Guildedagain
Enlightened Member
Somehow fingerpicking became my life...
I soon realized, taking care of your nails isn't an option anymore. You either don't it or you don't play well. Next to being out of tune, your nails are probably the second most important thing.
Like many other guitar players, I also wanted to strengthen my nails, but personally unwilling to use chemicals or fake nails. Not only that, I have a lot of other occupations, car, truck, tractor, chainsaw maintenance and repair, etc, so I can't have long fake nails unless I want one ripped off by accident...
I looked around the net, saw what other people were doing. Lots of pros go to a salon every two weeks and get their nails touched up. You can get kits from Savarez, and or there videos of guys supergluing little moons made of yoghurt tub lids under their nails, etc.
What I did also find out is that if you take better care of your nails, they'll be better and stronger nails.
Within a couple weeks, I had the best nails I've ever had, and they just keep getting stronger.
Of course, my left hand nails are filed way down, so it's not about growing nails on that hand, but... they key is filing.
Clipping is bad for your nails, unless they're really long and need to be clipped before filing. Excessive filing rocks your nail back and forth and it's not good. The clipped finish leaves raw grain that splits easily.
Clip to where you can file to a finish.
Your nails are alive, your hooves ;-)
They have grain, and you need to file with the grain. File from the outside to the center. Always file on totally dry nails, they do absorb water and get soft, and that's when they split the easiest.
That's basically the whole trick, filing. You can have someone do it, but there's a filing fee.
I use the old La Cross USA metal files, they do a fine job, there's lots of files out there, and polishers.
Your nails won't split (as much), and you can do things to them to make them healthier.
They love oils, any kind of cooking oils.
Also makes sense to have decent looking hands, people will be looking at them, so you'll be think about a manicure and here it something super easy and natural.
Take a little bit of coconut oil (it's the new does everything lifehack superfood, supergunkcleaner, etc for me), put it in a bowl of warm water, soak your hands in there for a little bit (you won't be able to type or play guitar so it is kind of rough ;-), then use simple cuticle pushers and standard tiny curved scissors to trim any hang nails, etc.
And then finally, if you need polish ;-)
I dare you to try this at home.
Take a big fat clove of garlic, put it in the press, squeeze out the one drop of oil (that's all there is and if your garlic is old and drying out there won't be any oil) from the clove just before the point of crushing it, into a tiny vial that you can stopper.
Take a tiny lettering paintbrush, dip it in the garlic oil and paint your nails.
Let them dry, a couple minutes.
They'll look totally wet, but be perfectly dry and shiny as all get out.
The garlic oil smell actually dissipates pretty quickly and it lasts unless you wash your hands.
No problem, just reapply.
I did this for a while and my nails got strong and thick so much healthier.
I'm thinking garlic oil is the original nail polish, Cleopatra may have used it...
I rub hemp oil into them before going to sleep. It all works in during the night, and in the morning I can grab my Tele from the side of the bed and not get any grease on the strings.
Do the dishes once in a while and that helps to get all the dead skin off your hands between manicures.
This is what's working for me, I wanted to share the tips, mainly about filing your nails.
File your nails, from the outside in to the center.
You'll have better nails right away.
Filing nails ;-)
Filing taxes ;-(
I soon realized, taking care of your nails isn't an option anymore. You either don't it or you don't play well. Next to being out of tune, your nails are probably the second most important thing.
Like many other guitar players, I also wanted to strengthen my nails, but personally unwilling to use chemicals or fake nails. Not only that, I have a lot of other occupations, car, truck, tractor, chainsaw maintenance and repair, etc, so I can't have long fake nails unless I want one ripped off by accident...
I looked around the net, saw what other people were doing. Lots of pros go to a salon every two weeks and get their nails touched up. You can get kits from Savarez, and or there videos of guys supergluing little moons made of yoghurt tub lids under their nails, etc.
What I did also find out is that if you take better care of your nails, they'll be better and stronger nails.
Within a couple weeks, I had the best nails I've ever had, and they just keep getting stronger.
Of course, my left hand nails are filed way down, so it's not about growing nails on that hand, but... they key is filing.
Clipping is bad for your nails, unless they're really long and need to be clipped before filing. Excessive filing rocks your nail back and forth and it's not good. The clipped finish leaves raw grain that splits easily.
Clip to where you can file to a finish.
Your nails are alive, your hooves ;-)
They have grain, and you need to file with the grain. File from the outside to the center. Always file on totally dry nails, they do absorb water and get soft, and that's when they split the easiest.
That's basically the whole trick, filing. You can have someone do it, but there's a filing fee.
I use the old La Cross USA metal files, they do a fine job, there's lots of files out there, and polishers.
Your nails won't split (as much), and you can do things to them to make them healthier.
They love oils, any kind of cooking oils.
Also makes sense to have decent looking hands, people will be looking at them, so you'll be think about a manicure and here it something super easy and natural.
Take a little bit of coconut oil (it's the new does everything lifehack superfood, supergunkcleaner, etc for me), put it in a bowl of warm water, soak your hands in there for a little bit (you won't be able to type or play guitar so it is kind of rough ;-), then use simple cuticle pushers and standard tiny curved scissors to trim any hang nails, etc.
And then finally, if you need polish ;-)
I dare you to try this at home.
Take a big fat clove of garlic, put it in the press, squeeze out the one drop of oil (that's all there is and if your garlic is old and drying out there won't be any oil) from the clove just before the point of crushing it, into a tiny vial that you can stopper.
Take a tiny lettering paintbrush, dip it in the garlic oil and paint your nails.
Let them dry, a couple minutes.
They'll look totally wet, but be perfectly dry and shiny as all get out.
The garlic oil smell actually dissipates pretty quickly and it lasts unless you wash your hands.
No problem, just reapply.
I did this for a while and my nails got strong and thick so much healthier.
I'm thinking garlic oil is the original nail polish, Cleopatra may have used it...
I rub hemp oil into them before going to sleep. It all works in during the night, and in the morning I can grab my Tele from the side of the bed and not get any grease on the strings.
Do the dishes once in a while and that helps to get all the dead skin off your hands between manicures.
This is what's working for me, I wanted to share the tips, mainly about filing your nails.
File your nails, from the outside in to the center.
You'll have better nails right away.
Filing nails ;-)
Filing taxes ;-(
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