....then message the EVOO into my skin..... it absorbs very well and not at all greasy. Just wait a few minutes after applying. Helps to eliminate those painful hangnails also.

I happened upon this by accident..... My hubby is bedridden and his skin is sewwwwwwwwww dang dry and nothing helped to eliminate the the extreme dryness.... so I went on a mission to find SOMETHING that would help. Since olive oil is the only oil I use to cook with.....and I love the stuff..... I said to myself....... just maybe if it is sewwwww good for ones health...why not the skin. WELLLLLL it worked wonders on my hubby...... and no more scaly dry, dry skin. No chemicals to harm you with either. All NATURAL!

BTW........ I've always had very dry skin ...I now save a fortune on useless face creams also........ and my skin is as soft as a babies b--- :) and has a very healthy glow to it....even though it does show signs of wear and tear. :( Such is life..... I earned every single wrinkle and not ashamed of any one of them. :)

I'm on it now. (Was this for me?) if not sorry!!

Eat more jello, worked for me.

Hi Mim, My nails always have done this when I was a teen,young woman, middle aged. Then when I went thru. the CHANGE,Doc told me to use Calcium with vit. D. Been using it since I was in my late 50's. I am now 66. I really didn't notice my nails because like you I kept them cut short. They would just peel,sometimes on one corner, or middle. I could take my nail from opposite hand and peel the nail up.
Just before I moved to Ga. in 2005, Had been running from Hurricane Jeanne. I am a south FL. Transplant. I noticed my nails had grown LONG!!!! and they were hard. My nails havent peel off since then. I can let them grow long now but don't because they get in my way, not used to haveing them long. But anyways I do really believe it is the calcium and the vit. D is a necessity for the body to obsorb the calcium. I use Caltrate.
Now My nails are just long enough to see the white nail and that is the length I usually keep them. A lady that does manicures told me every night when I shower or Bath to use opposite thumb nail to push cuticles off nail bed. Hot water makes them soft and your thumb nail makes the best cuticle pusher there is. It Works no painful cuticles.
Good luck BillsBonBon

For dry cuticles, I use Carmex - yep the stuff we use on our lips. If my hands get really dry, I'll use it there, too. It usually solves the problem in one or two applications.

Found this on line:
"The cuticles will peel, split and bleed when they lack moisture and oil. Having ones hands in water a lot, using household cleaning solutions without wearing gloves, adn working with paper and textiles a lot will wick the natural oils and moisture form the delicate tissues and from the nail plate. Lotions do not contain the needed amounts of essential oils to correct the problem and can only treat the immediate surface skin - the portion you can touch.

Go to Sally Beauty Supply and get a nail and cuticle oil called Botanical Oil. It contains jojoba oil, vitamin E and other essential conditioning and moisturizing oils. Apply several times a day and massage into the skin and nails. You should see an improvement within a few days, and a marked improvement within a couple of weeks.

Read more at http://www.healthboards.com/boards/a...ktrack=kcplink"

I use "surgeons secret", i got it on QVC. they sell it at stores now.
But the olive oil sounds like the way to go. in the winter i sometimes wear the white gloves you get at CVS or Walgreens. i do the same thing with my feet..and put the lotion on first
Drink plenty of water..the winter is rough on our skin.

Mine do the same thing...went to the Dr about something else and happened to mention my nails. The fabric absorbs moisture and the oils from our skin while we quilt, therefore dries out our skin and nails causing our nails to "shale" and our fingers to crack. What he recommended a was soak, you know, the home manicure parifain wax thing. Anyway, believe it or not, it actually works. My fingers only crack and nails shale now if I'm quilting for 3 or 4 straight days, 8-9 hrs a day and I haven't taken the time to do the wax treatment.
When we go to quilt shows, they don't want us to touch the quilts with our bare hands, and give us gloves, so naturally we have to think of this in reverse...the fabric absorbs the oils and moisture from our skin.

I have the same problem just from working with fabric and doing household chores. My girlfriend recommended a product sold at some salons called "Dabby". It is out of Florida and you can find it online, just google Dabby but they only sell it wholesale. If used daily it works better than anything. Hope this helps, it has helped me. Also, lots of good lotion with "lanolin".

my carpet cleaning guy told me, you should never walk barefoot on your carpet, for just this reason..the oils in your feet, come off onto the carpet..i wear my husbands white work socks all the time..

Mine do that too and my daughter, the soon to be Nail Tech, says it is a deficiency of minerals. She uses oils for her clients. Take mineral or baby oil and fragrance with peppermint or other stuff and enjoy.

Vitamin D is something most women have low levels. I started taking some vit D twice a day about 6 months ago and my nails are much better.

I have to use Vaseline hand and nail every night at bed time or I have the same problem. It really works. Can't remember what ingredient it has that other lotions do not.

I also had that problem for a long time finally the DR. did blood work as also had sore muscles I had parathyroid desease where the calcium was going into the blood from lack of vitamin 'D' I now take 2000 units of vitamin 'D' a day along with 1200 units of calcium but also have to go for regular blood work yes this is a thing to be checked by the doctor

My fingernails split layer-wise when I use nail polish, don't know why. But I quit using nail polish, and I don't have that problem anymore.

I have extremely dry skin and nails too. I also have to keep my nails short because of the peeling. I was perusing the board one day and looked in the recipe section. Lo and behold, there is a recipe in there for quilter's hand cream. It makes a very large batch so make sure you have some empty small jars or a tupperware canister to store it in. I keep mine in the fridge...well labeled of course. It works really well. Give it a try.

No your nails are healthy....that's sometimes common with hand quilting. I hand quilt and have the same problems...I use a clear nail polish(like a hardner) and that helps alot. catching the tips of my nail with the needle doesn't do your nails good but the hardner sure does prevent that from happening quite a bit.

I have that trouble frequently. In the last few months I've battled a skin problem and have used Aquarfor a couple of times a day. I just recently realized my nails are healthier than they've been in ages--It about has to be the effect of using Aquaphor. It is a very heavy body ointment--it is a little like vasoline but more refined and it does rub in better--it feels greasy for a minute or two then is gone. Took me awhile to be convinced it would work better than the lotions, but it really does. Is rather expensive, but it works so I grit my teeth and buy it.

Your doctor went to the same med school as mine! My doctor apparently was taught that when unsure of an answer, he has three choices:
1) you're too fat
2) you're getting old
3) you're too fat and getting old

(By the way, my doctor is too short and has bad cholesterol. I, on the other hand, outweigh him, and am taller than him, and my cholesterol numbers are perfect. He hates having to admit that. Good round Polish genes.)

Sounds like your doctor didn't want to be bothered with what he didn't perceive as a problem. Nails and hair reflect metabolic conditions including nutritional status. Flaking, peeling nails could be an early symptom of many conditions. You might consider seeing a dermatologist and having some tests run including thyroid panel (TSH AND FT4), albumin level, vitamin D level (calcium can't be absorbed without it). You didn't mention if your hands are in water a lot or if you are in contact with strong chemicals. Good luck.

Mim, I have had this problem most of my life, however until I started hand quilting it was mild...now...it is awful..I have tried two products: Nailtique, get it at some beauty shops the other one is a nail product by Revlon you can get it at Target and perhaps Walmart or drug store...good luck...I keep my nails really short when I am quilting..even handling the materials when appliquing and piecing does take its toll...my finger tips break open and bleed also...quilting is worth it and I use a ton of lotions. memepeggy

Thanks for reminding me about the hand creme receipe.I had forgotten all about that.It really does work well....pab

WOW lots of opinions on this subject
If you think it needs another doctor's opinion, get one
then
let's put our 'goop' by the computer and lather up before sitting down to surf the Quilting Board. With all the time we spend here each day we should all have model hands in a couple of weeks! LOL :)

I read that if you tap your fingernails on a table or hard surface, (like you would do if you were impatient), it helps to stimulate the circulation and strengthens your nails. I try to remember to do this every so often. It makes your nails sort of tingle. Sure won't hurt to try!

My nails started getting ridges and now I have problems with one of them breaking down the middle into the middle of the nail.

I was talking to a clerk at Sally's and she suggested that I buy "fiber mesh". Sorry, not sure of the name. It is a fibre on paper and you cut to size and then stick on your nail. They have glue, which I haven't purchased. She told me I could use clear nail polish, which I do to keep them on. The polish is by Sally Hansen and is called "hard as wraps". I have been using this for over a month. The one nail that broke to the middle has now grown out. Whew! You have to replace it often (depending on how much your hands are in water). Probably every few days or so. It is the only thing I have found so far. Good luck. Yolanda

Most anyone who works much with fabric will have similar problems. I buy a tiny little bottle at a big price (about $6) at a beauty supply place called Reconstruct made of different oils and used to renew and reconstruct. You can really, really see a difference in the strength of your nails after a short while. I put this around the nail bed and rub it in at least twice a day or after showers, dishes, etc. I also rub plain oil (such as baby or olive or even PAM) into my nails and hands before bed.

And, I like Aveeno for dry skin cream, which is not greasy and stays on until you wash it off ... unlike some other skin lotions and creams.

If I slack off on these things my nails will immediately split, shale and hang nails appear, nails are soft and round over my finger tips, etc.

Best of luck!