NATURAL NAIL CHALLENGE

Hey ladies

I have not worn fake nails in about four years. I got tired of the pain you get when you break a nail and it always seems to break up at the top where you have skin or the milddle of your nailbed. What took the cake was this one time when my own nail lifted from my nail bed and you could see an air bubble and lift up the nail from the skin ...... ewww !!!

I was mortified and from then on I was like " they try to make me get some fake nails and I said no, no, no " lol . so I have not gotten false nails since.

My nails have always grown , but they break and they are always thin and weak. so I decied I was gonna challenge myself to try to make my nails stronger and to grow them naturally .

The challenge is to give my self a mincure every week and and paint them clear , color or design .

and so far its been 2 weeks and now starting week 3 and ladies I must say it is working and my nails are starting to look good and get stronger .
you can take a look week 1
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

week 2
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Week 3
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

so how about you curlies .........do want to be in the challenge as well. you must do your nails yourself ....and once a week or every 2 .

c'ya ladies

I LUV IT! I don't know if I should join b/c I'm already doing this (people always think my nails are fake). But when I see fake nails I cringe. They always look so...FAKE! Lol

I just think this is a great idea. My nails are pretty strong, but since I am a Bridesmaid end of august I want to retain the length and grow the ones that broke

just wanted to add that if you take Biotin tablets (walmart or anywhere else) your nails will REALLY thicken up and not split anymore. I haven't taken them in a few months, bt it took me 3 days of taking them for my nails to get rock hard and strong. biotin is also great for hair. If you have oily skin only take them a few times a week because biotin can make oily skin oilier.

Also eating protein and dairy keeps nails strong.

But yes I'm in!

I'm intrigued....

Ms Hood wrote:I LUV IT! I don't know if I should join b/c I'm already doing this (people always think my nails are fake). But when I see fake nails I cringe. They always look so...FAKE! Lol

It's ok you can still participate !!! you can still show us your nails and give some tips ..... [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

krys315 wrote:I just think this is a great idea. My nails are pretty strong, but since I am a Bridesmaid end of august I want to retain the length and grow the ones that broke


just wanted to add that if you take Biotin tablets (walmart or anywhere else) your nails will REALLY thicken up and not split anymore. I haven't taken them in a few months, bt it took me 3 days of taking them for my nails to get rock hard and strong. biotin is also great for hair. If you have oily skin only take them a few times a week because biotin can make oily skin oilier.



Also eating protein and dairy keeps nails strong.

But yes I'm in!

C'mon lets get them to where you want them...I think this will still be
cool to do mo matter how long your nails are ! and that some good info thanks, I;m gonna look into that.

PaganWifey wrote:I'm intrigued....

Intrigued ??? to be in the challenge ..

Curly me naturally, did you do the designs on your nails? If so what type of brush did you use to apply the designs? TIA

krazy coils wrote:Curly me naturally, did you do the designs on your nails? If so what type of brush did you use to apply the designs? TIA

Hey KC ,

yes M'am , for the black I just used stripper nail polish( u know the ones that have the thin brush). I just carefully painted a line then filled it in with the regular black polish. then for the flower , I had to be ghetto cause I didn't have the metal dot thingy but I just ordered me one on ebay. but anyway I used a bobby pin to make the flower and the dots .

for the Gold it's just I polished the the whole nail gold then let it dry a little the got some purple glitter polish and polished a thin layer first then put it heavy at the bottom then brush up . and that's all.

but u could also get a super thin nail brush and do it that way .

Yeah definitely look into that. My nails were always splitting so I took Biotin which changed them. Then I stopped and realized that my diet was making my nails split and become brittle. Make sure you get enough protein. Well that was the trick for me.

When you say manicure do you soak your hands or something? Add oil or anything? Or do you just wash your hands then paint them? My nails are a little discolored so I might just use clear for the 1st few weeks. My first day will be this thursday


Maybe Paganwife is intrigued by how pretty your nails are looking???????/

I'm intrigued by the designs. I could do my left hand but my right would look like CRAP.

Since I have started using more natural products in my hair my nails have been growing like weeds!
I love this idea.

A tip I read in InStyle magazine is to use a tea bag to strengthen nails. I'm going to try it. I have plenty of tea bags - use them to create teas from ayurvedic powders & loose tea. My pinky and ring fingernails grow super long. The other digits and my thumb break off quickly. And YES, I refuse to cut them for evenness. I may once my other nails get their act together, LOL.

I'm in.

krys315 wrote:Yeah definitely look into that. My nails were always splitting so I took Biotin which changed them. Then I stopped and realized that my diet was making my nails split and become brittle. Make sure you get enough protein. Well that was the trick for me.

When you say manicure do you soak your hands or something? Add oil or anything? Or do you just wash your hands then paint them? My nails are a little discolored so I might just use clear for the 1st few weeks. My first day will be this thursday


Maybe Paganwife is intrigued by how pretty your nails are looking???????/

Yes I soak my hands in some scented lotion and any type of liquid soap just to make my cuticles soft to push back and then to clip them. and the lotion smells good also makes your hands so soft .
you could add oil in place of the lotion it's up to you . I do this every 2 weeks and paint them every week.
For the discoloration their is a nail bleach that can help get your nails back the right color. and for when you use color make sure you use a base color so your nails wont get stained and turn yellow.

I can't wait to see pics [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

PaganWifey wrote:I'm intrigued by the designs. I could do my left hand but my right would look like CRAP.

Yea I know what you mean , I usually start with the hand that's hard to do and then do the other , it helps . and with practice it gets better [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

tiashauntee wrote:Since I have started using more natural products in my hair my nails have been growing like weeds!
I love this idea.

that is awesome !!I think the products are having that effect on my eyelashes instead of my nails . lol

ChrsLvsBks wrote:A tip I read in InStyle magazine is to use a tea bag to strengthen nails. I'm going to try it. I have plenty of tea bags - use them to create teas from ayurvedic powders & loose tea. My pinky and ring fingernails grow super long. The other digits and my thumb break off quickly. And YES, I refuse to cut them for evenness. I may once my other nails get their act together, LOL.

I'm in.

Hey Chrs !!!

wow do you use a wet tea bag , what do you do ? do you just put it on your nails or make a bowl of tea and dip your hand in there ? seems interesting .

Girl you don't have to cut them if you don't want to ....lol ...cool glad you are in !!!!




Ok ladies don't forget to post pictures, I will be posting my next pic on Fri or Sat . ok see ya ladies and thanks for all the info these nails should be longer in no time ! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

This is the Louboutin manicure that I did a few months ago. I wore my nails painted this way for about a month. The underside (red) is chipped because this pic was taken about 1 week after the initial painting. My nails are getting long again so I may revisit this.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

tiashauntee
Oooooh..it looks like silk!!! :-)

@ tiashauntee
that is super cute !!!!!! , What is the Louboutin Mani ? is because they paint the underside of the nail ? ..

curly-me-naturally wrote:@ tiashauntee
that is super cute !!!!!! , What is the Louboutin Mani ? is because they paint the underside of the nail ? ..

Yes, just like the shoe
http://www.alllacqueredup.com/2007/04/exploring-new-nail-territories.html

tiashauntee wrote:

curly-me-naturally wrote:@ tiashauntee
that is super cute !!!!!! , What is the Louboutin Mani ? is because they paint the underside of the nail ? ..

Yes, just like the shoe
[url=http://www.alllacqueredup.com/2007/04/exploring-new-nail-territories.html

http://www.alllacqueredup.com/2007/04/exploring-new-nail-territories.html[/quote[/url]]

Did you do this yourself? Me likey!

NaturalNixon wrote:

tiashauntee wrote:

curly-me-naturally wrote:@ tiashauntee
that is super cute !!!!!! , What is the Louboutin Mani ? is because they paint the underside of the nail ? ..

Yes, just like the shoe
[url=http://www.alllacqueredup.com/2007/04/exploring-new-nail-territories.html

http://www.alllacqueredup.com/2007/04/exploring-new-nail-territories.html[/quote[/url]]

Did you do this yourself? Me likey!

You know I did! My nails are long enough to do it again, I just might do it this weekend

ok sooo I have to do all of this myself? i cant just go and get a manicure? or is that cheating? [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

ChrsLvsBks wrote:Sorry, for the tea bag, you cut it to place over the nails then apply base coat. You may use more than one strip/piece of the bag to help thicken the nails. The tea bag will come off when using nail polish remover. I owe you pictures. I will take them soon. BTW: Two more nails broke.

I was wrong, you want to do the following.

1) Cut out pieces of teabag for nails.
2) Apply base coat.
3) Place teabag on nails before base coat dries.
4) Apply another coat.
5) Apply polish.

I plan to try this either tonight or this weekend. I will take pictures during the process. I may not be able to post the pictures for a few days--computer is still at shop [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] .

ooooo I like this! I stopped wearing fake nails back in Janurary and I do my own nails every 1-2 weeks!
I plan on re doing my nails next week so I'll post picks of my fresh nails then

I just went and got a manicure on my natural nails and it felt great. They look so pretty and i feel so lady like [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] . LOL, because i never wear color polish on my nails, and I always cut them off. I am glad I saw this post, I will post pics later.

CrissyQ wrote:ok sooo I have to do all of this myself? i cant just go and get a manicure? or is that cheating? [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

yes you are supposed to do it your self , but Its what erver you are comfortable with .

ChrsLvsBks wrote:

ChrsLvsBks wrote:Sorry, for the tea bag, you cut it to place over the nails then apply base coat. You may use more than one strip/piece of the bag to help thicken the nails. The tea bag will come off when using nail polish remover. I owe you pictures. I will take them soon. BTW: Two more nails broke.

I was wrong, you want to do the following.

1) Cut out pieces of teabag for nails.
2) Apply base coat.
3) Place teabag on nails before base coat dries.
4) Apply another coat.
5) Apply polish.


I plan to try this either tonight or this weekend. I will take pictures during the process. I may not be able to post the pictures for a few days--computer is still at shop [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] .

yes do It , I can't wait to see your results [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] It sounds really cool

WhosThatRedHead wrote:ooooo I like this! I stopped wearing fake nails back in Janurary and I do my own nails every 1-2 weeks!
I plan on re doing my nails next week so I'll post picks of my fresh nails then

Great ! I cant wait to see them

CrissyQ wrote:I just went and got a manicure on my natural nails and it felt great. They look so pretty and i feel so lady like [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] . LOL, because i never wear color polish on my nails, and I always cut them off. I am glad I saw this post, I will post pics later.

mani's do feel good , and color is good !

Ok Ladies as I said this week was my manicure week , so I soaked my nails with some liquid soap and lotion. then pushed back cut and oiled the cuticle. I made sure my nail shape were straight . Applied my base coat and painted my nails . So far this is my favorite design.
so here you go . and OMG they are growing .
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]



[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]