Fingernails, FWIW

bratsche

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Thought I'd relate this personal anecdote, since there's quite a bit of discussion of nails on this forum.

I've been content to use my fingerpads to play my ukes, but just recently began experimenting with growing my right hand nails a bit longer. I operated under the assumption that it would be an ultimate "fail", because my nails had been notoriously brittle and weak in the past, a fact which had prompted me to keep them all as short as could be - which meant you usually couldn't even see any white edge at all after I clipped them. My left hand fingernails always needed to be short for the viola and violin anyway, so I just did it that way on both hands so they "matched".

However, in recent years, I couldn't help but notice I was needing to clip my nails three times a week. They were growing very rapidly. So I just decided to refrain from clipping on the right hand for a while, and began to use an emery board to shape the nails instead. I began to like what I heard while playing the uke, and found the ideal length for me. I generally like the sound best when both the fingerpad and the nail strike the note simultaneously; the nail alone not so much, so I keep them groomed accordingly now. Not too long, and not too short.

But the amazing thing is, my nails no longer seem to be brittle. In fact, I have not even broken one in the 6 weeks or so that I've been doing this. And that is strange, because I'm simultaneously working on a home improvement project - namely, getting our extra bedroom (a/k/a my instrument room, and the catch-all junk room) ready for a new floor. This has meant a lot of digging through boxes of crap, sorting, packing, discarding and moving almost 2 decades' accumulation of "stuff" around, then ripping out old carpet, tacking strips, and baseboards, etc. And during all this, I have not worn work gloves or made any effort to protect my nails whatsoever In fact, since this is an experiment, and I'm not at this point overly invested in keeping my nails at a particular length, I've kind of been deliberately subjecting them to abuse, just to see how much they can take. Before painting the baseboards, as an example, I scraped off the old strips of caulk remaining on some of the top edges, entirely using my nails. And they unflinchingly took it - no breakage, no splitting!

The only reason I can think of that my nails have gotten so strong, fast-growing and durable, contrary to what I'd expect as I'm getting older, is that I've been taking a supplement for the past several years. I've been an enthusiastic user of vitamins and herbal supplements for decades, but this particular one is a formula for "hair, skin and nails" and is a product at Vitacost.com (where we do much of our supplement shopping), under their own label. Absolutely no financial interest here, and truth be told, I've been taking it for the "hair" part, and am not sure at all if it's done me any good in that department! LOL... But the nails - oh, my! What a pleasant surprise. They weren't this strong even in my youth. YMMV, of course. But I'm just putting this out there because it's interesting.

Cheers,
bratsche
 
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Interesting. I agree the combination and control of nail/ finger pad can augment the string tone.

From what I've read & experienced, as we age our nails can get thicker. That's one of few benefits of aging I've experienced. :)
 
And all this time, I thought menopause was the only benefit of aging!:biglaugh:

bratsche
 
I've two very thick toenails, but I can't use them for fingerstyle. I'm told it's fungus. Sh--.
 
High potency Biotin is a recommended nail (and hair) supplement. I've been using it for about a month now. It is working well. Solgar – Biotin 10,000 mcg, 120 Vegetable Capsules
 
I've two very thick toenails, but I can't use them for fingerstyle. I'm told it's fungus. Sh--.

My husband has that. I've read that soaking them with tea tree oil will kill the fungus, but can't get him to try it. Sometimes they fall off his toes entirely, and start growing again from scratch. I said I thought one might work as a (not-quite-) flatpick, but didn't have the stomach to actually try it. ;-)

bratsche
 
My husband has that. I've read that soaking them with tea tree oil will kill the fungus, but can't get him to try it. Sometimes they fall off his toes entirely, and start growing again from scratch. I said I thought one might work as a (not-quite-) flatpick, but didn't have the stomach to actually try it. ;-)

bratsche

Yeah, they call that husband tortoiseshell, very valuable, you should put it on ebay ;)
 
As suggested in another thread, I have ordered Mane 'n Tail. Hand and Nail Therapy. I have just applied it on two days so far. Will see what it does after a few weeks. My fingernails break and split easily a trait I inherited from my Dad.
 
From what I've read & experienced, as we age our nails can get thicker.

Funny thing, though, my nails don't seem to have gotten any thicker, only stronger and less brittle. Whatever the cause, I won't complain!

High potency Biotin is a recommended nail (and hair) supplement. I've been using it for about a month now. It is working well. Solgar – Biotin 10,000 mcg, 120 Vegetable Capsules

The stuff I'm taking has a bunch of things, including biotin. Not nearly as much biotin as that, though, and some ingredients are probably redundant, as they're in my daily multivitamin as well. Perhaps I'll look for a standalone biotin supplement. Wonder if it would improve my hair - that's what needs it most, at this point.

Yeah, they call that husband tortoiseshell, very valuable, you should put it on ebay
wink.png

LOL. That term would probably get it flagged, though. Maybe just "husbandshell"... :D

bratsche
 
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I am a nail player too, as I play classical guitar. Do you perhaps own an extended fingerboard uke? Did you experience the nail of the index finger impacting with the side of the fingerboard @ the sweet spot while strumming? I always hear a clicking noise, produced by my index finger when I'm strumming this particular extended fingerboard uke. To me, the click means nail danger. I've come to think that extended fingerboard ukes have greater disadvantages to nail players than that they have musical advantages. But thanks for the reminder, I might go back to taking my nail supplement. And to my 12 fret uke..
 
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Flaxseed oil works wonders on hair and nails for me - 4 of those gummy capsules every night before bed. I am taking it for the Omega -3 benefit, so anything else is a bonus. I keep my nails super short, but still use them in fingerpicking. No issues with breakage or flaking of nails.
 
A quick friendly word of warning--thanks to a law passed in 1994, supplements and vitamins are not regulated the same way that drugs and medical devices are. Drugs and medical devices require premarket approval from the FDA, and their manufacturers must demonstrate both their safety and efficacy before they can go on the market. The same is not true for supplements and vitamins. Be careful what you purchase and where you purchase them-even mainstream vitamin/health stores have been found to have products on the shelves that don't contain what they say they do, or contain added things on top of what they are branded to have.
 
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