Nails advice needed.

Don't understand the comments about the Alizonne diet? How did it get into this thread? Sounds interesting.
My nails are awful as well nothing has ever worked - oils, gel nails or supplements. Xx

Well done. Healthier diet good for your nails maybe?

I am very over-weight and I saw details of the diet in a magazine in February - I started in March. DH and I had a long discussion about it, and with our DC, and we decided, if it enabled me to live for a few years longer, it was worth spending our savings. So I have been doing it for three months and have already lost three stone. I visit the clinic every week for treatment and to pick up the food sachets which I then make into meals. I am absolutely slap bang in the middle of the estimate of the time it would take to lose the weight I wanted - 22 - 28 weeks (should be 25 for me).

I am very, very focused and have kept very rigidly to the diet (I am also very well aware of how much money it is costing, so why would I not stick to it?). If you know that by having a sweet or biscuit, it will take you three days to get back on track and you will have wasted over £200 it concentrates your mind wonderfully.

My problem with ordinary diets is that I am happy to do them for a few months, I lose 1 - 2 stone, then I get fed up and revert back to how I was eating before and the weight always goes back on. The particular clinic I go to helps with maintenance, etc., which is very important to me. I have deliberately not mentioned the diet before as I knew it would be contentious - however, it is working for me and the difference to my health is staggering. My health is being monitored by a GP and, for me, giving up 28 weeks of my life to be fit and healthy again was worth that (as is the money, to be honest).

Anyway, back to nails - I have no idea whether or not the QH are helping, just saying that my nails are definitely better now.

It's certainly more than a week's state pension.

£220 a week! for the Alizonne diet and treatment. You must need to be very focussed. That is more than some people's weekly entire budget.

When I was young eating a cube of jelly every day was considered a good way of strengthening nails. Tastes nice too!.

Thanks, Jess. You've saved me a few quid!

Well I wouldn't be tempted anno. Silica is the main constituent of sand and glass. If inhaled it can cause the terrible industrial illness silicosis. It is not one of the things the human body uses as a nutrient as far as I know. So how it would work "synergistically" with vitamin C and why one would want to swallow some, I have no idea.
TBH the vast majority of supplements are a complete waste of money with no proven benefits. If they were sold as "foods" they would not be able to make any of the suggestions of benefits that they do make. Regulation of the supplement industry is currently far more lax than the regulation of health claims on food. Not the disappearance of "probiotic" yogurts last year.
The only supplement worth taking as far as I can tell is probably vitamin D or sometimes calcium and vitamin d.

Gillie it is probably your healthier eating. Ridged nails are supposed to be caused by a lack of some vitamins. A healthy diet is packed with vitamins, no need to take supplements. Try stopping the QH phials but keep on the diet and see what happens.

I don't know if this will meet with Jess's approval, but it sounds OK and I have thought of trying it myself.

Just looked up the QH phials. I'm afraid it does look like the most spectacular pseudoscience. "marine plasma" is meaningless. Concentrated seawater? Which is mainly salt?

I have had really bad nails for the last few years - ridges, peeling, etc., but three months ago I started the Alizonne diet and part of the treatment is taking two Quinton Hypertonic phials a day. I still have the ridges, although they are less pronounced, and my nails no longer peel. I have said to my DH that when I stop the diet I will see if I can continue taking them. I have no idea how much they cost, though.

I've just started using Hard as Nails. Always thought it would dry my nails out and make them more brittle but, thus far they look quite good. I'd cut them really short but they were still splitting. I started off by just putting varnish at the ends but I've now coated the whole nail. I've also started taking supplements again and eating lots of oily fish etc.

I was wondering too if some supplements might help. Why not do a search to see what would help improve the condition of nails.

I buy tablets to improve hair condition as my hair was looking a mess. I've found they've helped quite a bit.

My daughter left behind a tube of Johnson's baby soothing naturals intense moisture cream.(pale green tube) it is a miracle cream. I used it on my hands and noticed the next day my nails appeared in good condition. Well I now use it at night before bed and have the best nails I have had for years. It's not expensive and made for baby so it's all good.Also my hands are looking good.

Until a couple of years ago my nails were always breaking and my daughter in OZ suggested I started taking some supplements. I thought I would give them a try and I've certainly seen a gradual improvement in the condition of my nails. They used to break all the time and were very 'ridgy' but they have improved. I've recently had a blood test and have no problems (sigh of relief). These minerals and vitamins are a little on the expensive side but they seem to have done the trick and my health seems good. I'll happily give the name if you pm me.

I also try to keep my hands out of a very well known brand of washing up liquid as it strips the oil from my hands and nails. I've heard that bio-oil is very good for nails as well, although I have n't tried it.

Yes, Absent - I heard that, too. Gel nails can cause serious nail damage and infection.

phoenix I think I posted on the previous thread about this. Biotin (vitamin B7) is the one that promotes strong healthy nails.

Haven't dermatologists just given out a major health warning about gel nails? I'm sure I read something about the dangers recently.

Sweet almond oil works for me too or a product called Gehwol nail oil that you can get on Amazon but almond oil is cheaper. Leave the varnish off & massage oil in every evening- works very quickly. I work for a chiropodist & this is what he recommends.

Right, will try to hunt some down!

Mine were peeling apart and breaking off right on the 'quick' phoenix. Just put the tiniest amount on the very tip of your nails and eventually they'll strengthen and harden enough to grow properly. I used to use it in the 70's and came across it again on ebay. I've seen it advertised in magazines lately, though. It contains formaldehyde.....!

Thanks for that, Marelli but would it still have a good effect on nails that start to split very low down?

I bit my nails until my late 40s and so they are poor shape and condition. Also as I had no nails to care for I never learned how to!

I now have shellac manicures every so often (when I am going on holiday /special occasion!) and it helps to stop splits and to improve the quality of the nails. I use an almond oil every day to condition my nails and they are getting stronger..only my left thumb nail that splits longways now!

Try Mavala Scientifique, phoenix. You just brush it on the very tip of your nails a couple of times a week and it works very well (the only thing that works for me, actually). It comes in a really tiny bottle, but it lasts for about a year.