Splitting fingernails

I tried using paint-on nail treatments, but I decided those were too high maintenence. They were no match for the pool and it would start to chip and peel off after a swim or two. You can just add another layer to smooth things out but after a while things just started to look unslightly to me....this may not be a problem for you if you are not OCD like me. :angel: I've just made it a habit to moisturize the crap outta my hands and nails. I use a hand & nail cream 2-3 times per day, and apply cuticle butter/oil daily or several times a week. This might seem like a lot of work but I just use it after each hand wash. I keep a set at home and at work so its always handy. I like the Almond Hand & Nail butter and cuticle oil pen from the Body Shop.....Burts Bees Lemon Cuticle Butter is also good. Lots of brands make the stuff so it shouldn't be hard to track down. Also, I keep my nails short and eat lots of avocados :D thebodyshop-usa.com/.../hand-care-products.aspx

I second both Nailtiques Formula 2 and the Body Shop's almond hand/nail lotion. At a local beauty supply place, I picked up an inexpensive bottle of avocado oil. Sometimes I'll add a couple of drops of this to my hand cream right before bed. It feels a little greasy going on, but it works well for softening the hands. My manicurist told me that part of the reason why my nails are so brittle is that my cuticles are dry. The trick to the Nailtiques is to put on a coat every day. If you manicure your nails, you can put it right on top of the polish. It dries quickly. I usually carry a bottle in my backpack, so I can put on a quick coat if I have ten minutes to kill at the train station. My nails are usually a mess. They're naturally thin and kind of soft, and the chlorinated water wreaks additional havoc on them. I need all the help I can get. To strengthen the nails from within, I use gelatin. I'm not crazy about jello, but on amazon.com, I found gelatin capsules made by Nature's Bounty: Amazon.com: Nature's Bounty Gelatin,100 Capsules (Pack of 4): Health & Personal Care I take a couple of capsules each day, and after a few months, I can definitely see some improvement (and my toenails look better, too, which is a nice bonus). It also makes my hair grow like crazy. However, because I also type a lot, a couple of my nails are just a permanent disaster. My two index fingers will probably be a mess forever, so I just keep coating them with Nailtiques and hoping for the best. The benefits of swimming are so numerous that I'm willing to put up with crappy fingernails.

I always try to keep some kind of polish on my nails. Had this problem too. They were getting too dried out and splitting. The polish ended the problem. If you don't want high maintenance, try one of the gel polishes at the salon. They last me over 4 weeks, without a chip through all the practices!

The person who does my nails gave me Solar Oil to apply to keep them moisturized. It works well. I've also used olive oil, which also works well. A little goes a long way.