Happy New Year!

January 2018

My fingernails are long! I need a manicure. I can see the growth of new nails at the base.

Bitten Fingernails Again!

It all started in July 2017, I had wanted to give my nails a break from the gel application on my nails. But, July ended up being a month of broken and bitten fingernails. 

As a lifelong nail bitter, I found it is very difficult not to bite my nails without a hard nail application on my nails. Once I started biting my nails, it was difficult to stop. I was so ashamed and disgusted with myself for biting my fingernails. 

So, if I want long nails, I now know that I will constantly have nail type hardener on my nails. 

June was when my nails were beautiful. These were the longest nails I have ever grown in my 63 years of my life! June made my record for the longest time my nails have not been bitten off. The nails above are 2 weeks old after the Gel Application,  I can see the new growth at the base of the nail.

The above picture are my nails after the Gel application at the beginning of August.  It will take a good 3 months for my nails to grow out. By Christmas time, my nails will be long and beautiful again.

I am thinking  a lot about long nails...they were so pretty, but the nail salon always told me they were to long and they wanted to cut them. They always wanted to charged extra too...at least five dollars extra. Oh, my family also said my nails were to long also.  I wanted to see how long I could grow my nails before wanting them cut.

I have to be so careful with long nails because it is hard to text. I make lots of mistakes by hitting the wrong key. Also working on yard work or working on projects around the house will require special nail care. So, I would highly recommend short nails for the summer while doing stuff around the house.  I am going  to grow long  nails in tbe winter months when house projects are usually completed. I highly recommend keeping your nails short in the summertime. 

Plan on spending  $55.00 for Gel Application every 4-6 weeks. This is the price that will be needed to having nice nails.

I found a new nail salon and it charges only $40- to get my nails done compared to $55- at the other salon. So, as soon as I use up my gift certicates, I will be going to the new nail salon. I also found out that when I go to the salon, I usually only need a fill and gel. I was being over charged for a complete gel set  instead of a fill and gel.

Fungus Fingernail

I have been treating my ring fingernail that has fungus for over a year. I continued my gel treatments over the nail fungus. I was applying Tree Oil under the affected nail for months daily at bedtime.  

That is a picture of what my ring finger looked like recently.This is a picture at least a year later after treatment.  It has a nail overlay over a shorten fingernail. You can see some whiteness under the nail-bed. And, it did itch occasionally.

But, my recent Gel manicure,  my ring finger itched intensely,  that I was forced to sand off as much gel.  as I cut down the fingernail as much as I could so the nail treatment for the fungus would be effective.

A picture of my nail when I removed the nail overlay and I cut the nail even shorter. It was red and swollen for about a week. But, my fingernail did not itch!

I started many treatments. It just depended what kind of mood I was in to the treatment I would use on the fingernail.

Treatments: Nail Clear, Apple Cider Vinegar and,  Vicks Vapor Rub. I found these home treatments on the internet. The Nail Clear is from the manicure shop. I have about used up all the Nail Clear solution. The treatment bottle lasted a good month of treatments.

It will take at least 6 weeks for the nail to grow to to the end of my finger. It will take 3 months for the fingernail to be as long as the other ones.

I am loving my extra long fingernails, they are so pretty. I am still in awe of the fingernails I have grown. I still look at my nails occasionally and say to myself, "so pretty." It only took 60 years to have pretty nails.

I have adapted to my long fingernails over the months of growing them. It is still difficult to open plastic packages or picking up things that are flat against the floor.

I have not snagged my fingernails on anything, so no torn off nails. 

I can use the cell phone and I can text  without any problems.

Growth for 1 week. I am doing a lot of filing to even out the nail. Not a lot of growth this week.

Long Dirty Fingernails!

Long nails and junk beneath them.Yuck! I heard some nasty stories about how some women who have long fingernails who do not keep their nails clean.

Having long fingernails is extra personal care you have to do.  Washing your hands frequently and taking a nail brush under your fingernails to keep those fingernails super clean is a new personal chore.

Don't be one of those people who have food, catsup,  mustard, makeup or fecal matter or know what under your nails. Yes! I said fecal matter! This is exactly why you wash your hands after you toilet every time!

Soak your nails in some lemon juice to brighten up yellow or discolored nails. You  can see your natural nails on the underside of your nails. If you do not keep them super clean and brighten with a diluted lemon juice soak, they will look dull and dirty on the underside. 

When your nails are clean they look awesome ! I am putting a small nail brush in my purse today!

Gel Nails

Update

 April 25, 2017

My nails continue to grow, they need another manicure, but I want to wait until the beginning of May. The new growth can be seen at the base of the nails. I am curious to see how long my nails can grow. Getting this type of manicure is expensive .  The cost is about $50.00 a month plus  tip. Cost X 12 months can cost $684.00 a year. So, this is how much money it takes to break a nail biting habit

This is NOT a shellac manicure.  It is actually a gel with new growth edges sanded so a ledge cannot be felt when new growth  begins. I cannot bite these nails.  If these nails are bitten, I risk chipping a tooth or breaking lots of teeth.  

I love these nails because they cannot be bitten off. I am learning I have to adjust my lifestyle  for long nails. For example,  getting cream out of a jar, I now use the back of my fingernail to remove the cream from a jar, not the underneath part of the nail. Also, I cannot be in a hurry to do something, like grabbing something quickly. I have to take my time to open doors with my long nails.

Typing on a computer or playing the piano is nearly impossible  with super long fimgernails.  I am using the sides of my fingers  to type  one letter at a time. 

Oh! I am having to throughly clean my hands and this includes under the fingernails with a nail brush. I have started to buy some pretty rings to remind me of my beautiful  nails. 

This coming June 2017 will be a year of beautiful  nails. I want to get a pretty blue stone for Mother's   Day.

I can now grow super long nails if I want to because I am no longer  taking care of my mom. Mom past away  on April 1, 2017.  Mom would of liked dying on April Fools Day. She was ready to go 3 years ago. And.....Mom would of loved my long fingernails.

It is really hard to believe how far I have become with my nail biting habit. The secret is my gel manicures with the edges sanded down so I do not feel the ledge with the new growth. And, my new habits of keeping my hands cleaned, oiling the cuticles  each night  and keeping hands lotioned and moisturized every hour  of day. In that, I take care of my hands all the time.

Update: May 27, 2017

My right hand fingernails grow faster than my left hand...anyway, I hit my pointer fingernail and my hand hurt all day. After that episode,  I started to file my right hand fingernails shorter. My right hand fingernails are a little shorter than my left hand. 

October 27, 2016

My nails have been growing for 5 months!  I have found a new person to do my nails.  I still have the French Shellac manicure done on my nails   My nails are due for another manicure very soon.

I have let my nails grow pretty long during the last 5 months and I have found that I do not like very long nails. It is difficult to type with long nails, the long nails feel uncomfortable, and it is hard to get cream out of a jar.

This is a picture of my nails weeks ago. If you look close enough at the base of the nail, you will see where the new nail is growing out.

The manicure above is about a month old.

With my new manicure person and place, I have not had any splitting or breaking of my nails. And, I have not bitten my nails!

With my new manicure sessions, I no longer have acetone used on my nails when getting a new manicure.  The nail is sanded off, being careful not to sand the natural nail.

When the new manicure is applied, the nails are sanded to keep the nail the same width as the natural nail. In doing this results having no edges at the base where the new nails are growing out.  Without the big edges on the nails as they grow out, I never pick at the edges.  Without the edges to pick at, the polish stays on and I am not constantly picking, so then, my nails keep on growing.

This is a picture of my last manicure. My nails are shorter and easier to live with. The nails are filed in an oval shape instead of the square nails. The oval nails look pretty on my thumb nail compared to the square nail. 

The French Manicure above, the manicurist used a darker pink for the base polish which I do not like.  I forgot to  tell the manicurist that I wanted the lightest pink to be used. 

Anyway, my nails are beautiful now. I think I have finally stopped biting my nails. 

Confessions

My confession:  I am a nail biter, it is a bad habit and  I am so ashamed of myself for letting my nails get back into this condition again. I had beautiful nails for 5 months!  And, in one day, they are ruined and back in a nail bitten state.

I am starting this blog again to keep myself accountable.  Someone needs to know the condition of my nails.

The pictures below are my beautiful nails before I destroyed them!

Now, my nails are so short and bitten off.  They have been hurting for days now. I am so disappointed in myself for letting my fingernails get into this condition again.

Why do I do this?

I am trying to figure out what caused my vicious nail biting cycle.  Oh, I remember...I removed the colored nail shellac because I was not happy with the nail growth showing at the base of the nail.  So, I removed the shellac and in the process of removing the shellac, and I discovered it was difficult to remove the polish from the tips of the nails. 

The removal process my way involved me scraping the nail shellac off with my teeth.  I know...why did you do that?  Because I did not want my nails sitting in acetone for 45 minutes to get the shellac off.  

I managed to remove all the shellac off my nails, filing my nails started, which resulted in poor results. I started slacking off on the twice a day hand care. My nails were in terrible shape at this point. Nail biting started, the vicious cycle starts and does not stop until the damage has been done.

I know....Why didn't you go your nails done?

Stupidity! Lack of caring! Laziness!

I did realize the next time my nails are long, I will do things differently.  I will not allow my nails to become too long, 5 months of growth is too long!   If I am going to have my nails done, it will have to be done every 2 weeks.  Two weeks of nail growth is too much for me to tolerate.  

I will need to let a manicurist care for my nails because obviously I cannot do the job correctly.  At times, I will file my nails too much. then, my nails do not look pretty and the nail biting begins. 

I also figured out when my nails are very short and bitten, the skin about the nails and cuticles are very dry and prickly I tend to pick and bite them a lot and my vicious nail biting cycle starts. Also,  I have gotten lazy about my hand care twice a day (oil to cuticles and thick lotion to hands).

Once the biting of my nails start, it is a vicious cycle...I can't stop biting my nails until they have been bitten off. I hate hanging skin around my nails, cuticles! I will bite them off.

My fingertips hurt, they have been hurting for days.  They hurt worse when they are wet and when I am doing something with my hands. I hate doing stuff around the house with my hands because my fingers will hurt.

Last night, was my beginning of nail recovery.  I took a metal nail file and filed all my fingertips smooth, which means that I removed all snags from nails and skin areas.  Once my fingertips were smooth and soft, I applied Vaseline to my hands.

Did I say, my fingertips hurt!  Hurting as I type.  My thumbs hurt pretty bad. I somehow manage to find a nail snag and I pulled it off with my teeth...which resulted in taking the nail too deep into the nail bed...which often causes bleeding and it hurts really bad!

See my pictures, these are my nails at their worse.  These nails have looked like this for at least a week. 

My recovery begins.  Join me!  In 3 months my nails will be pretty again and so will your nails. 

Update:  February 13, 2015

I started picking at the nail polish. My nails were so long!  

Long story short-Do not remove shellac nail polish on your own by picking it off or biting it off, the ends of the nails become damaged, they are very dry, peeling, they break easily. I cut my nails down short before I took off the remaining shellac nail polish.

I will attempt to grow my nails again without the shellac nail polish.  I will be applying my own nail polish and nail hardener. I should have long nails again in 3 months.  By Mother's Day, I will be celebrating my beautiful nails again!  

My nail picking and biting was an obsession, once I started I could not stop.  I now know that I like my nails to look nice and not have a growth space at the cuticle. If I was going to get my nails done professionally, it really needs to be every 2 weeks. I need to find an outlet to do if I become unhappy with my nails and that would be to go to a professional if not a professional then redo my own nails. Take a walk or something, just do something to get my mind off of my nails.

Anyway, it is good that fingernails grow. Three months is a long time!

February 2, 2015

I wanted to add some information about Shellac removal at the nail salon and that is...removal of the shellac took over 30 minutes long. The process that was used was dipping my fingernails in acetone. Keeping your fingertips in acetone for 30 minutes is way too long! 

I will not be doing that again!  I will be removing the nail shellac on my own.  And, that means, I will either pick it off or bite it off. I just hope I do not break any nails in the process.

The colored nail shellac lasted very well on my nails. Only reason I wanted the shellac removed was because of the obvious nail growth at the cuticle area.  I want to see if I can leave the current nail polish on for at least 3 weeks. 

Oh!  I continue to apply a clear nail shellac on my nails every 3 or 4 days.  I make sure the polish also covers the nail edges especially. 

I am still getting use to the longer nails on my fingers. They look beautiful and I catch myself looking at my nails during the day.  

The nails still feel weird. I am not use to the nail length on my fingers.

February 2, 2015

Update:  I have had my fingernails done twice with a shellac polish, this time in color!  No breaks on the fingernails so far. I have been growing my fingernails since October 2014.   The length on the fingernails is probably a good 4 months of growth. 

There is no way I would ever bite these nails at this growth length.  I am still using my fingertips a lot while doing things around the house and pretty much everything in general.  
I think about all those years with short nails and my attempts to grow longer nails, I really did not know how to use my fingers with longer nails.  Using my hands now, is automatic.  I do not get in a habit of grabbing things because that can cause broken nails.  

Oh! I am still taking Biotin (vitamin supplement) for nails and hair one time a day.  I truly believe the Biotin has helped my nails become stronger. 

I continue to keep my hands well lotioned and cuticles without splits or breaks. With very dry hands and cuticles in bad shape, I find myself picking at my fingernails and cuticles.  Keeping your hands and nails well moisturized is the key to beautiful nails. 

December 27, 2015

I had my nails shellac again today.  I started to pick at the shellac today and managed to get it all off. And, since I had some gift certificates, I headed to get my nails done before I start picking too much on the nails. While I was having my nails done, the manicurist asked if I wanted my nails cut! Oh no! This girl is growing out her nails.

December 25, 2016

Merry Christmas! It has been 15 days and French Tip Shellac is still looking good. It has been 15 days since the application of the French tip, Shellac I am still using the Solar Oil twice a day and keeping my hands lotioned very well with Gold Bond.

Eleven Days & Nails are Looking Great!

It has been 11 days since I had my nails done. No chips or peeling on my shellac nails.  

I am doing nail and cuticle care daily with the Solar Oil and also applying a clear top coat, and, trying to avoid messing with my nails at all.

Well...it looks like I will have pretty nails on Christmas! This is my present to myself. 

December 16, 2015

Six days and my nails are still pretty and still growing. No chips or peeling of the nails. I am hoping for pretty nails at Christmas...I maybe be pushing the "French Tips" without peeling at Christmas time. 

With the holidays, I have been doing lots of cleaning around the house. You know, stuff that gets puts off forever. 

I have myself a nice little App for housework chores! I have over 100 chores on this list. Some of the chores are really broken down in small segments. 

I did wear cleaning gloves the last time I cleaned...I will probably do some more cleaning tomorrow, so the gloves need to go on the hands. 

I applied a layer of top coat on my nails tonight. You know that list of household chores, well...hand care and oiling the cuticles are on my routine chores to do each day. So, I can never forget my hand care needs to be done. 

Hand and cuticle care has to be a daily grooming habit in order to have pretty nails. Care must be taken to the skin and cuticles on the hands.

December 10, 2014

I had my fingernails Shellac today.  I could not stand the "naked" nails! They looked dirty to me. I had started paying way to much attention to those "naked nails," and that is bad news for me. If I pay to much attention, then I will start picking and biting. So, I decided to use my last Nail Gift Certificate.    I will have to ask for more gift certificates for Christmas, the certificates make a great gift!

My nails will look pretty for Christmas!

As I look back at my blog, it looks like May was my longest nails! So, in a couple weeks, I may just match that length at Christmas.

If I am going to meet that nail length goal, I will now have to go easy on the heavy house cleaning or wear gloves on my hands.

I have taken all the polish off, french tips included and just wearing some nice polish. I like Opi nail polish, it has a nice wide brush and lots of times I can use one stroke and the polish is applied. 

I was wearing the regular polish for about a week or so.  All polish is off! I am attempting to continue to oil up my nails and cuticles to avoid low splits.   I am using CND Solar Oil, I have been using this oil twice a day. My cuticles are in great shape! No hang nails, cuts, bleeding, and they do not hurt!

Anyway...I want to get another "French-Tip" but, I want to wait closer to Christmas. It will be my treat! I have been doing lots of cleaning and organizing in the past several weeks and I have been pretty rough on my hands. 

But, they are still growing and I am not biting them!  

I need to get a picture of my naked nails!

Update: 

My fingernail that I had "French Tipped" myself chipped yesterday...and I noticed it last night.  I did the same finger again last night, and it turned out pretty good. 

I am beginning to believe the longer your nails are, the easier it is to do the "French Tip" because you do not have to worry about getting the white polish near the outer nail skin area. 

So, now my original "French Tip" manicure is still growing!  I can see the new growth at the base of the nail if I look closely...probably the new grow is not noticable to others. Because I continue to apply a coat of very light pink (natural) nail polish over the nails every 3 or 4 days or so. 

My opinion of doing your own French-Tips is very hard to do...I tried it and I just cannot hold the brush steady to get that pretty white tip.  So, I will probably not practicing doing my own French-Tips.

Before I forget, I am taking Biotin vitamin supplement, it says it is good for hair and nails. I have been taking Biotin for months and months...so, I am hoping it is helping my nails.

I had my nails grow out for a month and half, then I had a French Tip Shellac applied.  I am applying CND Solar Oil (found oil at Amazon.com) and other nail cuticle oils that I have bought...I keep losing and finding my nail oil. This is my attempt to keep my hands/nails/cuticles well oiled, mositurized and soft.  

I already have one nail tip peel off...not happy here, so I am applying polish to it every 3 days to protect the nail. I am trying to break my "Perfection Attitude" by not getting upset about it.  Also, I tend to look at my nails when they are pretty too. 

French Tip Shellac is so pretty and clean looking. I am researching on Do-it-Yourself manicures and French Tip technique on the internet. 

My cuticles are healthy (soft and moisturized). Twice a day hand care is a must! My fingers tend to get dried out in the Winter, so I am trying to prevent the problem.  So far, no low splits...of course, I am not looking very closely either!  If I find a low split, I would tend to pay way too much attention to it and end up cutting it down. 

With all my polish and shellac on my nails...I am trying to convince myself, the nail will be protected as it grows out. I do not have really long nails. Three months of nails growth is about all my life style will permit, so I get to file them once they start getting too long.  It is very difficult to work with your hands when your nails are too long.

I have also started wearing rings on my fingers to remind me not to play, pick or bite at those pretty nails. I have only one ring on on each hand at the moment.  I would like to get a pinkie ring for my right hand and I will probably quit at the rings.  I have never worn rings on my fingers due to my bitten ugly nails. 

So, I am up to date with my Blog. Thanksgiving coming up!  Happy Holidays everyone!

Ok, I did have that one finger tip that peeled off repaired today, November 25th...I actually did it myself. It is not perfect, but it will do until I want to do over again.  

It is November 28th, holiday is over. Nails are still growing! No more chips or peels with my nails! 

Shellac & Cracking Nails

October 25, 2016 

My nails have been super bitten off for the last few weeks. The last shellac job on my nails started getting very low cracks on the nails.

So, my nails are short now...but, now I am trying to grow them out again. My hands and fingertips are so dry. Prickle skin!  I am back to using the Vaseline on my hands and nails at night. I hate when my hands are so dry,  because I will pick at it!

Time to stay busy with something else so my nails grow by the Christmas holidays.

Again my journey starts.  When I do the nail shellac again, it will only be once a month, then skipping a month or two to keep my nails healthy.

August 1st, 2014

 

Ok.....here I go again! ,My beautiful nails on the previous posts are gone!  I had to file my nails down because they were getting in the way of daily living.

My actual nails are short, but when you do a French Manicure, your nails look long, it is an illusion!

I am now taking care of my Mom full-time and a lot of hands on caring, so the long nails got in the way, so, I filed the nails down...still had the Shellac on them....hate to say this ... but, I removed it the easiest most satisfying way that I knew.  I bit and chewed off the shellac and it led to biting the nails eventifully.

I have been growing the nails out again for about a few weeks, almost enough to get a French Manicure Shellac.  I wanted the nails done yesterday but my manicurist was not available, so I had to wait another day.  If I had to wait too much longer...the nails would of been bitten down again. Lots of stress again.....Stress leads me to biting my nails uncontrollably.

The nails are a bit short, but long enough to do the Shellac, they have to have a little edge on them.

Geezzzzzz.........Look how short the right hand ring finger is!

My nails are shellac and now I have a really good reason to let these pretty nails grow again!

Oh! I am back to my bedtime routine of taking care of my nails. My manicurist recommending trying some cream for bedtime, so I am trying a sample of "Chamomile Spa." It is actually for your heels. Love the smell. The cream is very thick and it does not take much to use on your cuticles and hands.  I wonder what the real price of the cream....here I come Google!

So.............My journey begins again.

I had my nails done again with shellac on Aug. 23rd. The shellac that was done earlier in the month did  not last but a week.  It was probably not applied correctly. I thought the procedure was a bit rushed. 

My nails are still growing. Whenever I get to the point of picking at my cuticles or biting,  I make an appointment to get my nails done. I have to remember my nightly nail and hand care before bed. This routine makes my hands and cuticles soft so I do not pick at hands or cuticles. 

The heavy duty cream mentioned above is all used up and I am going back to my favorite hand cream, which is Gold Bond Ultra Ultimate. It is for Softening and has Shea Butter in it. I use this hand cream each night. I apply lots of hand at the cuticle area.

September 2nd Nails.

Look at that ring finger! There is lots of growth from the first picture in August. Just one more month and my nails will be perfect! 

Actually the picture shown is a shellac job done about 1-1/2 weeks ago. I can see the nail growth at the base of the nail.You can also see the shadow of my nail coming through  the "French Tip" at the end of the nail.

The key for me is to keep my hands and cuticles soft and snag free. I am a picker and biter and if my hands are dry and have dried out cuticles, I will pick and bite.

I am doing a lot of researching on nail care and anatomy. Lots of information out there on the internet...Some bad and some good.