how do I strengthen my nails?

July 4, 2022 9:19 AM

I bit my nails for decades and at middle age they are now very soft and bendable. The bending drives me nuts and makes me want to bite them. Are there vitamins or supplements that would help with this? I'm reluctant to regularly use a polish of any sort.
posted by quiet wanderer to Health & Fitness (21 answers total)

Biotin promotes strong nails.
posted by essexjan at 9:22 AM on July 4, 2022 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Biotin is the primary supplement for nails. I don't know that I have noticed a huge difference with it, but it definitely won't hurt to take it. For me the key thing is keeping my nails short - even with or just barely above the fingertip.

I've never bitten my nails, but they have been softer as a result of meds and aging I guess and just keeping them short works better than anything else I've tried.
posted by jeoc at 9:26 AM on July 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

A friend of mine used to gently but constantly tap her nails to make them stronger. With her forearm lying on a table, she’d curl her fingers and tap all four fingers steadily.

I don’t know if it worked, but you could do it with your nondominant hand for a while as a test.
posted by clew at 10:14 AM on July 4, 2022

Best answer: Honestly I think a lot of it is just hereditary. I've tried biotin and prenatal vitamins and whatnot, and as someone with very soft, bendy nails that grow in a downward curl around the tip of my finger the minute they get even slightly long, I've never found supplements to work.

I've also tried all kinds of strengthening topical treatments and polishes, cuticle oil, the works. I've tried keeping my nails constantly polished, and I've tried avoiding any kind of polish. The only option was to keep them short.

(I realize you're not interested in polish but alas the only thing that has "worked" for me is getting what are called "gel overlay" manicures, where they reinforce the structure of your nails with builder gel before doing a more typical gel polish over that. But that's not changing your natural nail, it's just enhancing it. It's been 4 weeks since I last got my current manicure done, and although my nails are grown out they have not bent or chipped at all. But it's a huge time and financial commitment.)
posted by misskaz at 10:19 AM on July 4, 2022 [7 favorites]

Would you consider applying self-sticking artificial nails?
posted by kschang at 10:45 AM on July 4, 2022

I drink collagen every day and I believe my nails have become stronger since I started (but it's not the reason why I drink it and my nails were fine to begin with). I like the Vital Proteins brand, which I get at Costco.
posted by The corpse in the library at 10:52 AM on July 4, 2022

Ditto about the collagen (except that I prefer the little capsules).

Extra Strength Hair, Skin & Nails vitamins are basically a multivitamin with a megadose of biotin (and smaller amounts of some skin-focused stuff like collagen and hyaluronic acid)--might be worth a try.
posted by box at 10:56 AM on July 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

If you do decide to try a polish, I've had success with OPI Nail Envy. They make a matte transparent one that has a little sheen, but is pretty subtle. I put it under my actual nail polish for maintenance, but it comes with instructions for a two week application schedule on bare nails.
posted by umwelt at 11:06 AM on July 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

Ditto box. I worked the pill and potions section of a Wild Oats store. We were encouraged to try things out. The Hair, Skin & Nails were on my list of "yeah, can tell they work a good bit". Not really magical or anything, but did seem to make my nails better.

I also do the tapping thing clew mentioned. The idea is that it stimulates the nail bed in the "nails are getting used" way so it picks up the pace and makes them grow faster and stronger.
posted by zengargoyle at 11:27 AM on July 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

Prenatal vitamins, and wear gloves for wet tasks.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 11:51 AM on July 4, 2022 [2 favorites]

I tried biotin for a bit and I think it helped but it also broke me out. I use Nailtek Strengthener as a base coat and it seems to help a bit.
posted by music for skeletons at 12:03 PM on July 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

I used to grow long fingernails without any effort.... My Mom, on the other hand, was always envious of my nails and finally complained to her doctor, who prescribed prenatal vitamins. Her nails grew like crazy and she spent much of her evening time applying nail polish while she watched TV (something she'd never done before). In my case, as I approached menopause my nails stopped growing unbidden as they used to do. Very recently I started taking OTC Folic Acid supplements in an effort to keep my hair from thinning any more than it is (I can see patches of scalp in the right light). I'm only through about half the bottle of Folic Acid (taken once daily) and I've had no improvement hair-wise, but just the other day my husband retracted his hand when I attempted to grasp it. "Whoa! What's up with those claws??" While mourning my lack or hair growth I'd failed to notice that my fingernails were running rampant as they did years ago....
posted by Oriole Adams at 12:41 PM on July 4, 2022

I have thin, small nails. AND I used to bite them. I use Sally Hansen Strengthening top coat. Just one coat of it. It’s my fav topcoat and seems to help. I also try to protect my hands with cleaning gloves, and good nail care. I push my cuticles back gently and trim them, I only use a glass nail file (rarely use clippers on my nails.) I also try to moisturize. I don’t take supplements due to my digestive system. Keeping them short helps too. I can’t have mine too long or they tear.
posted by Crystalinne at 1:01 PM on July 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

Supplements as mentioned plus the OG nail strengthener: Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Nail Hardener.
posted by DarlingBri at 1:15 PM on July 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: A simple solution is to eat Jello (if you are vegan you can try agar to make a jello like substance) every day for a month (or take a collegen or gelatin supplement - I like Great Lakes brand for these).
posted by mutt.cyberspace at 3:13 PM on July 4, 2022

Yeah, my mother swore by eating gelatin.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 4:59 PM on July 4, 2022

CoQ10 has done wonders for my nail health (but ymmv).
posted by nightrecordings at 5:15 PM on July 4, 2022

My mother used to struggle with weak and breaking nails when she was young. In later life she became a massage therapist and found that the essential oils she used very significantly strengthened her nails
posted by Samarium at 6:28 PM on July 4, 2022

MSM, calcium and magnesium all help my nails grow. I have strong nails already but they made them grow at a really fast rate and made them a lot stronger.
posted by fiercekitten at 7:55 PM on July 4, 2022

When I upped my (liquid gel) vitamin D to 4000mg a day my nails became nice and hard.
posted by furtive at 9:49 PM on July 4, 2022

I have been a compulsive nail and finger biter/picker since before I was even school-aged. At times, I would hyperfocus on it to such an extent that my fingers would bleed. I've cut back drastically on the biting part, mostly due to COVID mask protocols and being really squicked out by the whole "putting my fingers in my mouth during a pandemic" thing. Actually, I told some friends in January or February of 2020 that I was hoping to find the motivation to stop chewing my fingers. I definitely got motivated, but not really in the way I had in mind or would have preferred.

Anyway, I came to recommend eating gelatin. A few years ago, I started eating tons of Haribo gummy bears for reasons unrelated to my fingernail health. I've noticed a remarkable difference. They're delicious and right now (in the US, anyway) the bags have special limited edition party hats mixed in with the bears. They're blue raspberry flavored and excellent.
posted by easy, lucky, free at 6:23 PM on July 7, 2022