TL:DR Article Summary

Ana tested six drugstore base coats to see which ones actually hold up.

Two stood out for durability: Nina Ultra Pro™ and Wet ‘n Wild Megalast® The Saving Base—both made it past 10 days with minimal chipping.

• Nina Ultra Pro™ Basecoat & Ridge Filler (durable, covers grooves well—but chalk white and needs polish on top)
• Wet ‘n Wild Megalast® The Saving Base (budget-friendly, long-lasting, but ⚠️ newer version may stain—check your ingredients!)

Meh performers:
Sally Hansen® Nail Rehab™, Orly®, Finger Paints, and American Classics all had durability issues or didn’t cover grooves as well.

That said, it’s important to remember: base coats, polishes, and top coats all perform differently depending on your body chemistry and daily habits. The only real way to know what works for you is to try a few and pay attention to what lasts.

One of the worst things you can do is buff the ridges off your nail plate. Buffing weakens your nails by filing the thickest part to match the thinnest part!

This is why I always recommend using a ridge filler basecoat. I’ve had many people ask me which ridge filling basecoat is my favorite. I haven’t had a favorite.

But I do now!

In this article, I will cover:

• Why you need to use basecoat
• Why I tested several popular ridge filler base coats
• My criteria to help you make an educated decision
• And who were the winners—they might surprise you

Do We Really Need Basecoat?

Many people don’t know that basecoats are formulated to bond to the nail plate.

Polish is formulated to bond to basecoat—not the nail plate. Topcoat is formulated to bond to basecoat or polish.

Why Ridge Filler?

This is one of my pet peeves—you can’t fill ridges. You fill the grooves between the ridges.

Technically speaking, these basecoats should all be called Groove Fillers. But they probably wouldn’t sell very well because people obsess about dealing with their ridges.

We all want a smooth, glossy manicure. This is how ridge filling basecoats help us achieve the look we want.

The Contenders

I usually get this question at least once per week; “What is your favorite ridge filler basecoat?”

Since I am always testing things and turning myself into my own guinea pig on your behalf, I decided to test six ridge filler basecoats that I could find in the stores where I live in the USA.

I was shocked to discover that many of the big-name brands do not offer a ridge filler basecoat. In my opinion, that’s a disservice to the nail community.

I was able to find several ridge filling basecoats at Sally’s Beauty Supply in the US, and a couple in the drugstores (like Walgreen’s and CVS Pharmacy.)

Disclaimer: I know there are many other brands around the globe who do offer a ridge filler but sadly, I wasn’t able to get my hands on all of them. Perhaps you can take my favorites and compare them with a different brand that you have.

Here’s a list of the ridge filling basecoats I tested:

• Nina Ultra Pro™ Basecoat & Ridge Filler
• American Classics Bridge the Ridge®
• Finger Paints Smooth Over Ridge Filler
• Orly® Ridge Filler
• Sally Hansen® Nail Rehab™
• Wet ‘n Wild Megalast® The Saving Base

When I decided to do this test, my first criteria was to test for durability and number of days of wear.

What I didn’t realize was that in order to perform an accurate test, I would have to essentially wear the same manicure for over two months!

To get more accurate results from a test like this, it’s important to reduce different variables that may affect the outcome of the test.

I know that some polish wears longer or shorter than other brands. Sometimes even the color can change the durability. I didn’t want a different brand, color or top coat to affect the results of my tests.

That meant I had to use the exact same polish and the exact same topcoat for each basecoat I tested.

It’s a good thing I love purple! 

Here are the polishes and top coat I used:

• Polish: Color Club Holographic “Eternal Beauty” (primary color), OPI Liquid Sand “Can’t Let Go” (accent nails)
• Topcoat: Sally Hansen® Insta-Dri™ Anti-Chip Top Coat

Test 1: Nina Ultra Pro™ Base Coat & Ridge Filler

I started with Nina Ultra Pro™ Base Coat & Ridge Filler. When applied, it was white and streaky, which I didn’t care for. With two coats it covered the grooves in my nails nicely. Surprisingly, my manicure lasted 11 days before it started to chip.

Price: about $5

Likes:

• Covered ridges in my nails nicely with two coats
• Awesome durability

Dislikes:

• White, streaky color that could affect the way polish looks, depending on the color you paint over the basecoat. This made it impossible to wear on its own.

Manicure Durability:

• 11 days before chipping

Test 2: American Classics – Bridge the Ridge®

The next test was American Classics Bridge the Ridge®. It dried quickly, and within two coats. It covered almost all of the grooves on my nails. And, it had a nice matte finish.

Two days into the manicure I decided to braid my horse’s mane. I didn’t wear gloves because I needed to get a good grip on Zeus’s thick, wiry hair. Zeus’s mane ended up looking beautiful! But the polish on my thumbnail ended up chipping.

By the next day, I had a small chip on my left middle fingernail. Three days later, my manicure showed normal tip-wear. The basecoat on the undersides of my nail tips (part of the Fab Five Wrap manicure method ) was completely gone. The manicure lasted six days with American Classics Bridge the Ridge®.

Price: about $6

Likes:

• Dries quickly
• Covered ridges with two coats
• Matte finish

Dislikes:

• Didn’t hold up well with my normal daily activities

Manicure Durability:

• Began chipping on day 3
• Manicure lasted total of 6 days

Test 3: Finger Paints – Smooth Over Ridge Filler

The next one was Finger Paints – Smooth Over Ridge Filler. It was very natural looking, but it did not cover my yellow staining much. I used two coats to fully cover my grooves. It dried quickly with a semi-matte finish.

By the seventh day, I had chipping on the right side of my right thumbnail. I also had some sidewall chipping on both index tips. I had normal tip wear and significant tip wear under my nails.

Price: between $6-9

Likes:

• Dries quickly
• Covered ridges with two coats
• Semi-matte finish

Dislikes:

• Didn’t cover my nails’ yellow staining

Manicure Durability:

• 7 days before chipping

Test 4: Orly® Ridge Filler

Test number four was Orly® Ridge Filler. It went on a very white and looked very similar to the Nina Ultra Pro™ basecoat. It even smelled the same. But when compared to the Nina, it’s obvious that it’s a different formula.

Orly® Ridge Filler covered my grooves well in two coats. Some nails were coated with just one coat and it dried quickly.

By day three, my polish started chipping a bit. I had chips on my left index finger right thumb and right middle finger. My nails showed normal tip wear and undertip wear. I had to remove the polish by day seven to prevent my urge to pick at the chips.

This brand is available for purchase on Amazon US.

Price: between $5-8

Likes:

• Dries quickly
• Covered ridges with two coats

Dislikes:

• Applied very white
• Started chipping too soon

Manicure Durability:

• 3 days before chipping but lasted 7 days

Test 5: Sally Hansen® Nail Rehab 

Test number five was Sally Hansen® Nail Rehab™. The first thing I noticed was that it had a very wimpy brush. I liked the light pink color. The basecoat was a little thin so definitely needed two coats.

By day four I had a chip on my left index fingertip. My nails were showing a fair amount of tip wear on my right hand. I did wash my horse on day three, but I wore nitrile gloves to protect my nails from water absorption. Also, the polish was starting to chip on my right ring finger nail that had the textured polish. I couldn’t go past four days with the Sally Hansen® manicure because I knew would start picking at the chips.

This brand is available on Amazon US.

Price: between $8-12

Likes:

• Light pink color

Dislikes:

• Wimpy application brush
• Thin formula
• Showed more tip wear
• Not very durable compared to other ridge fillers

Manicure Durability:

• 4 days before chipping

Test 6: Wet ‘n Wild Megalast®  The Saving Base

The last base coat I tested was Wet ‘n Wild Megalast®  The Saving Base. This basecoat had a nice application and a nice a wide brush. Two coats covered the grooves in my nails.

Surprisingly, my manicure lasted 11 days!

By day 11, my manicure showed massive tip wear, but there were no chips. I had a big nice growth line in my polish from the cuticle line. I actually probably could’ve gotten one or two days more, but I had to remove my polish for an Instagram and Facebook Live with Cory. He painted my nails and he did a great job for his first manicure ever! Click here to see the video on Youtube

Price: about $3-4

Likes:

• Light pink color
• Nice wide brush
• Awesome durability

Dislikes:

• Showed more tip wear than others, but that is expected considering the length of the manicure.

Manicure Durability:

• 11 days before chipping

09.05.2020 Update:
Since writing this article, I have discovered that there appears to be two different versions of the Wet N Wild basecoat. The formula for this test had a pink tint. When I reordered, I noticed the tint was more yellow beige. The formula stained my nails yellow and I received feedback from others who had gotten the same results. I was curious as to why this happened, so I turned to my mentor, Doug Schoon.

“Pigments are not likely to stain the nail plate. They are too large to penetrate. Dyes and Lakes are other types of colorants that are often used, and many can and DO stain the nail plate. There are three different reds and one yellow colorant that have been reported as the most likely to stain the nail plate. The reds colorants are listed on product ingredient label as Red no. 6, Red no. 7, or Red no. 34. In the European Union, all three of these red colorants would be sold under their color index number “15850”. The yellow that is reported to cause a lot of staining is Yellow #5 Lake, which in the European Union is labelled as “19140”. It is true that some grades of nitrocellulose can stain as well. But the more expensive, higher quality grades are much less likely to discolor. Smaller companies that don’t sell much nail polish often use these inferior grades, since the best grades are too expensive when purchased in low quantities and the larger companies buy up all the high-quality nitrocellulose. When it does stain, nitrocellulose tends to be a more brownish-yellow stain, while discoloration caused by colorants tend to be the light yellowish tones or other odd shades, such as green. If this base coat contained nitrocellulose and no colorants, the nitrocellulose is a possible suspect. However, a high-quality base coat should not stain the nail plate, unless its surface is damaged. Damaged nail plates are much more likely to pick up stains, even from some foods stains or clothing. Damaged nail plates will absorb stains more easily than healthy nail plates.”

Schoon, Doug. Face-To-Face with Doug Schoon Volume III: Science and Facts about Nails/nail Products for the Educationally Inclined . Schoon Scientific. Kindle Edition.

BONUS TEST:  Nina Ultra Pro™ Basecoat & Ridge Filler

I decided to re-test Nina Ultra Pro™ Basecoat & Ridge Filler to verify results since it was the first basecoat I tested. Was it really strong enough to last 11 days? Or was that test just a fluke?

Yep! It was strong enough.

The second test lasted 10 days and had only minor chipping when I removed my manicure.

Sure, it was hard (really hard!) wearing the same color of polish two months in a row. But it ended up being a really fun experiment. The most fun part was being surprised by the results and finding two clear winners:

1. Nina Ultra Pro™
2. Wet ‘n Wild Megalast®  The Saving Base

 What Made Them Winners

Durability is a big deal for me. I really like my manicures to last at least 7 days. That means my manicure is going to have to survive a bit of rough and tumble treatment during my normal daily activities.

Both of these basecoats helped my manicure last 10 days or more with normal tip wear.

I didn’t care for the chalk white color of the Nina Ultra Pro™. It’s definitely not a basecoat that you can wear on its own. It must be covered with a colored polish because frankly, it looked a bit ugly when applied. You definitely couldn’t wear the basecoat alone or for french manicures. It requires a solid colored polish to cover it.

When I add in the variables of durability and appearance, my new favorite ridge filling basecoat is Wet ‘n Wild Megalast®  The Saving Base.

What About You?

It’s always important to remember that we aren’t the same. We all have different body chemistry which can cause you to have a different experience with these ridge filler basecoats.

For my international readers, I’m sorry I wasn’t able to test some of the brands available to you. Perhaps a group of you can get together and swap the basecoats you have to do your own tests.

I hope you found this article helpful!

Summary of Ridge Filling Basecoat Challenge Results

The post Best Ridge Filler – The Basecoat Challenge first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

Nail Biting – Can Science Help Us Quit?

“Do you have any habits like nail/pen/pencil/cheek/lip biting, resting your head on your hand, or habitual gum chewing?”

Researching and writing this nail biting article made my eyes go a little cross-eyed. Let me correct that—A LOT cross-eyed.

In this article, we are going to take a deep dive to uncover the psychology and nail anatomy behind nail biting to give you some insights on the best ways to overcome this painful, destructive and frustrating habit.

This article is broken down into three parts:

Part 1: The Research about Nail Biting

Part 2: The Function of Habit in Nail Biting

Part 3: Possible Solutions for Nail Biting

PART 1: The Research About Nail Biting

Since nail biting not discussed in my nail bible—Doug Schoon’s book (Nail Structure and Product Chemistry)—I needed to dust off my research skills from high school and college.

I poured through articles from PubMed, NCBI, Wikipedia, Iranian Journal of Medical Sciences, Brazilian Oral Research, Psychology Research and Behavior Management, Contemporary Clinical Dentistry, Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience and many others.

The biggest takeaway from all this research was a little bit of a disappointment.

There just aren’t enough studies about nail biting. It’s tough to really make solid conclusions.

A number of the hypotheses and research studies I read often contradicted each other.

The articles were littered with words like “suggested,” “suspected,” “controversies,” “contradictory reports,” “not clear,” and “speculation.”

Now how am I supposed to make sense out of all that?

The Purpose Behind Weird Habits

What I do know is that our behavioral habits serve a purpose.

All habits have consequences or results. Whether the consequence is good or bad, it’s up to us to continually decide which result we want.

For example, if you want to be healthy, you choose to eat well and exercise. The result is better health.

If you want to stay alive while driving your car, you choose to drive on the correct side of the road.

These examples might seem like easier choices than stopping nail biting. And this could be true.

Some of our habits we do without even noticing or paying attention.

Nail biting is one of those habits.

So, how do we change something we don’t even realize we’re doing?

Nail Biting: How To Get The Most Out of This Article

Today’s article is going to be filled with nitty gritty research article quotes. 

After each quote, I offer a translation into something that’s easier to understand if you’re just looking for the important stuff.  

This for those of you who just want the gist of the research. Just look for the sections titled “Ana’s Interpretation” with my photo.

Introduction

Onychophagia (AH-nih-koe-FAY-gia), defined as habitual nail biting, is a common disorder affecting 20-30% of the population and all age groups. It may lead to significant psychosocial problems, have a negative impact on quality of life, and cause complications involving both the nail unit and the oral cavity…Since onychophagia is a challenging disorder to treat, a multidisciplinary approach should be taken involving dermatologists, internists, pediatricians, psychiatrists, and dentists. ~PubMed

Ana’s Interpretation

The many causes for nail biting include stress, boredom, anxiety, depression, loneliness, heredity, imitation of a family member, prior thumb-sucking habit, inactivity, and poorly manicured nails.

You’ll see in the rest of this article that many of the negative attempts to help others don’t work. Punishment, nagging and threats, ridicule, and application of bitter tasting solutions really don’t work.

In many cases, these types of attempts can actually make the problem worse.

Treatment is most effective when directed at the root cause of the behavior.

For nail biters to change their behavior, they have to want to make the change.

Some Medical Definitions for Nail Biting

Definition

The operational definition of NB is “putting one or more fingers in the mouth and biting on the nail with teeth”. ³ The habit of NB is often limited to fingernails, and most of the individuals with the habit do not have any preference for biting any of the fingernails. ⁴ This behavioral problem has been reported in children and adults.

Classification

Nail biting (NB) is not a pathological condition in all times and all clients. However, it is not exactly clear where the border between the healthy and unhealthy behavior of NB is. Nail biting in healthy children is temporary and does not last very long. The frequency, intensity, and duration of pathological NB are higher than those in normal individuals. Uncertainties for the distinction of pathological and nonpathological NB are also reflected in the classification of psychiatric disorders. While some behavioral problems such as trichotillomania (hair pulling) are classified as an impulse control disorder in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), NB is not classified in DSM-IV.⁶ Nail biting can also be classified as a self-injurious behavior such as pathological skin-picking or as a stereotypic movement disorder.⁵ Others believe that NB is a part of obsessive compulsive disorder spectrum.⁶

Ana’s Interpretation:  

Nail biting isn’t always an obsessive or compulsive behavior. Many people outgrow it or are able to stop the habit.

Often times nail biting is a symptom of something bigger.

Nail biting could fall in the category of Impulse Control Disorder like compulsive hair pulling.

Many of us by now have been diagnosed with some sort mental disorder.

While some of the mental disorders are commonly known as depression and anxiety—nail biting can be a symptom of ADHD, OCD, ODD, and a host of other mental disorders.

Is Nail Biting Age Related?

Nail biting usually does not start until the age of three or four years.⁷ There are contradictory reports about the prevalence of NB. The prevalence of NB increases from childhood to adolescence and then decreases in adulthood.⁷ It is not clear what percentage of the children with NB behavior stops it, and will not suffer from it later. Nail biting was not related to gender, conduct problems, inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and peer problems.

Ana’s Interpretation:  

Usually, nail biting starts during childhood and is outgrown. For some people though, the behavior continues into adulthood. It’s really not understood why.

Nail biting isn’t exclusive to gender, certain conduct issues, lack of attention, hyperactivity or struggles with other students or co-workers.

It seems that most of the studies have been done with children. I’m not sure why. Perhaps it’s because it’s easier to gather data from them quickly. It’s also possible that children don’t have the additional work and relationship stress factors that adults have.

I find it interesting that nail biting increases during adolescence but supposedly isn’t related to peer problems.

Humm… Even though it’s been over 25 years since I attended high school, I’m pretty sure that it’s still riddled with cliques and peer problems.

Nail biting is probably because of rampant insecurity and self-loathing that is common among children.

Different stressors can certainly increase the intensity of a nail biting habit.

Epidemiological Factors

Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in defined populations. It is the cornerstone of public health and shapes policy decisions and evidence-based practice by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive health care. [Source: Wikipedia]

Connection between TMJ Disorder and Nail Biting

The rate of finger and nail biting in patients suffering temporomandibular joint pain and dysfunction was about 24.1%.⁸ Therefore, it is recommended to inquire about oral habits such as NB in all temporomandibular joint pain and dysfunction. Moreover, patients with temporomandibular joint pain and dysfunction should be consulted as part of their management.⁸

Ana’s Interpretation:

I wore braces twice to correct TMJ Disorder.

My jaw would lock shut or painfully pop while eating. I once dated someone who said I was a dainty eater. I had to take small bites because I could barely open my mouth!

My orthodontist told me to never chew gum and to wear my retainers every night for the rest of my life!

He said that the human jaw is not supposed to be constantly chewing.

This is why grinding teeth at night is also a problem. Biting nails can tire the jaw also.

E. Coli and Nail Biting

Oral habits like thumb sucking and nail biting are pernicious habits that act as an adaptive function in obtaining pleasure and subduing anxiety. These habits may also act as carriers of numerous microorganisms into the oral cavity, of which, Enterobacteriaceae members are transient pathogens, which might result in debilitating systemic conditions.¹⁰ 

The Enterobacteria species isolated in our study were E. coli, Klebsiella, Proteus, and Enterobacter. Of these, the most commonly isolated Enterobacteria among all three groups was E. coli (in 12 subjects), whereas the least isolated Enterobacteria was enterobacter (3 subjects). Our results are consistent with the results of Baydas et al. and Sushma et al.⁹ who showed a greater isolation of E. coli. Other organisms such as streptococci, staphylococci, pseudomonas, and candida were also seen along with Enterobacteria.

Literature revealed that environmental organisms can be inoculated into the oral cavity through paranormal habits like nail biting resulting in transmission of infections to other parts of the body, by contaminated hands or environmental objects, which may be responsible for the cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide.⁹

This indicates the greater prevalence of E. coli in humans among different population groups. Studies by earlier authors reported that E. coli were the most frequently isolated organism among Enterobacteriaceae family in different systemic illnesses. With these data, it can be suggested that E. coli gets a channel of entry into the oral cavity through the chronic nail biting and thumb sucking habits and can be a perpetrator of local and systemic infections.¹⁰

Ana’s Interpretation

Although it can calm anxiety, nail biting has a dirty little secret—you’re eating bacteria that can make you very sick.

The most common bacteria found is E. coli in research studies, but other organisms like strep, staph, pseudomonas, and candida were also found.

Unfortunately, bacteria don’t always die in the mouth. It can spread to your internal organs. Infections can lead to diseases and even death.

Nail Biting and E. Coli in Your Mouth

The Research Says:

The presence of a nail biting habit indicated a higher plaque index, which in turn showed a higher carriage of Enterobacteria spps, predominantly Escherichia coli.

Accumulating evidence suggests the impact of the dental diseases on the general health of the individual, warranting a harmonious relation of the microorganisms with that of the oral tissues, albeit any shift in this balanced ecology would unfold a series of events that might result in a disease status.¹⁰

Ana’s Interpretation:

People who bite their nails tend to have more plaque on their teeth, which makes a nice environment for E. coli to flourish.

Dental diseases can also mess with the good bacteria in your mouth.

Hand Washing

Here are some interesting statistics about hand washing. They’re pretty shocking.

• While 62% of women are washing more than 10 times per day, only 37% of men are doing the same. 41% of men wash their hands 6 times a day or less, compared to only 17% of women. On average, American heads of household wash their hands 8.6 times per day (up from 8.0 in 2008).¹¹
  
• In a survey of 100,000 people, which was the largest ever analysis into hand-washing, it revealed that 62% of men and 40% of women admit they don’t bother washing their hands after using the restroom.¹²
• A study by the firm Initial Washroom Hygiene found that after using the restroom, a person has on average 200m bacteria per square inch on each hand. People can then transfer the bacteria to their hands or mouths, as well as onto doors, keyboards, phones. This means office workers come into contact with an average 10 million bacteria a day.¹³ 
• Last year, US researchers highlighted the importance of hand washing, as it found a virus can spread through an office within two to four hours. Researchers found 40% to 60% of workers as well as visitors were infected after touching objects in the building.¹³

In the photo to the right, the green areas are the bacteria present on an average office keyboard.

Etiological Factors: The Contributing Causes of Nail Biting

(Etiology: the study of causation, or origination.)

The Research Says:

There are a lot of controversies about the causes of NB. While some studies related NB to behavioral problems,¹⁴ and anxiety,^15,16 others did not believe so.^17,18 Anxiety in children with NB is not a trait; it is a state.¹⁹ 

Although it was suggested that NB might reduce anxiety or tension,¹⁶ recent studies do not support the anxiety theory for NB.^1,20 Nail biting usually occurs as a result of boredom or working on difficult problems rather than anxiety. Nail biters do not bite their nail when they are engaged in social interactions, or when they are reprimanded for the behavior.²⁰ Nail biting occurs more often in boredom or frustration than in contingent or noncontingent attention in undergraduate students.²⁰ It is suspected that smoking and gum chewing in adults are substitutes for NB in childhood.⁷ Severe and mild NB appear to have some differences in terms of the basis of physical and social consequences, severity, frequency, and physiological mechanisms.²¹

Ana’s Interpretation:

Remember when I said that the various hypotheses and research studies contradict each other?

Above is a perfect example. Some studies say that behavior problems and anxiety cause nail biting. Others disagree.

I’ve interviewed a lot of people who said that anxiety is one of the main reasons causing them to bite their nails.

I don’t agree with the statement that boredom or working on difficult problems is the reason for biting over anxiety.

It’s thought that smoking and gum chewing in adults is replacing a childhood nail biting habit.

The research I reviewed indicated that people who were childhood biters who picked up smoking or chronic gum chewing were less likely to continue with nail biting.

Comorbidities or Underlying Conditions: What Else is Going On?

Definition of comorbidity: In medicine, comorbidity is the presence of one or more additional diseases or disorders occurring with (that is, concomitant or concurrent with) a primary disease or disorder; in the countable sense of the term, a comorbidity (plural comorbidities) is each additional disorder or disease. [Source: Wikipedia]

The Research Says:

There are limited reports about co-morbidity of NB with psychiatric disorders.² Three most common co-occurring psychiatric disorders in clinical sample children with NB are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (74.6%), oppositional defiant disorder (36%), and separation anxiety disorder (20.6%).²

All of the boys and 81% of the girls of the clinical sample of children with NB suffer from at least one psychiatric disorder.²

The most common co-occurring stereotypic behaviors were lip biting (33.3%) and head banging (12.7%).² Another study reported that 70% of individuals with hair-pulling habit had other stereotypic behaviors, of which skin-picking and nail-biting were the most common ones.²²

Ana’s Interpretation:

There haven’t been many reports about the correlation between nail biting and mental disorders.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and separation anxiety disorder do seem to contribute to nail biting urges.

Interestingly, in one clinical sample, all of the boys and 81% of the girls with a mental disorder bite their nails.

The most common behaviors besides nail biting were lip biting, head banging, hair pulling and skin picking.

Family Matters: Psychiatric Disorders of Parents of Children with Nail Biting

The Research Says:

The only study that investigated the parents of children with NB reported that about 56.8% of mothers and 45.9% of fathers suffered from a psychiatric disorder, which most often was a major depressive disorder.² The rate of major depressive disorder in mothers was 46.6% and in fathers was 35.1%. A study on children of mothers with psychiatric disorders reported that the rate of NB in children of mothers with schizophrenia was more than that in children of mothers with bipolar disorder. Also, the rate of NB in children of mothers with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder was higher than that in the control group.²³

Overall, the reviewed literatures suggest that co-morbidities of psychiatric disorders and other stereotypic behaviors in a clinical sample of children with NB is more than 80%, and more than half of the parents suffer from psychiatric disorders mainly depression.³²

Ana’s Interpretation:

Only one study looked at the parents of nail biting children. Approximately 50% of mothers and fathers suffered from a mental disorder. Depression was most often reported.

Another study showed that the type of mental disorder in the mothers made a difference too. More children bite their nails if their mother has schizophrenia when compared mothers who have bipolar disorder.

Over 80% of the children in one clinical sample also had a mental disorder.

Nail Biting is a Family Issue

The Research Says:

Nail biting consequences are not limited to the afflicted individuals, and usually, have an impact on members of the family. Sometimes, the parents or other family members feel shame from the behavior of their children or siblings. The children or adults with NB might be laughed at or stigmatized by others. Nail biting may cause a restriction in social behaviors or behaviors that should be done in the presence of others using hands such as writing, drawing, or playing.³² 

Children with NB are frequently attacked by others. Children with NB are usually told that they are able to control or stop NB, but they do not like to stop it. Attacks not only do not improve NB behavior but also can add more to the stress, frustration, helplessness, hopelessness, and anxiety of the children. In addition, nail biting has effects on the oral carriage of Enterobacteriaceae.³²

The rate of Enterobacteriaceae is more in the oral cavities of children with NB habit than those without it.²⁴ The force of biting nails can be transferred to the root of teeth and lead to apical root resorption,²⁵ alveolar destruction,⁷  malocclusions,²⁶ temporomandibular disorders,²⁷ and gum injuries.²⁸ Moreover, nail biting may damage the tissue around the nail and lead to infection and teeth root damage.²⁹ Furthermore, in severe cases, NB may damage the nail beds and cause the disappearing of nails.³⁰ The growth of nails can be increased by NB.³¹ The outcome of NB is not just limited to medical consequences. Nail biting also causes some negative social and psychological consequences for the patients and their parents.³² 

Ana’s Interpretation:

Nail biting can have a significant impact on the rest of the family. Shame, ridicule, and isolation are very common.

Children are often attacked by others and told they can stop biting easily. This leads to more stress, frustration, helplessness, hopelessness, and anxiety.

Of course, as mentioned earlier in this article, the rate of germs and bacteria significantly increases with nail biting. It can cause teeth, gum, and joint injuries too.

Although damaging the nails by biting can actually speed nail growth, it’s inconsequential since the biter is causing more damage to the nail plate and nail bed.

Management and Treatment of Nail Biting

The Research Says:

Nail biting is a habit that cannot be managed without considering some related factors such as comorbidities, precedent, and consequences of the behavior.

Any treatment should be accompanied by educating the afflicted children as well as their parents, siblings, and teachers. They should be taught about what to do and what not to do about it. For example, they should know that punishment, threat or laugh at the children with NB can increase this behavior, because they try to catch others’ attention by NB. Sometimes, the parents feel guilty for their children NB habits. These feelings should be detected and managed. Siblings may feel shame for to their brothers’ or sisters’ NB behavior. So, they need to be included and educated in the process of management as well. Coating nails with unpleasant materials or covering them are tried by many parents, but it is usually ineffective. Others should not blame children with NB habit and increase their disappointments, instead, they should encourage them, and give them support and confidence. The management and treatment of a child with NB behavior will not happen in a few sessions, it is a long process. All of such clinical findings indicate that the management of NB is much more complicated than just focusing on its stoppage. Treatment is not as easy as it seems. Because NB can damage teeth and alveolar structure, the afflicted children should be referred for the assessment and management of possible damages.

There are some methods suggested for controlling of NB such as chewing gum or wearing a rubber piece on the wrist. However, these approaches need to be studied in control trials for their efficacy. Also, the efficacy of engaging fingers with substitute activities such as writing, drawing, holding small balls, or musical instrument should be investigated.³² 

Ana’s Interpretation:

Before the nail biting habit can be managed, it’s important to look at why you do it.

• Is it a life long issue?
• Are mental health issues contributing?
• And ultimately, how does the behavior make you feel?

Treatments need to be accompanied with compassion. Punishment and ridicule are more likely to increase biting rather than resolve it.

Parents, siblings, and teachers need to be educated in how to support the nail biter to replace the biting behavior with a more positive behavior.

Coating nails with bitter products usually doesn’t work and learning to manage the behavior takes time.

Treatment is not as easy as it might seem.

As of this writing in 2017, conclusive studies don’t exist.

There have been suggestions for controlling nail biting by looking at the use of chewing gum, wearing a rubber band around the wrist, or keeping hands occupied with something.

Psychotherapy

The definition of psychotherapy is the treatment of mental disorder by psychological rather than medical means.

The Research Says:

There are limited controlled clinical studies on behavioral or psychotherapeutic approaches to the treatment of NB. There are some cognitive behavioral techniques for the management of children’s behaviors. These techniques have many similarities and are based on cognitive and behavioral principles such as learning principles. All of them teach some skills to the children to be able to control NB behaviors. Patients with NB habit can be trained for different types of relaxations such as self-statements of relaxation, visual imagination, muscle relaxation, and deep breathing.³²

Ana’s Interpretation:

There are very few controlled studies that look at behavioral treatment for nail biting.

Adults can be more successful learning different types of relaxation techniques.

Whereas, it’s much more difficult for children to embrace the brain training required to stop an unconscious behavior.

My boys, Mr. D and Mr. B, have ADHD and ADD respectively.

They can’t stand going to the psychiatrist for their medical checkups—and those are only 15 minutes!

Most kids would rather be riding their bikes, playing video games, or other fun activities.

They don’t want to sit on a couch talking to a therapist about why they bite their nails.

Part 2: The Function of Habit in Nail Biting

Functional Assessment Analysis

Nail biting can be a learned behavior according to a cognitive model. In this model, positive, negative, or automatic reinforcement maintains our habits. So, our habits have functions.³²  

Ana’s Interpretation:

It’s important to note that it’s pretty much impossible to “break” a bad habit (a little more research about this later).

So if you’re trying to quit a habit like biting your nails, smoking, or reaching for a pint of Ben and Jerry’s when you’re stressed, quitting cold turkey is not going to set you up for success.

Well meaning people and medical professionals will tell you that you just need to develop more “willpower”. They think that willpower will be strong enough to overcome a bad habit.

And if you lack strong enough willpower, that deficiency is often viewed as a character flaw. Sadly, this makes you feel like a bad person.

Well, that’s not how the brain works.

Here’s a look behind the scenes of what makes a habit so hard to break.

Why We Have Habits

Habits are as much a part of our daily survival as oxygen.

We have so much information coming at us all day, every day, it’s impossible for our brains to process all of the new sensory input while we go about all our normal daily activities.

Habits are what allow our brains to put certain important routines on “autopilot” so we can deal with the next thing that comes our way.

Some examples of these helpful “autopilot” habits would include:

• • Your morning routine of getting up, getting dressed, brushing your teeth, etc.

• • Being able to drive to work without really paying attention to your route.

• Riding a bike or touch typing on your computer without looking at the keys.

Taking the Highway or Surface Streets?

Once you’ve developed these routines/autopilot habits, they create a solid set of neural pathways in your brain.

This might seem like a weird exercise, but imagine your neural pathways like a huge 6-lane highway.

The 6-lane highway is the easy way to get where you’re going. Your brain is always looking for the easiest way to get things done.

When you try and go “cold turkey” to break a habit, it’s a bit like taking surface streets and trying to pretend the 6-lane highway doesn’t exist anymore.

Even if you don’t use the highway for years, it’s still there.

Your brains’ neural pathways have created a well-beaten path that won’t ever really go away.

It’s always easy to get back on that bad habit neural pathway.  This is why it’s so easy to relapse in your habit-breaking quests.

An example of this alcoholics or others who struggle with addictions.

It’s so easy to relapse without a good support system and plans in place for different routines when these people experience triggers that they used to associate with drinking.

So, if you can’t break a habit, what do you do with it?

The better solution is to replace the routine or action you take when you’re triggered to bite your nails.

The Parts of a Habit

According to Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit, there are three parts of a habit:

1. 1. The trigger

1. 1. The action or routine

1. The reward

These are the key components of how your brain is able to use these “autopilot habits.”

For example, your morning routine is triggered by your alarm clock going off (this is an external environmental trigger). Your brain has learned to associate the alarm clock with all the steps you take to get out the door (the routine).

Your brain gets a nice brain boost of chemicals that give you a sense of achievement when you complete the action of the habit. This is the reward.

This autopilot habit process works the same for good habits and bad habits. Let’s look at how it works in a nail biting scenario.

1. 1. The TRIGGER: Can be internal (stress, boredom, etc.) or external (rough skin, peeling or jagged nails, etc.).

1. 1. The ACTION or routine: Biting or picking at your nails.

1. The REWARD: Sense of completion from performing your bite/pick habit, even if it’s the sting of nails bitten to short or skin picked at until raw and bleeding.  

Author Marshall Goldsmith adds to Duhigg’s 3-part habit loop in his book Triggers, by breaking down step the process into 4 steps, adding a step between the trigger and the routine: IMPULSE.

The impulse is where your brain automatically analyzes your trigger and does its best to “help” you get to your reward.

Your brain plugs in a routine that it is familiar with and associates with a reward. This association is built through doing the same routine over and over.

When you’re able to help your brain become conscious of your trigger and the following impulse, you’re able to consciously change the routine you take to get the reward. This helps you get the results you want.

Let’s look a little deeper into what research says about habits…

Habit Reversal

The Research Says:

Some authors believe that NB is a learned habit, rather than an emotional condition.²⁹ Habit reversal is a form of behavioral therapy, which uses a similar or dissimilar competing response.³² 

Ana’s Interpretation:

Like I mentioned before, habits can’t be broken.

Habits have to be replaced with another behavior that is incompatible with the first behavior (remember the 6-lane highway analogy above?).  

This process is called competitive response training. This is the fancy label for “replace the bad behavior with a good behavior.

Awareness

The Research Says:

The recording of NB frequency, videotaping of NB behavior and describing its frequencies increase awareness. Its frequency should be recorded on a card. It will help children to monitor their behavioral changes. Situation awareness is the type of awareness that children with NB habit identify the situations or places in which NB is better or worse.³²

Ana’s Interpretation:

It’s a pain in the “you know what”, but it is a good exercise to write down the times you catch yourself biting. Perhaps you could use the notepad application on your phone.

Record what you’re feeling at the moment and where you are. If you’re helping a child, with permission they may be open to you videotaping the behavior.

The Research Says:

For competitive response training, a behavioral pattern that is incompatible with NB is introduced. Competing responses should be contingent with NB. There are different types of contingency management. Parents can comment on improvement of the behavior, and provide some praise for the improved child. For example, the child can go to some places or enjoy activities that he/she has been avoided before. Competing responses should be practiced every day. Parents should encourage children with NB habit using competing response. Behavioral changes are long processes, and parents and their children should be informed that they will not happen over a few days or weeks. This is very important because parents or children usually give up soon.³² 

Ana’s Interpretation:

Let’s look at the definition of contingency. It is the relationship between two events, one being “contingent on” or a consequence of the other event. 

Here is a real life example of contingency. My son, Mr. D, wanted to stop biting his nails. My agreement with him was to purchase a coveted Lego^® set if he went for 3 weeks without biting.

He held out until he earned the reward and then relapsed.

About a week later he said, “Mom if I go without biting my nails for 3 weeks again, can I get another Lego^®set?” Ah, the creativity of children! 

The research suggests that competing response should be practiced every day. That leads us to the next section. Does doing something else at the time of biting help at all?

Habit Reversal Versus Object Manipulation

Pro Habit Reversal

The Research Says:

The current study investigates the efficacy of habit reversal training (HRT) and compares its effect with object manipulation training (OMT) considering the limitations of the current literature.

There was three groups of Habit Reversal Treatment group (HR) (n = 30), Object manipulation group (n = 30), and wait-list or control group (n = 31) in this study. All the three groups were assessed at baseline. However, both HR and Object manipulation groups received intervention while the wait-list group did not receive any intervention.³³ 

Habit Reversal (HR)

HR treatment was conducted according to a protocol provided by Woods.³⁵ In this protocol, the possible functions of nail biting as well as the feelings experienced before, during and after nail biting were identified. According to this protocol, habit reversal includes awareness training, competing response training, and social support training. These trainings were conducted in a 30-minute session. In fact, the next sessions were booster sessions to monitor the progress and develop solutions to problems which occurred during the implementation of the intervention. In awareness training, children were trained to recognize their nail biting behavior and its warning signs. For competing response, children were trained to exhibit a behavior which was incompatible with nail biting immediately after the occurrence of nail biting or one of its warning signs. They were asked to hold a pencil or a toy with their hands. Finally, a person was identified to support children to increase their treatment compliance, and remind their competing response, and reward them for their compliance.³³

Ana’s Interpretation:

Some authors believe that nail biting is not related to an emotional condition, but rather a learned habit.

Habit reversal is a form of behavior therapy, which uses a dissimilar or similar competing response.

For the habit reversal research group, training included:

1. 1. Awareness Training: how to recognize the biting behavior and warning signs.

1. 1. Competing Response: choose a behavior which was incompatible with nail biting, like holding a pencil or toy.

1. Social Support Training: another child in the study was assigned to hopefully help improve success.

Let’s look at different possible solutions to help replace the nail biting habit.

Part 3: Possible Solutions for Nail Biting

Object Manipulation (OM)

The Research Says:

[The object manipulation] group of children was trained for all the items reported for HR training. They were trained to play with something (such as a toy, pencil) instead of biting their nail. In fact, nail biting was replaced by playing with something. All other parts including awareness training and social support were similar to habit reversal treatment group. In fact, the object manipulation condition and HR condition were identical. However, children in object manipulation condition manipulated an object instead of doing a competing response.³³ 

Ana’s Interpretation:

The object manipulation group was trained the three techniques like the HR training group. The only difference was that the competing response was to play or “fidget” with something rather than just hold it.

The Research Says:

Overall, the current results confirmed that HR significantly increases the mean length of nails more than the other two groups in long term. This confirms that HR is an effective treatment for the management of nail biting for the community sample -of children and adolescents. Moreover, nail length increased during the trial in both groups of intervention while the mean length of nails in the wait-list group decreased during the trial. It is consistent with and supports the results of Woods et al.’s study.³⁴ However, there is a lot of covariate factors considered in the current study that were not considered in the study by Woods et al. (1999). Moreover, the study by Woods et al. (1999) was conducted on children with thumb sucking. Only some of their participants had nail biting problem. In addition, we did not find any study on the effect of object manipulation on nail biting behavior. Therefore, the current study seems to be unique.

Regarding our second aim, the obtained results showed that object manipulation was more effective than wait-list in short term. Moreover, object manipulation significantly decreased nail biting in long term. However, the number of children who completely stopped nail biting was very close to each other. Therefore, further studies with longer duration are recommended.

Our third aim was to compare the effectiveness of object manipulation training and habit reversal training. The results showed that, in long term, both object manipulation training and habit reversal training are significantly effective for treating nail biting behavior. However, habit reversal training is more effective than object manipulation training.

Concerning our aim to understand the acceptability of object manipulation training and habit reversal training, the current results showed no significant difference between the two groups regarding their acceptability.

However, the drop-out rate was higher in the object manipulation group than the habit reversal group. 

In conclusion, habit reversal more than object manipulation increases the mean length of nails in long term.³³

Ana’s Interpretation:

Interestingly, the act of holding an object—versus fidgeting with it—was more successful this study—in increasing the mean length of nails.

Also, the drop-out rate was higher with the object manipulation group.

Isn’t that interesting?

Perhaps the participants were starting to feel that it wasn’t working well enough.

Competing Response

The Research Says:

In this behavioral method, the subject performs a competing response whenever he/she has the urge to bite or finds his/hers biting nails. For example, a behavior to stop or avoid moving upper limbs towards face or lips, or a behavior to stop or inhibit entering fingers into the mouth is employed. This method has been shown to be more effective than not using it.²⁹ Competing response type is not important for the suppression of target behavior, and it does not probably function as an incompatible behavior.³⁵

Ana’s Interpretation:

Like mentioned before, competing response means to do a behavior that makes it difficult to bite.

A good example of this is to stick your hands in your pockets when tempted to bite.  Studies have shown that this technique works better than not using it.

The only problem is that we can’t keep our hands in our pockets all the time.

And ultimately, the competing response doesn’t stop the desire to bite.

Aversive Stimulus

The Research Says:

An aversive stimulus is effective for treating NB and is usually done through the painting of an aversive stimulus or a bitter substance on the individual nails. Aversive stimulus therapy improves NB, although its effect is not as much as the competing response method.²⁹

Ana’s Interpretation:

Aversive stimulus means to apply some sort of negative reinforcement. The classic solution is to paint a bitter solution on the nails.

Unfortunately, this works for a very short time and could go the other direction if the person actually becomes accustomed to the bitter solution painted on their nails.

Punishment or ridicule also falls in this category. It’s been proven in many studies to not work, and can even increase the behavior.

Self-Control Intervention

The Research Says:

Considering that human behavior is goal-directed and affected by different factors, self- control intervention is proposed as a method for the management of NB.³⁶ In this method, some specific self-control skills are learned and applied by the subjects. The method is performed in a number of steps. First, the children are taught that the targeted behavior is a problem, and they can change it. Second, the children are told to try to find the possible cause of NB as well as the thought and feelings that are associated with the behavior. Third, the children are instructed to do self-monitoring, as it can increase their awareness from the behavior. Fourth, children are educated to use some learned skills such as self-talk and self-reward to change the automated behavior. Fifth, children are trained to use the learned skills to manage and change other similar pathologic behaviors.³⁶

Ana’s Interpretation:

Human behavior is affected by many different things and is goal directed. If we want something, then we want it.

In one study, children were taught to realize that biting is a problem that they can change, and find the cause and feelings related to biting.

The children were asked to do self-observation, then use learned skills like self-talk and self-reward which would help them manage and change their behavior.

These trained behaviors are hard enough for adults to use, let alone children.

“Self-control” is something to me that is said by someone who doesn’t really understand the new research of how behavior works.

That’s like saying “don’t have that piece of cake because the sugar will make you feel horrible and can contribute to weight gain.”

Who cares? If we want cake, then we get an IMMEDIATE reward.

If we want cake, then we get an IMMEDIATE reward.

Or how about this one? “The solution is easy. Just stop biting your nails.” Except that for most people who are nail biters is that they don’t even know they are doing it.

Nail biting has moved beyond a chosen behavior to one that is unconscious.

Pharmacotherapy

As most of my readers know, I try to stay away from medical and pharmaceutical discussions as much as possible.

There is so much misinformation on the internet which is completely false and downright scary.

I also have no right making any medical claims or advice. That is something reserved for your doctor.

With that being said, I feel I would be remiss in not including studies that have included using medications and alternative pharmacological treatments to help with nail biting.

These are definitely things you will want to discuss with your doctors. Feel free to print or email this article to take to your doctor.

Prescriptions

There are several pharmaceutical drugs that have had some success with nail biting.

There is also the factor that all of our bodies are different and react differently to various medications and alternative remedies.

In fact, some medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s) may make nail biting worse.

There seems to be an interesting correlation in which drugs work better with people with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Some researchers feel that nail biting, hair pulling, and OCD all have similar causes.

The Research Says:

It is supposed that NB, trichotillomania, and obsessive-compulsive disorder have a similar biologic etiology.³⁷

Since NB is an impulse disorder, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may exacerbate it. This suggestion is based on the belief that impulsivity is exacerbated in some impulse-prone patients by SSRIs.³⁸

As of 2011, and to the best of the author’s knowledge, there is no double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigating the efficacy of drugs such as fluoxetine and fluvoxamine for the treatment of NB. There are just a number of case reports about the association of NB with other similar behaviors such as skin picking. Fluoxetine has been reported to be effective for the treatment of chewing of digits.³⁹ A double-blind comparison of clomipramine and desipramine effects in individuals with NB habit, who did not have obsessive compulsive disorder, indicated that clomipramine was more effective than desipramine.³⁷

Fluoxetine (floo OX e teen)

Brand Names: PROzac, PROzac Weekly, Sarafem, Rapiflux, Selfemra, PROzac Pulvules. Fluoxetine is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) antidepressant. Fluoxetine affects chemicals in the brain that may be unbalanced in people with depression, panic, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive symptoms, bulimia nervosa (an eating disorder), obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). [Source: Drugs.com]

Fluvoxamine (floo-VOX-a-meen)

Brand Names: Faverin, Fevarin, Floxyfral, Dumyrox and Luvox. Fluvoxamine is a medication which functions as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and receptor-agonist. Fluvoxamine is used primarily for the treatment of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), and is also used to treat major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders such as panic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Fluvoxamine CR (controlled release) is approved to treat social anxiety disorder. [Source: Wikipedia.org]

Clomipramine (Clo-mi-pram-mine)
Brand Name: Anafranil. Clomipramine is a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA).^[2] It is used for the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, major depressive disorder, and chronic pain. [Source: Wikipedia.org]

Desipramine (also known as desmethyl-imipramine)
Brand Names: Norpramin, and Pertofrane. Desipramine is a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA). It inhibits the reuptake of norepinephrine and to a minor extent serotonin. It is used to treat depression, but not considered a first line treatment since the introduction of SSRI antidepressants. [Source: En.Wikipedia.org]

Alternative Pharmacological Treatments

Two medication alternatives that might show promise are Glutamate and N-acetylcysteine.

For those of you who want to stay away from pharmaceutical medications, these are worth discussing with your doctor or psychiatrist.

The Research Says:

Glutamate

Glutamate, an excitatory central nervous system neurotransmitter, is emerging as a potential alternative pharmacological treatment when compared to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-, dopamine-, and serotonin-modulating treatments for neuropsychiatric conditions. The pathophysiology, animal models, and clinical trials of glutamate modulation are explored in disorders with underlying inhibitory deficits (cognitive, motor, behavioral) including obsessive–compulsive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Tourette syndrome, trichotillomania, excoriation disorder, and nail biting. Obsessive–compulsive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and grooming disorders (trichotillomania and excoriation disorder) have emerging positive data, although only scarce controlled trials are available.⁴⁰  CNS homeostasis of inhibition–disinhibition signaling ultimately depends on a well-regulated glutamate–GABA balance, in conjunction with other neurotransmitter systems that impact on this final effector pathway, which highly impacts neuronal health.⁴¹

Future drug design approaches will benefit from a better understanding of these pathways (which also impact on other biologic systems, including immune and developmental networks) in OCD and related disorders, tics and ADHD, in order to provide a paradigmatic framework to better understand the imbalance in inhibition–disinhibition from the molecular level (glutamate–GABA) to the macro-behavioral level (obsessions, compulsions, tics, hyperactivity, and grooming behaviors). The heuristic value of considering these cross-disorder clinical manifestations in toto in relation to glutamate awaits future drug discovery to address these disinhibitory phenomena. In summary, drugs that impact the glutamatergic balance in the CNS are emerging as a therapeutic alternative for neuropsychiatric disorders, which implicate abnormal inhibitory control in cognitive, motor, behavioral, and grooming domains. OCD has the most support at present for the use of glutamate modulators, with ADHD and grooming disorders also showing promise.⁴⁰

N-acetylcysteine

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is emerging as a useful agent in the treatment of psychiatric disorders.

Quotes from the following article published in the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience was recommended to me by my children’s psychiatrist.

The interesting thing to me is that he is a nail biter!

When I asked him what his triggers were, his response was “being caught in heavy traffic, watching movies and idleness”.

The Research Says:

Our review outlines the current literature regarding the use of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in disorders including addiction, compulsive and grooming disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. N-acetylcysteine has shown promising results in populations with these disorders, including those in whom treatment efficacy has previously been limited. The therapeutic potential of this acetylated amino acid is beginning to emerge in the field of psychiatric research.⁴²

In addition to TTM (hair pulling), promising preliminary results suggest the need for controlled studies in other grooming disorders, including nail biting and skin picking.^43,44 A case report was published regarding an individual with both TTM and nail biting behaviours, in whom nail biting ceased following 9 weeks of NAC treatment.⁴³ The participant relapsed after a hiatus in treatment, but recommencement of NAC resulted in a remission of symptoms.⁴³

A serendipitous finding of the benefit of NAC treatment in the reduction of nail biting in a study primarily investigating NAC (2000 mg/d) in the treatment of mood disorders has been reported.⁴⁴

Three participants taking NAC reported significant reductions in nail biting during the 6-month course of treatment. All 3 participants were still abstinent from nail biting 1 month after the discontinuation of NAC.⁴²

Ana’s Interpretation

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has shown promising results in populations with addiction, compulsive and grooming disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It has been helpful for people who have tried other medications with no success.

The healing ability of this acetylated amino acid is beginning to emerge in the field of psychiatric research. We need more controlled studies to see if NAC works better than a placebo.

One study using NAC to treat mood disorders happened to reveal a side effect of reduced nail biting.

Three participants reported this during their 6-month treatment and after another month of stopping the NAC, they still were not biting. That is promising news!

Side Benefits?

Often times a drug that is formulated for one issue can actually have other side benefits—that make it sell even better than the original intent.

Here are a couple of examples of what I mean.

Propecia, that ubiquitous drug used to treat male-pattern baldness, was originally marketed as Proscar, a drug to treat the benign enlargement of the prostate. After five years on the market in the 1990s, it became clear that one of the side effects of Proscar was – you can practically see the money signs flashing in the pharmaceutical marketers’ eyes – hair growth on bald men. Cha-ching!⁴⁵ 

Listerine was invented 133 years ago, first as a surgical antiseptic, but also as a cure for gonorrhea (don’t try that at home). An article from 1888 recommends Listerine “for sweaty feet, and soft corns developing between the toes.” Over the course of the next century, it was marketed as a refreshing additive to cigarettes, a cure for the common cold, and as a dandruff treatment. But it was in the 1920s that the powerful, germ-killing liquid finally landed on its most lucrative use as a magical cure for bad breath.⁴⁵ 

Medical Advancements

The world of science and mental disorders is continually changing and making discoveries that can change our life for the better.

Think about how little we knew about the human body just 100 plus years ago. Here are some of the advancements we have made;

• 1901 Blood typing was established
• 1921 Discovery that the absence of vitamin D causes Rickets
• 1907 Blood transfusions started
• 1922 Insulin was first used to treat diabetes
• 1928 Discovery of penicillin
• 1930 Discovery of vitamins
• 1935 Invention of the Heart-Lung machine
• 1953 Heart-Lung machine used for the first time in surgery
• 1953 The DNA molecule was discovered
• 1967 The first human heart transplant was performed
• 1978 The first test tube baby was born
• 1996 Dolly the sheep became the first cloned mammal and lived for 7 years.⁴⁸ 

Other advancements that were life changing were the creation of vaccines starting in  1923 to the present, and their ability to prevent diseases like diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tuberculosis, tetanus, influenza, polio, measles, mumps, etc. The list goes on and on. The discovery of anesthetics, clean water, and sanitation practices, and the creation of the birth control pill were also very important.⁴⁶ 

Mental Health Advancements

Although people have been living with mental health issues since the beginning of the human race, the Mental Health America (MHA) wasn’t founded until 1909.

Around the turn of the twentieth century, Clifford W. Beers, a recent graduate of Yale College and a newly-minted Wall Street financier, suffered his first episode of bipolar disorder (manic depressive illness) following the illness and death of his brother. In the throes of his illness, Beers attempted to take his own life by jumping out a third story window.  Seriously injured but still alive, Beers ended up in public and private hospitals in Connecticut for the next three years.

While in these institutions, Beers learned firsthand of the deficiencies in care as well as the cruel and inhumane treatment people with mental illnesses received. He witnessed and experienced horrific abuse at the hands of his caretakers. At one point during his institutionalization, he was placed in a straight jacket for 21 consecutive nights.

Upon his release, Beers was resolved to expose the maltreatment of people with mental illnesses and to reform care. In 1908, he published his autobiography, A Mind That Found Itself, which roused the nation to the plight of people with mental illnesses and set a reform movement into motion. In the book, Beers declared, As I penetrated and conquered the mysteries of that dark side of my life, it no longer held any terror for me. I have decided to stand on my past and look the future in the face.⁴⁸  

Ana’s Interpretation:

We have made significant progress over the last 100 years to identify and support people living with mental illnesses, but it’s still shocking how mental health is still such a taboo subject to talk about, even at the time of this writing in 2017.

This shame and fear make people feel very isolated and more inclined to resort to nail biting, skin picking, and hair pulling as a way to calm their anxiety.

Does that mean that everyone who bites their nails has a mental health disorder?

No, but it sure makes one think.

What if people are struggling with biting because it’s a symptom of something bigger? 

There are so many working parts in the brain that depend on the environment, genetics, diet, personal history, current life situations, stressors, support systems and more.

Two different people could be struggling with biting and picking for completely different reasons.

It’s impossible to give a blanket conclusion that solves everyone’s problems because of these multiple layers of complexity.

One of the best ways to utilize all that we have learned in the past 100 years about mental health and physical health and different disorders is to begin to pay attention to YOU.

• What works for you?
• What doesn’t work for you?
• What are your triggers?
• What helps you overcome them?

If you don’t have the tools to overcome your triggers and other contributing issues, then you may find it helpful to enlist the help of a qualified physician, counselor, or other support groups.

I’ve started a Bliss Kiss™ support group on Facebook for people who struggle with biting and picking. [ myblisskiss.com/healthynails ]

Wherever you seek help, it’s important to find what works for you.

Find someone who understands you and can help you work through your unique situation.

Conclusion

As you can tell by now, a lot more studies need to be done to understand how to help someone stop biting their nails.

We need more randomized controlled clinical trials to make medication guidelines that are based on good evidence for the treatment of nail biting behavior.

Nail biting is not an isolated symptom.

Studies with children have shown that wearing nail coatings, repeated promptings to stop biting, and many behavior modification techniques don’t work because of the lack of consideration that nail biting might be a symptom for more complicated conditions.

Research studies become even more difficult when nail biting is a symptom of many different mental disorders.

It can be even harder to manage when someone has more than one disorder.

The great thing is that science keeps making advancements.

Society members around the world are using social media as a way to help reduce the stigma of mental health issues.

Online support groups are becoming very popular and available to anyone on the planet.

This is an exciting time in history for people from all over the world to support each other with our personal challenges.

We obtain a huge sense of connection and relief when we find other people who are struggling with the same issue. There are people out there who understand and support us. We no longer feel alone.

This is a very good thing.

References

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7. Tanaka OM, Vitral RW, Tanaka GY, et al. Nail Biting, or onychophagia: a special habit. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2008 Aug;134:305–8. [PubMed]
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10. Firoz G. Kamal and Reginald Ajay Bernard. Influence of nail biting and finger sucking habits on the oral carriage of Enterobacteriaceae. Contemporary Clinical Dentistry.6(2); Apr-Jun 2015 PMC4456744
11. Echo Research. 2009 National Clean Hands Report Card® Survey Findings August 6-9, 2009. http://www.cleaninginstitute.org/clean_living/092109_summary.aspx
12. Madlen Davies. Do YOU always wash your hands after going to the loo? 62% of men and 40% of women admit they don’t bother. 27 February 27, 2015. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2971931/Do-wash-hands-going-loo-62-men-40-women-admit-don-t-bother.html#ixzz4pxP8QebB
13. Madlen Davies. Do YOU always wash your hands after going to the loo? 62% of men and 40% of women admit they don’t bother. 27 February 27, 2015. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2971931/Do-wash-hands-going-loo-62-men-40-women-admit-don-t-bother.html#ixzz4pxP8QebB
14. Ghanizadeh A. ADHD, bruxism and psychiatric disorders: does bruxism increase the chance of a comorbid psychiatric disorder in children with ADHD and their parents? Sleep Breath. 2008;12:375–80. [PubMed]
15. Joubert CE. Relationship of self-esteem, manifest anxiety, and obsessive-compulsiveness to personal habits. Psychol Rep. 1993;73:579–583. [PubMed]

16. Klatte KM, Deardorff PA. Nail-biting and manifest anxiety of adults. Psychol Rep. 1981;48:82. [PubMed]
17. Teng EJ, Woods DW, Marcks BA, Twohig MP. Body-focused repetitive behaviors: The proximal and distal effects of affective variables on behavioral expression. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment. 2004;26:55–64.
18. Friman PC, Larzelere R, Finney JW. Exploring the relationship between thumb-sucking and psychopathology. J Pediatr Psychol. 1994;19:431–41. [PubMed]
19. Gilleard E, Eskin M, Savasir B. Nail Biting and oral aggression in a Turkish student population. Br J Med Psychol. 1988;61:197–201. [PubMed]
20. Williams TI, Rose R, Chisholm S. What is the function of nail biting: an analog assessment study. Behav Res Ther. 2007;45:989–995. [PubMed]
21. Wells JH, Haines J, Williams CL, Brain KL. The self-mutilative nature of severe onychophagia: a comparison with self-cutting. Can J Psychiatry. 1999;44:40–7. [PubMed]
22. Stein DJ, Flessner CA, Franklin M, et al. Is trichotillomania a stereotypic movement disorder? An analysis of body-focused repetitive behaviors in people with hair-pulling. Ann Clin Psychiatry. 2008;20:194–8. [PubMed]
23. Vafaei B, Seidy A. A comparative study on the prevalence of emotional and behavioral symptoms in children and adolescents born to mothers with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Acta Medica Iranica. 2003;41:254–9.
24. Baydas B, Uslu H, Yavuz I, Ceylan I, Dagsuyu IM. Effect of a chronic nail-biting habit on the oral carriage of Enterobacteriaceae. Oral Microbiol Immunol. 2007;22:1–4. [PubMed]
25. Odenrick L, Brattström V. The effect of nail biting on root resorption during orthodontic treatment. Eur J Orthod. 1983;5:185–8. [PubMed]
26. Oliveira AC, Paiva SM, Campos MR, Czeresnia D. Factors associated with malocclusions in children and adolescents with Down syndrome. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2008;133:1–8. [PubMed]
27. Winocur E, Littner D, Adams I, Gavish A. Oral habits and their association with signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders in adolescents: a gender comparison. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2006;102:482–7. [PubMed]
28. Krejci CB. Self-inflicted gingival injury due to habitual fingernail biting. J Periodontol. 2000;71:1029–31. [PubMed]
29. Silber KP, Haynes CE. Treating nail biting: a comparative analysis of mild aversion and competing response therapies. Behav Res Ther. 1992;30:15–22. [PubMed]
30. Lee DY. Chronic nail biting and irreversible shortening of the fingernails. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2009;23:185. [PubMed]
31. Bean WB. Nail growth. Thirty-five years of observation. Arch Intern Med. 1980;140:73–6. [PubMed]

32. Ghanizadeh A. Nail biting; etiology, consequences, and management. Iran J Med Sci. 2011;36:73–79. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
33. Ahmad Ghanizadeh, Amir Bazrafshan, Ali Firoozabadi, and Gholamreza Dehbozorgi. Habit Reversal versus Object Manipulation Training for Treating Nail Biting: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.l Iran J Psychiatry. 2013 Jun; 8(2): 61–67.
34. Woods DW, Murray LK, Fuqua RW, Seif TA, Boyer LJ, Siah A. Comparing the Effectiveness of Similar and Dissimilar Competing Responses in Evaluating the Habit Reversal Treatment for Oral-Digital Habits in Children. Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry. 1999;30:289–300. [PubMed]
35. Woods DW, Miltenberger RG. Tic Disorders, trichotillomania, and other repetitive behavior disorders. behavioral approaches to analysis and treatment. USA: Springer; 2006.
36. Ronen T, Rosenbaum M. Helping Children to Help Themselves: A Case Study of Enuresis and Nail Biting. Research on Social Work Practice. 2001;11:338–56.
37. Leonard HL, Lenane MC, Swedo SE, Rettew DC, Rapoport JL. A double-blind comparison of clomipramine and desipramine treatment of severe onychophagia (nail biting) Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1991;48:821–7. [PubMed]
38. Kindler S, Dannon PN, Iancu I, Sasson Y, Zohar J. Emergence of kleptomania during treatment for depression with serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors. Clin Neuropharmacol. 1997;20:126–9. [PubMed]
39. Velazquez L, Ward-Chene L, Loosigian SR. Fluoxetine in the treatment of self-mutilating behavior. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2000;39:812–4. [PubMed]
40. Marco A Grados, Elizabeth B Atkins, Gabriela I Kovacikova, and Erin McVicar. A selective review of glutamate pharmacological therapy in obsessive–compulsive and related disorders. Psychology Research and Behavior Management 2015:8 115-131. PMC4425334

41. Rothman SM, Mattson MP. Activity-dependent, stress-responsive BDNF signaling and the quest for optimal brain health and resilience throughout the lifespan. Neuroscience. 2013;239:228–240. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
42. Olivia Dean, Frank Giorlando, and Michael Berk. N-acetylcysteine in psychiatry: current therapeutic evidence and potential mechanisms of action. 2011. PMC3044191
43. Odlaug BL, Grant JE. N-acetyl cysteine in the treatment of grooming disorders. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2007;27:227–9. [PubMed]
44. Berk M, Jeavons S, Dean O, et al. Nail-biting stuff? The effect of N-acetyl cysteine on nail-biting. CNS Spectr. 2009;14:357–60. [PubMed]
45. Haley Edwards, MentalFloss.com JANUARY 26, 2012 http://mentalfloss.com/article/29840/6-hugely-successful-products-originally-invented-something-else 
46. Sept. 2112. https://health.wikinut.com/Medical-Advances-of-the-Last-100-Years/6j76joph/
47. Dan Childs, Susan Kansagra, et al. ABC News, Sept. 20, 2007 http://abcnews.go.com/Health/TenWays/story?id=3605442&page=
48. Source: http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/our-history

The post Nail Biting – Using Science To Quit first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

Excerpt from Face-to-Face with Doug Schoon, Volume II
Available on Amazon and iTunes- July 2017

In this article, I’ll explain what a Russian Manicure is and why you never want one if your nail professional doesn’t have the correct training and appropriate license.

Since knowledge is power, I’ll also give you tips to help you become a better consumer when visiting a salon.

What Is It?

Some people around the globe are teaching a highly risky technique that goes by several different names including, the “Russian” or “Equipment” or “E-File” manicure. 

It doesn’t matter what it’s called, they are essentially the same.

The process is to use an electronic file with very fine bits to file off the living skin around the nail plate. They also file off the dead cuticle skin on the nail plate.

The skin that everyone incorrectly thinks is the cuticle is called the proximal fold of the eponychium.

The proximal fold, lateral side walls, and the hyponychium create the 4 required guardian seals to protect the nail bed and matrix from harmful germs and bacteria.

We never want to cut or sand down live skin!

I believe the Russian manicure techniques are a potential threat to the entire nail industry.

Here’s Why

These are procedures that can be “invasive” and they promote the intentional cutting and/or abrasion of the living skin surrounding the nail plate.

Those who teach these Russian manicure techniques don’t use the term “abrasion.” Instead, they use nicer marketing terms like “buffing” or “polishing.”  

Also, they claim to be removing pterygium, which would be incorrect. The pterygium is on the underside of the nail tip.

What these nail technicians are doing is removing the skin from the proximal nail fold and side walls.

To claim that the “nails look prettier” in my view is a poor reason to jeopardize a client’s health when safer ways to perform a manicure exist.

Cutting/abrading damages the skin and creates the very problem manicures are supposed to solve.

The result is more damaged skin that later must be cut or abraded away. It’s like a dog chasing its own tail!  

Many people report the skin around the nail plate grows back thicker after the Russian manicure, so the nail tech needs to continue the method regularly, just to keep up.  

The Crushing Danger

Nail salons are already under intense scrutiny and don’t need the media or salon-bashing activist groups using this as another reason to avoid salons.

This is a troubling concern.

Many people will be frightened by such techniques. This will make more people afraid of nail technicians and their services rather than enjoy the many positive benefits that salons offer.

Some nail techs justify their actions by claiming to use only sterile or disposable implements. They naively believe this prevents infections. Wrong!

Whenever the living skin is cut or abraded, the damaged area is more susceptible to infection for many hours or even days. The potential risk of infection will remain until the body heals.

One proponent of these methods argued to me, “I’ve never heard of that happening.”

Well, of course not!

Not many people would openly admit they cut a client’s skin and caused an infection.

Schools and teachers who promote these methods don’t check back with their students on a regular basis, so how could they know about when the methods they teach are being misused?

I’ve seen these types of nail tech inflicted infections occur many times.

Also, when this thin skin is damaged, it becomes more susceptible to irritation and may lead to permanent allergic reactions to nail coating products.

How?

Many people who use this nail preparation technique place nail coating products directly onto or up against the damaged skin. This also drastically increases the client’s risk for adverse skin reactions.

Some teachers say the bits are not abrasive and are smooth. Think about it. If they were not abrading the skin, then they would have no effect.

It is true that these bits may be less abrasive than the bits uses to file down acrylic nail enhancements.

But, any bit spinning at thousands of RPM and placed against the skin surface will abrade the skin.

This abrasion can reduce the skin’s effectiveness as a germ and bacteria barrier. It also makes it easier for infections and adverse skin reactions to occur.

Fools Rush in Where Angels Fear to Tread

Another person asked me, “if it’s such a risk, why are so many doing it?

Just because some people do this technique doesn’t mean it’s safe.

This method should NOT be taught to the masses via Internet videos or online classes. Yet this is what’s being done weekly.

Too many people are “jumping on the bandwagon” without considering the consequences to their clients or their business.  

Nor do I think so-called Russian manicure certification classes are the answer.

Many students of these courses often disregard important precautions and will return to the salon and do it “their way.” Then they will teach other nail technicians “their way” and those nail technicians will also do it “their way.”

Soon, the precautions will be forgotten and this could have unforeseen consequences that could harm clients and may be disastrous for the reputation of the nail industry.

Interestingly, many people who do these services claim they do it the safe way and others do not. Isn’t that the “pot calling the kettle black?”

Are You Licensed?

Even more importantly, using an e-file to smooth this skin is considered microdermabrasion. In many regions, microdermabrasion is restricted only to those with special licenses beyond nail technician licensing.

For instance, in the USA an esthetician license (or sometimes a cosmetology license) is required to perform microdermabrasion.

Ready To Fall?

I can walk on a rope that is one inch from the ground. I won’t get hurt if I fall.

But what if I try to walk on the same rope five feet above the ground? I could get seriously injured!  

An expert tightrope walker doesn’t worry about falling from five feet—they are experts.

The low rope allows a lot of room for error for non-experts, while the high rope allows “little room for error”.
When high-speed bits are used and manicures become motorized, this allows little room for error.

The skin around the nails is nothing like that on the palm of the hand or bottom of the foot. It is much thinner and easier to damage.

Besides, even calluses should not be filed smooth, since this also increases the risks of infections. A protective layer of callus should always be left behind.

Some e-file experts do understand how to prevent injuries. But this is not such an easy thing to teach to non-experts, especially after just a few hours of instruction (or even a few days), which is what most classes offer.

In Conclusion

NEVER intentionally cut or abrade the skin around the nail plate. That’s trouble waiting to happen!

Doug Schoon, Author of Nail Structure and Product Chemistry

NEVER place any nail coating product directly against the skin, especially damaged skin!

This is, even more, trouble waiting to happen. It increases the risks of skin irritation and permanent allergies to these products.

Better Solutions

Protect and pamper the skin around your client’s nails—don’t invade it.  

Teach them that their dry skin can be hydrated with a high-quality nail oil blend. It’s a simple and non-invasive solution.

Continue using the appropriate methods to properly remove the cuticle.

Explain to your clients and friends why they should avoid this Russian manicure technique as well.

We need you to help spread the word. Thank you! ~Doug Schoon

For more critically important advice about nail care, order Face-to-Face with Doug Schoon, Volume II, available on Amazon and iTunes- July 2017

The post The Russian Manicure – Is It Dangerous? first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

Are you frustrated with tedious polish removal?  Especially gel polish removal?

Are you tired of staining your nails yellow?

In this article, you’ll learn:

• Why scrubbing is the worst way to remove polish
• How warm acetone works faster
• How the Soak and Swipe™ method can reduce long-term yellow staining from polish

The Need For Speed

In today’s article, I’m going to share with you that there is a better way!

Trust me, this is one of those things that will change your life forever.

Yep. Nail polish removal just got way easier!

Besides, using a peel off base coat I’ve discovered that the fastest way to remove polish is using my Soak and Swipe™ method.

Some of us don’t want to use a peel off basecoat. If you’re busy like me, you want your manicure to last as long as possible without chipping.

This is obviously a desire for many of us since the new lines of polishes are touting up to 7-10 days of glossy wear.

See It In Action

For those of you ready to start before even finishing this article, here is my quick video tutorial and the written directions. I’ll explain how and why this technique is so amazing later in the article.

What You Need:

• Cotton balls or makeup remover pads
• Cheap kitchen oil
• Acetone
• Manicure Clips

How To Start:

• Cut cotton makeup pads into quarters or unroll a cotton ball into a long strip and cut into nail sized pieces.
• Apply cheap kitchen oil to your skin up to first knuckle. This helps minimize the drying effect acetone has on the skin.
• Thoroughly saturate one piece of cotton with acetone. You want it almost dripping.
• Apply cotton to nail
• Apply manicure clip, and press firmly closed. This helps increase the warmth of the acetone.
• Continue the process with remaining 4 fingers.

How To Finish

1. Check the first nail. Do you see the polish getting pulled into the cotton? Regular polish will dissolve quickly. Glitter and gel polishes will take longer to dissolve.
2. Remove the clip.
3. Saturate another piece of cotton and press it on the cotton on your nail. With firm pressure, slide the cotton off from cuticle line to tip of nail. The polish should swipe right off. It’s a total game changer! I can already hear you giggling at how fast that worked.
4. Continue with remaining fingers.
5. Repeat the process on the other hand.

Why I Love This Technique

Staining

Color in polish is created with different dyes and pigments. Some polish companies use cheaper pigments that can stain the nail plate. I can also attest to using the salon brands and ending up with nails stained bright blue, purple, or pink.

When you experience yellow staining over multiple manicures, that’s because of the compounding effect of removing polish.

When this happens to me, I can see nice transparent nail growth past my cuticle line and the yellow staining deepens as the nail becomes the free edge.

In the photo to the right, you can see what I mean. See how the nail is nice and transparent near the cuticle line, but it gets more stained as it goes toward my tips?

That’s just staining from polish.

Scrubbing

When the lacquer has hardened on your nail plate, the pigments are trapped in the resins. What happens when you are scrubbing to dissolve the lacquer? Those pigments are released from the resin.

Ok, so that’s not such a big deal. We can live with that. Right?

But what are you doing when you scrub? You’re driving the pigments into the top surface layers of the nail plate.

Besides the fact that scrubbing takes a long time and sucks the oil out of your nail plate, you can see it’s just not a great option.

Warming Acetone

In Doug Schoon’s book Nail Structure and Chemistry, he says that “nail enhancements will swell and break apart more quickly if the solvent is slightly warmer than body temperature. Slightly warming product removers/solvents can significantly reduce product removal time…Warming solvents should be done with great care and caution!

Many solvents are highly flammable, including acetone and alcohol. To safely warn the solvents, place a partially filled plastic bottle containing the solvent under hot running water. Never warm solvents on a stove, in a microwave, or with an open flame.

Most salon solvents are far too flammable and may catch fire. Also loosen the cap so that pressure doesn’t build up in the bottle, causing it to crack or burst open. Finally, cover the dish and hand with a damp cloth while soaking to reduce vapors in the air.”

The takeaway from this is; don’t blow up your house! You’re risking your safety and perhaps even life when warming highly flammable solvents like acetone. It’s a hazardous task and I don’t recommend it.

So, how perfect is this Soak and Swipe ™ technique?

The clips warm the acetone and covers it to reduce vapors in the air. Yay!

Why Acetone?

Doug also says, “why do some nail technicians avoid acetone? Probably because they’ve heard untrue things about this beneficial substance. What is the truth about acetone? Acetone is one of the most important solvents in the world….Just because a chemical is absorbed through the skin doesn’t mean it must be unsafe.

In the case of acetone, it is almost impossible for dangerous amounts of acetone to penetrate the skin. Unless you soak your fingers every day in a bowl of acetone for long periods, it is very unlikely to cause serious harm or damage.” ~Nail Structure and Product Chemistry

Icy Fingers

I originally learned soaking instead of scrubbing by Deborah Lippmann. The thing I hated was how cold my fingers became.

Since acetone evaporates quicker than water, it makes your skin very cold. The process became a love/hate relationship.

When I figured out that manicure clips make polish removal incredibly fast and comfortable, I knew I needed to bring them to my Bliss Kiss™ customers.

The Solution for Gel Nail Polish Removal Too!

Manicure clips are also very helpful for those of you who love gel nails! They are easier and way quicker to apply than the traditional foil wrap method. 

1. Just make sure that you file off the shiny surface of the gel so the acetone can penetrate the gel.
2. Also, soak long enough that the gel completely slides off with the pressure of your fingers.

Do those two things and you’ll see how easily the Soak & Swipe manicure clips remove gel nail polish.

Although manufacturers’ instructions say to use an orangewood stick to push the flaked gel off, they are wrong.

Even Doug Schoon agrees with me. His electron microscope damage can be seen in his article about safe polish removal.  

In Conclusion

Nail polish removal is a necessary although annoying part of polishing our nails with gorgeously colored lacquers.

Isn’t it wonderful when knowledge and products come together to make our lives easier? Little things like this just make me happy.

I hope this helps you too.

Now, get busy and remove that polish!

The post Nail Polish Remover Tips first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

The post ASK ANA – Nail Files With Polish? first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

Often times people think that clear fingernails is a sign that something is wrong. While your fingernails are a reflection of your overall health, there are external factors that can make you have clear fingernails. By the end of this article, you will understand what things cause nails to turn clear and that it might not be an indication that something bad is happening.

ASK ANA

“Hey there! I was wondering if you could help me with one of my biggest nail problems… I’ve always had extremely transparent nails, we can actually see through them (but that’s only one part of the problem) and as you can guess they’re uncommonly weak, they tend to unwillingly easily bend and thus causing some kind of imitation of brittle nails. I’ve tried different treatments to strengthen them but nothing has ever truly worked. So my question is, would there be something to change in my diet, a keratin trouble of some kind? (since i also have very thin and weak hair) or simply does a magical product i don’t know of actually exists…? Thanks a lot in advance for your precious help! ~Calou

ANSWER

This is a topic that can be very convoluted, so I will do my best to keep it simple. There are many factors that can cause the free edge of your fingernails to be clear. But the most important thing to know is … that your nail plate is made of translucent keratin protein.

The Healthy Nail Plate

Yep, the healthy nail plate is supposed to be semi-transparent. The pink area you see on your nails is actually the life-nourishing, nail bed BELOW the nail plate. The nail bed provides a constant flow of moisture and oil through the nail plate. In fact, there are only two substances that can travel through the nail plate; water and oil. Water can travel THROUGH and AROUND the nail cells.  Certain oils with a small molecular structure can travel AROUND the nail cells. Your fingernail is produced in the matrix right behind your proximal fold, (cuticle line). The lunula (small moon) is the only visible part of your matrix. The reason the lunula is a different color is that those are the keratin nail cells that are plump and still alive. Most people can see the lunula on their thumbnails. As soon as those keratin cells pass the lunula area, they die. They dry out and lose their opacity—becoming translucent, and flatten becoming the 50ish layers of keratin cells that make up our “fingernails.” The color of the free edge that extends past your fingertips depends on how much of the inner cell material stays in the nail plate cells as they continue to grow forward on the nail plate. Usually, they are fairly clear just as they move past the fingertip, then turn white because they aren’t being ‘hydrated’ by a continuous upward flow of body oil and moisture from the nail bed.

Are White Tips Healthy?

So if your nail tips (free edge) is turning white, it’s because your nails are drying out and the whiter they are, the more dried out they are. Hypothetically speaking, this makes me wonder if we’ve got it all backward! Is the reason white tips are so highly coveted because our society has NEVER known how to properly rehydrate their nails?

Are You Average?

Genetics, your health, and natural nail thickness are important parts in determining what color your nail turns as it leaves the fingertip. The average number of keratin layers people have is about 50 layers in their fingernails (100 for toenails). A person with 30 layers may have tips that stay more transparent. A person with 60 layers is going to have more layers to keep hydrated, and if they don’t, the tips become whiter. Once you’ve properly rehydrated your nails with a jojoba wax ester based nail oil like Bliss Kiss™ Simply Pure™, your nails become the color they are supposed to be. Your nails could be completely translucent, be partially white with spots or bands of translucency, or fully white. All are normal.

Other Factors That Affect Color

Water

According to Dr. Bhupinder Kaur on the MedHelp website, continuous contact with water can make your nails transparent. Washing your hands not only dries out your skin, but it also strips oil from your nails. There are many microscopic channels that make it easy for the nail plate to absorb large quantities of water. A normal nail plate can hold almost 1/3 it’s own weight in water! Remember how I said earlier that water is able to pass BETWEEN the keratin cells but also THROUGH the flattened cells. Nails that have been soaking in water become overly soft, overly flexible and tear easily. Healthy nails have about 18% water. But too much moisture can weaken the nail plate by separating the keratin layers leading to serious peeling and splitting problems.

Solutions

Oil: Since we all need to wash our hands and bathe, to fight the water’s effect on your nails, rehydrate them with a high quality, jojoba based nail and cuticle oil like Simply Pure™. Gloves: Learn to love gloves. I know many of you hate them, but realize that for various reasons you have “decided” to hate them. If you want healthy, beautiful nails, then you need to decide to love gloves. Wear cotton gloves while doing dry housekeeping. Wear dish gloves for as much wet housekeeping as possible; dishes, laundry, heavy cleaning. Cut back on your contact with soaps and detergents. Polish: Nail polish is a strong protective barrier between your nail plate and water. Nail polish doesn’t eliminate water absorption but it slows it down significantly. Just make sure you are using my Fab 5 Technique and completely wrapping your base coat and top coat around your free edge.

Nail Polish Removers

I know I’m stating the obvious, but polish removers are very drying to your nails. If you love polish then you have to love removers. But most of you don’t. You fear acetone. Why? Because someone in the non-acetone industry had an excellent public relations department who brainwashed us into thinking that non-acetone is less drying. We bought into the lie. The truth is that acetone and non-acetone ingredients (ethyl acetate & methyl ethyl ketone) are solvents. They dissolve stuff that water can’t dissolve. Nail polish needs a solvent. According to scientific information, acetone is slightly safer than ethyl acetate & methyl ethyl ketone. And acetone dissolves things faster! You want the product that dissolves lacquer faster because it’s LESS drying.

Work With the Acetone

If acetone is going to dissolve nail polish, then it’s going to dissolve the oil in your nails. Acetone also evaporates extremely fast, taking your nail’s moisture with it. This seriously whitens nail tips and makes them very brittle.

1. BEFORE removing polish, cover the skin around your nails with an inexpensive oil from your kitchen. Let the acetone work on that oil instead of your skin’s oils. My new favorite method is to add Simply Soft™ acetone additive to my acetone which lets me skip the oil slathering process.

2. Use my Soak & Swipe method to remove polish in a few minutes. I’m not kidding. You can remove the polish on all 10 fingers in about 4 minutes.

The manicure clips trap in your body heat, which warms up the acetone, making it dissolve polish 50% faster.

3. AFTER removing polish, gently scrub your nails with a nail brush and warm, soapy water for one or two minutes. This will put water back into your nails.

4. Rehydrate your nails with a jojoba wax ester based nail oil. Keep reapplying oil when your nails feel dry for 2 to 8 hours.

5. When you’re ready to polish your nails again, follow the directions for my Fab 5 Polish Wrap.

When to Visit The Doctor

NOTE: I doubt there is any great medical significance here, but there are three minerals that should be checked to make sure you are not deficient in them.

• Zinc
• Calcium
• Magnesium

These are checked on blood tests but are not done routinely so you will need to ask your General Practitioner to check for them specifically.

Deficiencies in these can cause discolored, brittle or white spots on nails. Make sure you are eating a good diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables.

In Conclusion

There are lots of reason for having clear fingernails. For most people, it has nothing to do with health issues. But, if you tried all of my solutions and are still having issues, it might be worth a trip to the doctor. Most likely they will set your mind at ease by telling you that there is nothing wrong.

The post Clear Fingernails & Health Issues first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

Ridges in Nails—ASK ANA

ASK ANA

Hi Ana, I am starting to get deeper ridges on my nails and I don’t like the way it looks. Is it ok to buff them down so my nails are smooth? Some people say yes, some say don’t do it. I don’t know who to believe. ~Jessica

ANSWER

I’ve got ridges too and I don’t like them either.

And you know, it’s pretty tough to find the truth, especially when Oprah’s very own beauty director, Val Monroe, recommends incorrect advice. She endorses buffing your nails smooth or covering ridges with an opaque (solid) polish.” [source: Oprah.com]

Both of these are terrible ideas!

I’ll explain why.

The Truth About Ridges in Nails

I recently finished watching the 3D DVD “Inside Doug Schoon’s Brain.”  Mr. Schoon’s book, Nail Structure and Product Chemistry is my ‘Nail Bible’. I can not tell you how exciting it was to me to finally find out “WHY” we should NOT file down ridges! *geeky girl glee.*

In this DVD, Mr. Schoon explains what’s happening with ridges by using an electron microscope photo enlarged 150 times.

You know how I say almost everything we seem to know about nails is BACKWARDS? This is true for our belief about ridges too.

Ridges in nails are actually the healthy part of the nail. It’s the concave portions that are thinner because the nail matrix isn’t working properly and at full capacity.

It is actually the dips in the nails that are the weaker portions! The thicker portions (ridges) are really the healthier, stronger nail sections.

Take a look at the photo below. It is a cross-section of the nail plate enlarged 150 times. The wavy top is the visible top surface of your nail. The bottom is the part that sits on your nail bed. It is also the same part that becomes the underside of your nail tip as it grows past your fingertip.

The higher portion is what we consider a “ridge”. The “groove” in between each ridge is typically 5% to 7% thinner than the rest of the healthy nail.

Photo courtesy of Doug Schoon, ‘Inside Doug Schoon’s Brain’ DVD

See that big crack to the right of the yellow arrow? We’ll zoom in on that crack in the next photo.

Since the grooves are thinner, they have a higher tendency to crack, like the photo below. As this crack becomes worse, the layers will start to peel away, causing your nail plate to be even thinner. This can lead to those crazy splitting nails that are so hard to deal with.

Photo courtesy of Doug Schoon, ‘Inside Doug Schoon’s Brain’ DVD

The Aging Process

This explains why ridges seem to get more pronounced with age. As we age, our digestive system does not function at the level of a young person.

We don’t absorb as many of the required vitamins and minerals for nail production. Therefore, the ridges appear more pronounced, when it’s actually the thinner, grooved areas becoming more deeper and more pronounced.

Should You File Ridges in Nails?

You probably know the answer by now. If we file down the ridges to match the rest of the nail plate, we’re actually thinning our nail plate to match the thinnest, weakest portions of the nail!

Ms. Monroe’s Flawed Advice

Now I’ll get back to Ms. Monroe’s advice. Obviously buffing and sanding is a bad idea. But what about the opaque polish?

It’s my understanding and experience that nail polish seems to be formulated to create a thin, even coating over the entire nail. It is going to create a nice, thin layer over the ridges and the dips.

When I see older women with polish over their ridged nails, the polish seems to make the ridges more obvious. Opaque polish is not a great idea either.

The Solution

The moral of the story is… you really should just ROCK YOUR RIDGES!

Along with Doug Schoon, my recommendation is to use a high-quality ridge filling base coat like OPI Ridge Filler or Seche Base Ridge Filling Base Coat to fill in the grooved areas and smooth out the surface of your nail before applying your color lacquer.

Rather than creating one thin layer like polish, ridge filling base coats are full of micro-particle ingredients that settle into the concave portions of your nail.

Using a ridge filling base coat will solve three problems for you.

1. Reducing staining
2. Creating a surface that polish loves. (Base coats are formulated to bond to the natural nail plate. Polish is formulated to bond to base coat, not the nail.)
3. Smoothing the nail surface

Hydration is Helpful!

If you’re looking to improve the overall health and flexibility of your nails, consider taking our 30 Day Challenge! Make sure you pick up a Mega Hydration Kit, and get ready to get your GLOW ON!

The post RIDGES IN NAILS —To Buff or Not To Buff? first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

Do you know where the cuticle is? Are you supposed to push, clip or scrape?

The correct answer might surprise you. It’s “Scrape.”

This is probably one of the most important articles you will read about nail care.

In this article,  you’ll learn:

• What and where the cuticle is
• Some important nail anatomy names
• How to remove the cuticle properly

We’ve Been Duped

The entire planet has been taught the incorrect definition for the “cuticle”.

The tight band of skin at the base of your nail plate is NOT the cuticle.

That band of skin is called the “keratinized proximal nail fold ” or “nail fold”.

So where is that elusive cuticle if what we’ve been taught is incorrect?

The cuticle is a thin layer of dead tissue riding on the nail plate to form a seal between the nail plate and proximal nail fold to prevent pathogens from infecting the matrix area.

The cuticle should NOT be confused with the proximal nail fold. ~Doug Schoon, Nail Structure and Product Chemistry

The Proximal Nail Fold

Please, please, please…DO NOT CUT THIS SKIN!

The proximal nail fold (PNF) is a required guardian seal that prevents germs and bacteria from getting to the nail matrix, where new cells are created.

I always know when people are clipping and nipping. Their entire cuticle line is red and inflamed. Basically, their PNF is infected all the time.

If you go to a salon for a manicure, please do not ever let your nail technician cut this skin.

The best way to keep the PNF skin soft and tight to the nail plate is with a high quality, jojoba wax ester based penetrating nail and cuticle oil.

Where Does The Cuticle Come From?

How the cuticle is created is fascinating to me and sounds like it should be painful.

But it isn’t.

The Death Grip

The proximal nail fold is living skin that covers approximately 20% of the nail plate, right over the matrix.

The PNF is a very important guardian seal preventing germs and bacteria from getting into the matrix.

Not surprisingly, the tissue that sits upon the nail plate is very different from the proximal nail fold.

The underside of the proximal nail fold is a thin layer of specialized cells called the eponychium which has a strange, sticky texture. This is why it is so important to NOT dig a tool underneath the proximal nail fold, including electronic file bits.

As the nail cells are created and pushed forward, the nail plate literally rips the layer of eponychium cells with it.

It is these cells that are the cuticle.

Cuticle cells also tightly grip the proximal nail fold. This creates a nice, tight guardian seal that prevents bacteria and germs from damaging or destroying your nail matrix.

For some people, the proximal fold releases from the cuticle on its own.

For people like me, that death grip is too strong. My cuticle will pull the PNF and stretch it out very thin.

In the photo above, you can see both examples. One half of the proximal fold has released on its own and the other half is still being stretched.

Most people can’t see their cuticle since the skin is so thin, but this photo captured it perfectly.

Breaking the Cuticle’s Grasp – Push Back

Should you push back your proximal fold?

I do, but it’s completely up to you.

When you release the grip, your proximal fold is able to stay nice and tight. As long as you don’t push too hard with your fingernail or a tool, the healthy seal under the proximal nail fold stays intact, and your matrix stays healthy.

You don’t ever want to push so hard that your fingernail or tool goes under the proximal fold.

My Experiment

I did an experiment to figure all of this out. I stopped pushing back my nail folds for 3 weeks to see what would happen.

The proximal folds were stretched an additional 3 millimeters! I also started getting those painful, thin, shredded hangnails that tear, bleed, and get infected––just like the ones in the photo above.

When I released the PNF from the cuticle, the band of skin remained stretched out.

Within 24 hours that skin was drying out, getting hard, and I had a strong desire to clip it.

Ah-ha!

I had finally figured out why people clip their proximal folds!

Geeky…but that was an exciting discovery for me. Before my experiment, I’ve always pushed back my proximal folds, I’ve never had the desire to clip.

I started oiling and massaging that skin several times a day. Within a week my proximal folds were back to normal and looking beautifully healthy.

The Solution?

Simply use your fingernail to gently push back the proximal fold to break the death grip about every 4 to 7 days.

If your nails are really short, you can use an orangewood stick. Just be gentle.

If you keep your skin hydrated with a high quality, jojoba wax ester based penetrating nail and cuticle oil, then it will be easy to push back your nail folds.

This can also be done in the shower. Just make sure you are wearing one coat of base coat when showering.

Why? Many of my readers know that my #1 Rule is “Never Shower Naked”.

Do We Really Need to Remove the Cuticle?

It depends. Do you always have bare nails? Then the answer is no.

Do you wear polish, gel, acrylic or other nail enhancements? Then the answer is yes.

Since polish and nail enhancements don’t bond to the skin on the nail plate, the cuticle should be properly removed with gentle scraping.

Proper Cuticle Removal

Again, some people are able to scrape the cuticle off with their fingernail in the shower.

Others like to use a cuticle remover.

How Cuticle Removers Work

The best ingredient to dissolve human protein cells is “lye“. You’ll also find it labeled as potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, or caustic potash.

Lye is largely used in the soap making process. All cuticle removers contain lye.

Personally, I love using a cuticle remover. Some people hate it.

Currently, I use our Bliss Kiss™ Simply Gone™ cuticle remover.

I’ve used Blue Cross™ and I hate it for 3 reasons. It’s too watery, it eats my live skin, and causes those tiny strips of shredded skin below the proximal fold. You can see some of those hangnails in the photo farther up in this article.

What I LOVE about our Simply Gone™, is that it is a thicker consistency like hair conditioner. It doesn’t run or drip so I can put it exactly where I want it.

Lye Dissolves All Skin

The cuticle is dead skin.

The proximal nail fold is live skin.

Cuticle removers have no preference.

The directions on all cuticle removers tell you to apply it to only the nail plate and do not let it touch your skin.

As many of you know, that is easier said than done.

I have much more control with a cream or gel type of remover. Watery removers wick all around on your live fingertip skin.

What’s In Your Toolbox?

Orangewood stick?

Plastic cuticle tool?

Or metal cuticle tool that follows the curve of your nail plate?

Doug Schoon prefers that people use the orangewood stick. I think it’s most likely because the metal tool is widely abused.

If you use too much downward pressure near the proximal nail fold, you can cause damage to the matrix. This damage is often seen as white spots in the nail plate. These are nail bruises.

Personally, I like the metal, spoon-shaped tool. It’s faster.

As a busy mom and businesswoman, I don’t often get the luxury to do my nail care the slow way. I also use the tool correctly, which I explain in more detail below.

For those of you with a flatter C-Curve or if you have fragile nails, you’ll love the plastic cuticle/PNF pusher on our Squeeze Pens.  (If you’re not sure if you have flatter C-Curves, take the Nail Type Quiz!)

Depending on your budget, try different tools to see what you prefer. You might just find that using your own fingernail works well too.

The Solution?

For two years I have been looking for a solution to the strong, dissolving power of cuticle removers without damaging my skin. And I finally found it.

Simply cover your skin with a layer of a liquid latex barrier, or watered down white glue (25%/75%) if you have a latex allergy.

Let it dry and then you are free to apply cuticle remover safely.

From Start to Finish

1. Apply your skin barrier and allow to dry.
2. Apply the remover following the manufacturers’s directions.
3. Using a cuticle removal tool–gently, gently, gently–scrape back and stop right at the proximal fold. Glide the tool against the surface of your nail plate. The remover solution will have dissolved the cuticle so downward pressure is unnecessary.
4. The cuticle will build up on the back of the remover. Wipe that onto a paper towel.
5. Turn the tool 90 degrees to your your nail plate, and slide the tool along your proximal fold to scoop away the remaining cuticle and remover.
6. Once you are finished, remove the barrier and rinse your hands with water.

In Conclusion

I hope you’ve found this article helpful.

Just remember, with all of your nail care and nail enhancement product use… if it hurts… stop.

The post The Cuticle – Should You Clip, Push, or Scrape? first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

ASK ANA: Peeling Nails

UPDATE: Since writing this article, I have replaced the 3-Day Hydration Treatment with a faster Intensive Hydration Treatment that works in 2 to 12 hours.

“Hi Ana, every time I try to complete the 3-Day Hydration Treatment, I never get past the 1st day because my nails start to peel. I revert back to using my polish for protection. (I’ve noticed my nails do not split or peel when I have them polished). I just feel like I have not been able to get the full benefits of your oil because I am afraid of going naked. Because of this, I only have a picture of my nails polished.

Do you recommend I still do the 3-Day Treatment even if my nails continue to peel? I know you have recommended to just trim the peel portion off & not filing it down or buffing. That’s damaging.

Now, the main problem for me is after my shower. I try not to take long showers so my nails are not in water for too long. If I apply a thin layer of base coat & completely wrap my underside. Can the oil penetrate through the one layer?

Image Source: Carmen

I just feel frustrated because I am not being able to benefit completely from your oil because of the peeling so I am afraid to go naked.  Do you have any recommendations or suggestions? Should I just do the oil treatment for 3 days and then polish? How long do you oil in between your manicures? I appreciate you taking the time out of your very busy schedule to answer my questions 🙂 PS: I am taking my nail vitamins & drinking water.” ~Carmen

ANSWER

Carmen, I totally understand your desire to go back to polish for protection. It is a very important temporary strengthening product and a big component to having healthy nails.

Based on your description, 2+2 is not equaling 4 for me. Peeling usually doesn’t happen with one exposure to water . . . it’s usually several, if not dozens of exposures. But of course, everyone is different.

Never Shower Naked

One of my rules is to never shower with naked nails. Like I’ve written in previous articles, water is extremely damaging to nails.

This is why I now recommend doing a 2 to 12 hour intensive hydration treatment.

Now I must confess—I like long hot showers—so I never shower without at least one coat of basecoat completely wrapped around my tips.

The combination of hot water, rubbing shampoo in your hair, and water absorption can pull a lot of oil out of our nails.

Polish Prevents Additional Peeling

Once you apply polish, the oil is trapped in your nails. Water absorption is decreased about 99%—this is a completely non-scientific guess based on my personal experience.

Your pink nail bed also continues to pump the perfect blend of 18% water and 5% body oil into your nail plate under the polish. This is why the nail plate over your nailbed is transparent.

So in a sense, yes, polish can reduce further peeling. It encapsulates the peeling layers so that water can’t force them to peel more.

The oil you apply after your nails are polished simply prevents premature cracking of the polish. It absorbs into the surface of the polish keeping it more flexible.

Polish Is Essential!

People love learning that polish is actually a great way to keep our nails healthier! Especially because everyone they know tells them the opposite.

After people have completed an Intensive Hydration Treatment then my Fab 5 Wrap technique takes over in importance.

It’s the combination of consistent oiling and wearing polish that helps reduce nail breakage and additional peeling.

Carmen, your skin looks beautiful! So maybe you’re getting all the benefit you need. If your nails bend instead of snapping when you bang them against something, then you’re fine.

Bliss Kiss™ Simply Pure™ hydrating nail oil helps people who have brittle nails because they are dried out. This causes them to break all the time.

As I mentioned before, our pink nail bed provides the perfect blend of 18% moisture and 5% oil. But once the nail plate has left the nail bed, our tips are no longer being hydrated. This is where Pure Nail Oil™ helps increase strength and flexibility.

The Magic is Between Manicures

I do a mini-hydration treatment for 2 to 6 hours between manicures . . . depending on time . . . and then apply at least one layer of basecoat wrapped around my tips to reduce water absorption during a shower and hand washing.

Daily Maintenance

Many people are afraid that using a high quality, jojoba wax ester based nail oil is going to leave them greasy or is too time consuming.

From start to finish, it takes me 30 to 60 seconds to rub about one drop of oil to my nails and skin. I do that about 4 times a day.

In Conclusion

I think when all is said and done, your nails and skin are beautiful. The polish is helping prevent premature breakage and the oil is keeping your skin hydrated. It looks like you’re doing everything right.

And if you’re happy with your nails . . . then you are certainly doing everything right. Keep it up!

If you liked this article . . . please share!

The post ASK ANA: Peeling Nails – Does Polish Prevent It? first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

I have super thin nails that break easily. Starting when I was in college and a lifeguard/swim instructor at my local YMCA, I wore two thin coats of hard gel for 20 years.

I stopped for two years in 2008. I was too busy being a mother of four active and exhausting children.

As many of you know, this was a huge mistake. I gave up the last bit of “me time”.

In 2010 discovered the online world of nails and nail art. I took up my love of nail polish again.

My Research

I spent a lot of time learning about nail care. Doug Schoon’s book, Nail Structure and Product Chemistry became my nail bible. It was the only piece of truth I could get my hands on.

Most of the nail care advice thrown around the internet is false, misleading, and some is actually damaging.

Doug’s book taught me that oil is very important to keeping nails strong yet flexible.

Since I’m allergic to almond oil, which seems to be in just about every cuticle oil, I created my own and began oiling my nails several times a day. They soaked up the oil like a sponge. It took three days for them to stop.

After four months, my nails were longer than they had ever been in my life.

When my husband lost his job of 13 years, I thought that some other girls on the planet might be interested in this oil, so Simply Simply Pure™ hydrating oil was born. Cory and I clung together to build our company—Bliss Kiss™.

Hard Gel vs. Soak-Off-Gel

During my daily, all-consuming studies of nail care, I learned about the new revolutionary product called soak-off-gels (SOG).

This new technology was a gel that dissolved in acetone. Hard gels are highly resistant to acetone.

Hard gels must be filed down to 50% of their thickness for maintenance fills, or filed off completely for removal.

It’s very difficult to file off the hard gel without touching the nail plate. The removal process can significantly thin the natural nail.

The new soak-off-gels were significantly less acetone resistant so they had the gloss and toughness of hard gel with easier solvency in acetone for removal.

This new technology was so popular that it seemed like every polish company was jumping on the bandwagon and creating their own version.

Since my nails were really long from my regular use of Simply Pure™ hydrating oil, I wanted to keep them that way. I decided to check out these new gels.

My Technique

My 20 years of experience taught me that polish bonds really well to gel. I thought SOG would be a great option without a permanent commitment.

Rather than doing the normal application process; one coat of basecoat gel, two coats of color gel, and one coat of topcoat gel,  I chose to just apply just the base coat and topcoat as an overlay, and apply traditional polish over my gel.

Based on my experience with hard gel, and since I wasn’t changing a color, I decided to file the SOG to 50% thickness and then apply 2 new layers of clear gel.

This prevented me soaking in acetone every two weeks. I never completely removed the gel. I felt this was a perfect solution for me.

And it was . . . for about six months.

At the same time, I was photographing my nail art with a high-quality camera and I didn’t like seeing the gel growth line under my polish.

Also, since my gel was fairly thin, with each manicure change the gel would start to partially dissolve around my cuticle lines. I was reapplying the gel every week or two.

This was taking an additional hour out of my week above and beyond doing a normal manicure with nail art.

In January 2013, I decided to do my “Let’s Get Naked Challenge” with all of my customers.

This was my first time removing the gel following the manufacturer’s directions of using an orange wood stick to scrape the softened gel.

Most of the gel came off, but some of it didn’t. I continued to scrape at the hard bits, which created white spots in my nails. You can see this in the photo below.

Unknowingly, I had created the same damage that is happening in hundreds of thousands of salons around the world—all because nail professionals are “following the manufacturers instructions!”

No Scraping Allowed

Doug wrote an article—which I published here—showing his research about the damage that can occur when using any tool to “scrape” off the gel.

With Doug’s illuminating electron microscope pictures, the conclusion is simple—you should never use a tool to remove gel after it has softened with acetone.

I have read the instructions from many manufacturers—including CND Shellac, OPI Gel, Essie’s Gel, and Harmony’s Gelish.

All of them recommend scraping the gel off with an orange wood stick or a metal tool after it has softened.

I asked Doug about this discrepancy, since he always tells people to follow the manufacturers directions, but his research indicates that some of those recommendations are damaging. His response was that the manufacturers need to read his research. I totally agree.

Under The Microscope

Doug has taken electron microscopes showing the damage that even a simple orange wood stick can do.

When small white spots appear on the nail plate after removal of the UV nail color coatings (another name for gel), a likely reason is improper removal.  Fortunately, the vast majority of this type of nail damage is completely avoidable.

How does the nail damage occur?  Soaking the natural nail for even a few minutes in acetone or water will temporarily soften the surface making it temporarily more susceptible to damage from any implements that pry, push or force the remaining residual UV coating (gel) from the nail plate. Instead, a good rule to follow is, “use the utmost care for 60 minutes after immersing natural nails in any liquid for more than 60 seconds.” ~Doug Schoon

Aging Gel Is Not a Good Thing

The longer you wear a soak off gel, the harder the product becomes.

This means that gel that you have been wearing for two weeks is easier to remove than gel that you have been wearing for three or four weeks.

Just How Long Does It Take?

Doug Schoon teaches that the manufacturers recommended acetone soaking time is the minimum—not the maximum.

So if they suggest 10 minutes, and then instruct you to wipe off the gel with firm finger pressure only.

If the gel isn’t completely dissolved then you should rewrap your nail and let it soak longer. This means that it can actually take 20, 30, or even 40 minutes to dissolve the gel properly! The gel must completely wipe off with firm finger pressure.

The Education Gap

We have a big problem being created in the professional salon industry.

The Bad News? About 80% of nail professionals are not learning proper application and removal techniques.

The Good News? 20% are fully educated and doing it right!

Here’s the big problem . . .

Nail professionals who are untrained with the gel technology are mixing and matching UV curing lamps with different brands of gels. According to Doug this is a huge mistake.

If you’re using a CND Shellac gel then you should be using the lamp created by CND.

If you’re using Gelish by Hand and Nail Harmony, then you should be using the Gelish curing lamp.

The products and curing lamps are formulated to work together—there is no such thing as a universal curing lamp.

Why I Don’t Wear Gel Nail Polish Anymore

Continuing on from that mini lesson . . . I then cut my nails short, and started applying oil for three days following my own instructions for the 3 Day Hydration Technique. After that, I continued with normal polish manicures.

At the same time, I also deduced that water absorption from the underside of the nail plate will soak through and break a polish or gel bond. (I’m sure Doug could have told me that in 2010….but he’s a busy guy.)

I started wrapping base coat and top coat to the underside of my tips. I always use two coats of ridge filling base coat, two coats of color, and one layer of top coat.

As my nails were growing out, I realized that I was essentially creating 8 coats of polish wrapped around my tips.

For me, the nail polish was giving me the same amount of temporary strength as the gel. And Pure Nail Oil™ was keeping my nails strong and flexible so they didn’t snap when I banged them into something.

I also discovered that since I was completely sealing off my nails from water absorption, my manicures lasted 7 to 10 days before they even started chipping. This was the exact same effect I was getting previously with a gel overlay. The Fab 5 Polish Wrap Technique had been created.

In Conclusion

Like Doug, I think soak-off-gels are an amazing product that can revolutionize the salon industry, but only if they’re removed properly.

They’re a great solution for so many busy people who just want a beautiful, chip free manicure for two weeks.

Soak-Off-Gels are not a good solution for people who like to change their manicures every few days.

If I were going to a salon to get a gel manicure, I would go in two hours before my appointment so there was plenty of time to completely dissolve the gel. You want it slide off with firm finger pressure (no tools!) against the cotton.

I’d then go to the closest coffee shop, grab something warm and delicious, read a magazine, and wait for an hour before the new gel is applied.

A conscientious nail professional will work with your wishes. And if she doesn’t, send her to this article.

I love that I can change my manicures without the added time commitment of gel. That’s my choice.

Hopefully I’ve given you enough information so you can make the best choice for you.

If you liked this article . . . please share!

The post Why I Don’t Wear Gel Nail Polish Anymore first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.