She Says: Nail Update
Morning! Thanks for all the tips about where to stash my stuff during a run. I should mention that I did have the front door key tucked into my sports bra, but I forgot to leave the second key in a super secret spot. I might try lacing both keys into my laces!
So, another day, another smooooothie! This time, I took a tip from Michelle @ Find Your Balance and added cucumber! I also tried to make it more filling by adding more fat and protein from pecan butter.
Cucumber Mango Smoooothie!
- 1 handful of spinach, juiced.
- 1/3 C of de-seeded cucumbers
- 1/3 C Mango
- 1/4 C Strawberries
- 1/4 C Bananas
- 1 C Plain Yogurt
- 1 T ground flax
- Spoonful of Pecan Butter
- Splash of Soy Milk
I totally forgot to share my nail progress with everyone. It’s Week 3 of my Break the Habit Challenge and I think I am doing pretty well at not biting my nails, but ummm I need some cuticle help and nail maintenance tips. Check out my progress – Week 1, Week 2 and now, Week 3. I am proud of the growth, but grossed out my everything else.
My pointer finger is looking particularly rough! One reason I never minded having such short nails is because I (1) hate the shape of my long nails; and (2) don’t want to be bothered with mail maintenance. What do you do with your nails?
P.S. Last day for the Vegan Cookbook Giveaway!!!! And also, if you have a blog and something FREE to give the people, tell Nate and he will spread the word, allowing you to shamelessly self-promote guilt free.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:24 am
Seriously, your poor hands look like a construction workers! Ouch, I want to cry for your pointer finger! I say take a nail clipper to those loose pieces (barf) and then put neosporin and bandaides on at night. (puking sound!)
But your nail growth is very encouraging!
April 29th, 2009 at 9:30 am
My man hands cannot relate. You have such petite little nailbeds.
Mark is say, “Shut up about my woman’s nailbeds!”
Collagen? Are you saying I have thin lips? I’ll come out looking like Angelina and Lisa Rinna’s love child.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Cucumber in a green monster? I have to try that! My nails are alway uneven, it’s embarrassing, I’ve never had a manicure.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:35 am
I use Burt’s Bees Lemon butter cuticle cream. It softens and strengthens the area around your nail.
I also take a supplement (biotin) to make my nails themselves stronger!
I say go get a manicure so that they can get rid of the cuticle and then you’ll just have to rub the cream in once a day to keep them soft.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:35 am
Wow, the nails are getting there. Keep applying the nail hardner I gave you everyday to keep them from breaking. Try applying neosporin or bacitracin at night and keep them moisturized during the day. Also, vitamin E oil is good. You may be able to buy a bottle of it. If not, break open vitamin E tablets into a little shot glass. When you think of it, when you are home, soak each finger or just apply it to each nail. The more frequent, the better. I think once you have a manicure, it will help your cuticles look a lot better. Let’s plan on going next week. My treat.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Hahaha, I don’t really do much. I like my nails short.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:36 am
ive been doing this nail challenge along with you and have stayed strong so far! but my nails peel and are breaking and all iw ant to do is bite them off! do you use nail hardener? does it work?
April 29th, 2009 at 9:57 am
great job on the nail challenge! I have sally hanson cuticle cream that helps a lot.
April 29th, 2009 at 10:02 am
I am very low-maintenance when it comes to my nails. I’ve only had one manicure – my college girlfriends practically had to drag me to the nail salon – and haven’t been back since (can’t stand the smell or the price!). I rarely paint my finger nails, but I do like to paint my toenails during flip-flop/sandal season.
April 29th, 2009 at 10:03 am
I am actually blessed with naturally long and beautiful nails. I don’t do anything but trim them every few weeks. Since I am no help, I would recommend getting a manicure and talking to the pros
April 29th, 2009 at 10:03 am
what a great idea to add cucumber in there- it sounds glorious.
i usually keep my nails short. they get in the way of life, but i do like to paint them fun bright colors. good luck with your challenge- i used to bite my nails, too but then i got the stuff at walgreens that makes them taste disgusting. worked like a charm
have a happy humpday!
April 29th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Congrats on the nail progress! I am a self-confessed nail biter as well. Well I was until a friend recommended Zeva No Bite nail polish. It’s clear and tasted HORRID so you will def keep your nails out of your mouth to avoid the nasty taste.
April 29th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Great nail progress! I think if you keep your hands and cuticles moisturized (even just massaging a little olive oil/coconut oil/almond oil on your cuticles), you will see a world of difference there. Also, it looks like your nails want to take on a squarish shape. Just a quick file straight across the tip and then slightly round each edge so it’s not sharp will really neaten things up. Add a clear or whitish pink coat of polish (I love this because it makes my nails always look clean and the whiter color against my skin makes it look less pale!) and you’ll be good to go. The best part about these color polishes is you really can’t tell if it chips = minimum maintenance.
April 29th, 2009 at 10:17 am
Honestly, I do nothing to my nails! I hate nail maintenance. There’s a rare occasion (like Monday night) where I’ll paint my nails and try to make them look nice. That lasts about 2 days and they start chipping. I can’t be bothered to take the old nail polish off so my nails just look scrubby!
April 29th, 2009 at 10:20 am
My nails are a disaster! Why didn’t I see this challenge before now!? I might have to start now…
April 29th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Cucumber and mango sounds like a great combo!
(Dine Out, Fight Aids. TOMORRROW April 30. http://www.diningoutforlife.com)
April 29th, 2009 at 10:29 am
Hey Heather and Mark! Come check out my My May Challenge! http://nhershoes.blogspot.com/2009/04/time-for-another-challenge-simple-life.html
April 29th, 2009 at 10:31 am
tying them in your laces is a good choice, i used to do that. now i have an ipod arm band that actually has a key slot in it. its a belkin product and its great, plus its pink (and proceeds went to breast cancer) you should check it out.
April 29th, 2009 at 10:45 am
I have this thing about my nails. It’s called not doing anything. I’m not a biter, so that works itself out. I usually let them grow until they start bothering me while I type. That’s when I trim them. I get a lot of compliments the week before they need trimmed – “oh my, your nails are so pretty!” I think it’s because they’re not looking up close or don’t know that I’m just lazy.
I have never had a manicure/pedicure. I guess that’s what happens when you’re raised by your Dad
April 29th, 2009 at 11:04 am
I always want to call a smoothie a smooooothie too. The moo just asks for it.
I have an issue with my cuticles and peeling. Some weeks it’s fine, and some weeks it’s painful. As for my actual nails, I keep them short, mainly because they fall apart when they’re long. When I’m feeling girly enough, I paint them a spicy color, but that’s becoming rare.
April 29th, 2009 at 11:21 am
I can see that you’ve avoiding eating your nails… because they’re longer!!!!!
I think you could wait a little longer and go to do a manicure. That’s how I stopped biting my nails (at age of 27, I’m 28 now), by going to a manicure each 2 or 3 weeks. If they’re pretty, I don’t bite them! 
April 29th, 2009 at 11:25 am
I pick at my cuticles like crazy. I think it’d be easier for me to stop biting my nails than to stop picking my poor cuticles! I like the tip about getting a manicure…
April 29th, 2009 at 11:34 am
Yeah get some cuticle cream or oil and try that everyday, as well as some sort of clear polish/strengthener. I was never into nail maintenance but once I started going for $11 manicures every week or so I fell in love with always having nicely painted nails and I was way less prone to picking/biting them…plus its really good to have someone professionaly trim your cuticles. Maybe start with like once a month?!
April 29th, 2009 at 11:44 am
I like your smoothie glass!
We have to keep our nails short for class, which is FINE by me. If I were you, I would go get a cheap mani to clean up the cuticles, then just use cuticle oil at night before bed (it’s greasy).
That being said, I pick my cuticles too.
April 29th, 2009 at 11:55 am
I used to tie my keys in my shoe laces until once they fell out while I was running trails! Luckily, I was running with a friend, so I got a ride home to get my spare key! I like putting my keys in my sports bras now…seems the most secure.
April 29th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I liked reading all the advice as I somehow missed important nail maintenance memos that everyone else seemed to have gotten. I don’t bite, but I don’t do anything. Just cut them when they start looking gross(er). I also have cuticle issues and strangely also hate the shape of my pointer finger nail when it grows. I thought i was the only strange one!
April 29th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Your green monster sounds great! I have never tried pecan butter but am very curious now!
April 29th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
I’ve been doing the challenge along with you and my cuticles usually look like yours. I’ve been using Burt’s Bee’s Lemon Cuticle cream at night before I go to bed and I’ve been trying to use hand lotion at least once a day. Keeping them moisturized has definitely been helping because there’s less to pick at. I need to post an update on my nails too!
April 29th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Go get a manicure! It will be so much easier for you to keep up with pretty nails if you start fresh. The manicurist will clip, push back and moisturize your cuticles. You also get a good hand massage and file and polish out of it!
I just file and paint mine every few weeks. Keeping my hands moisturized in general helps my cuticles stay healthy. Good luck!!
April 29th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
i do nothing to my nails, just cut them because really, so lame to get all that extra stuff done (i think). i save so much money that way! i suppose every once in a while i paint them some sort of extravagant color, but that’s about it. never have had a mani or a pedi in my life, and don’t plan on it! haha!
April 29th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
I like the sound of that smoothie. Cucumber is one of my fave raw veggies! I bet it’s quite refreshing.
I’m probably no help in the cuticle department – mine can get pretty manky from time to time.
April 29th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
great job on the challenge. I never get manicures, until my mom forces me to
April 30th, 2009 at 8:49 am
I can definitely see progress! Nail biting is such a hard habit to break. I had to go cold turkey, too. I still get tempted when one of them tears though, gross! They’re lookin’ good!
April 30th, 2009 at 8:50 am
P.S. Re: your last comment on my blog….SPIRAL Mac all the way!!
April 30th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
You can get your nails in order with a few simple tools and a little attention. You’ll need: bowl, dish soap, towel, emery board/fingernail file, orange stick, fingernail file, nail brush, cotton balls, cuticle remover lotion or hand lotion, cuticle nippers (optional). Fill a bowl (halfway) with hot soapy water.
1) Shape nails on both hands with emery board (file in one direction only to avoid splits). 2) Soak one hand for 3-5 minutes to soften cuticles. 3) Dry fingers/hand pushing gentle on the cuticles to loose dry skin/cuticles. 4)Apply hand lotion or cuticle remover to cuticles. Pull cotton ball apart and wind around the blunt edge of the orange stick. 5) Use spoon pusher part of the orange stick to gently loosen the cuticles and then use the cotton-covered part in a flat position to remove dead cuticles (or you can use cuticle nippers if you have them, just be careful not to cut yourself – I use nippers because it’s faster and gives a cleaner, more professional look). 6) Use nail brush and soapy water to clean your nails. Dry. 7)repeat with other hand.
It’s actually very easy, safer and much cheaper than getting your nails done professionally. The biggest expense would be the nippers (around $15). Once you have the supplies, you’re set for a long time. I use a plastic orange stick that I get at Walgreens (with with pink pusher on the end) for less than a dollar.
May 1st, 2009 at 9:36 am
Great work on the progress, but ewwwwww!
May 1st, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Sorry I’m of no help at all. I just leave them be. Natural nails = pretty nails.
May 2nd, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Wow someone who has the same finger-picking problem that I have! And who is much braver than I am, for putting it on a blog! I’ve made major progress in the past year or so. The very biggest thing I have done is finding a good, expensive lotion that you really like. And putting it on your fingers every single time you think of it. The expensive part is important, because when you know it’s costing you money, you feel bad about screwing up your fingers! Good luck.
May 11th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
I have long slender fingers, but really short (petite) nail beds & have the same difficult nail growth issues as you. In fact, for the most part, my nails are shaped exactly the same way as yours! I just don’t have the cuticle trouble as much. I’ve managed to grow my nails 1/2 inch long in the past, & it still looks like they haven’t grown at all! They’re just so small & brittle. They’ve been that way since my birth. I’m 30 now, & there’s not much I’ve been able to do to change it or make the nails stronger. I’ve tried everything. I’ve always hated the feeling of lack of femininity it gives me having these short nails. But it is what it is. It seems I’ll have to continue to get acrylic (fake nails) applied whenever I want to splurge on getting fancy now & then. Just want to let you know that you’re not alone. I do hope you have more luck than I’ve had!!