Shaping nails

[Amy P]

Hi

There aren't many things that I can do whilst not being out to my wife but one thing I've done is to let my nails grow a little. Which is interesting because a little extra nail length really alters the way you see your fingers and hands.  My question is now that I'm growing these things what is the best way to nurture and keep things in check.  Obviously they can't get too long but any advice on the best way to grow out nails wold be appreciated.  I've seen loads of youtube videos on shaping nails which all seem to focus on CIS women with full length nails to start with which isn't a lot of help?

Thanks in advance

Hugs

[tracy_j]

I find my nails grow fairly quickly anyway. I have always had more feminine nails, even when I used to bite them. As long as you are not doing manual work or anything too mechanical you should be Ok but I find that when my nails get to any really noticeable length they get prone to breakage. I do use hand cream with nail nutrients at least twice a day (I would have to look at the tube for details but easy to find in supermarket etc). General cleaning dries out the oils and make the nails brittle so the cream helps. Beware of solvents as they can really dry the oils. Nail varnish remover can be obtained which contains oil, but even that, I think, should be used as little as possible. You can get nail oil from Superdrug or similar which will help. It is not often I use it but I suspect it would be better if I did (the whole routine of care and makeup could take up most of the day if I used all the products etc I have come across).

In my early days until I learnt how to care better for my nails I did use nail varnish. It is possible to get the type used for protection rather than looks (clear - see Sally Hansen etc). I used while at work at the time for protection and, as nail varnish was not allowed, I found some matt nail varnish topcoat (I think this was Rimmel but I may be wrong). Wearing this the nails looked fairly normal and, as far as I know, were never noticed. I found the thickness of my nails increased visibly when protected in this way.

There are ways of protecting the cuticle of the nail, but I have never directly addressed this although I think the hand cream and more specifically the nail oil helps here.

From the feminine point of view the way to approach things is to continuously take care that your nails are in order and looking good. My approach is to tidy any nail problems as soon as they occur (I think it amused others at work when I used an engineers file to smooth a chipped nail but it does work ). I have never really looked at the videos but, for me, shaping nails is something to do even when very short. Like many other female things its a way of life - always looking your best.

Ideally the best way would be to get professional advice if possible. It would probably save a lot of learning time, getting the procedures with less chance of wrong turns.

Hope it helps

Tracy

[MarcieMarie12]

1 hour ago, tracy_j said:

 As long as you are not doing manual work or anything too mechanical you should be Ok

Sadly I do more damage to my nails cleaning the kitchen than any where else.I always come across things I need to scratch out like BBQ stains..

[tracy_j]

10 hours ago, MarcieMarie12 said:

Sadly I do more damage to my nails cleaning the kitchen than any where else.I always come across things I need to scratch out like BBQ stains..

I do agree Marcie. I was talking in general terms as, for instance, a building site with bricks and cement would mean constant grinding paste which destroys nails. Over the years I have found nails useful tools but they don't work too well as screwdrivers though

[Amy P]

14 hours ago, tracy_j said:

I do agree Marcie. I was talking in general terms as, for instance, a building site with bricks and cement would mean constant grinding paste which destroys nails. Over the years I have found nails useful tools but they don't work too well as screwdrivers though

LOL  

[Amy P]

Thanks for your advice Tracy.

What I've noticed after some more research is that my nails have 1. prominent ridges down them (particularly thumb nails), 2. the nail base (I think it's called) is really short meaning that my nails would need to grow over 1/4 inch just to get to the end of the finger (which would be far too noticeable) 3. my thumbnails are as wide as the grand canyon - is there anyway to make them look narrower?

I think you are right in that one session with a trans friendly nail tech would probably save a lot of grief but if anyone has any links to helpful videos that would be great?

Thx x

[Jani]

If you start to grow them out a little the base (quick) will expand and slowly fill in. When I stopped biting my nails 12 years ago my mother noticed that I rubbed my fingertips a lot.  It was the nail quick growing out with the nail.  Growing your nails even just a little will give the illusion of longer ones.  It you can add color then you'll really notice the length.

Jani 

[tracy_j]

Good advice Jani. The things I will add - It is natural to have ridges, and mine are prominent too. I think they can be filed down but that is not a good idea as you want to keep the strength in the nail. If I remember rightly some nailvarnishes are advertised as ridge fillers which is, I presume, what they are for. They will be less noticeable with varnish anyway.

From an artistic point of view another way to give the appearance of length would be graduated nailvarnish, having a lighter shade in the centre graduating to darker at sides (of the same colour). I have never tried this and it would take lots of practice or an expert (along with the matt varnish I mentioned so not readily noticed). This is a similar idea to vertical stripes or central colour band in clothing to give the appearance of being slimmer.

Tracy