Looking after your nails - what, how

TheBigDipper

In another thread, @GTC wrote about "looking after nail health" and being able to switch between nylon and steel strings without fear of nail damage. I'm interested in understanding a bit more. 

When I was a kid, learning classical guitar (and only classical) I didn't have nails because I used to bite them. So my classical right hand tone was a flesh-based tone. I never developed a nail care routine and have no idea what that might involve. When I started playing electric, aged 17, I went straight to using a plectrum, did the same when playing steel-strung acoustics and 40+ years later, here I am. 

I bought my first classical guitar since the 1970s during lockdown and I'm now able to grow my nails without biting them. For my restart into classical playing (purely casually, for relaxation, I wouldn't say it qualifies as "practice") that's been OK, but now...

Well, I've dropped using a plectrum whenever I can, for all guitar playing, as I think prefer it. But I've never known how to look after my nails, and chemo in 2016 has made my nails less robust than they use to be. Or maybe I'm just older and it's a coincidence. 

So, everyone, what should I be doing? If you play using your nails, and don't get splits, cracks or general damage, what are you doing that works for you? 

Open_G

Shorter is better for me. Maybe not less robust but certainly less prone to bashing into stuff. 

Using a nail buffer and decent file to create the ramp effect. 

I’m sure I’ve been recommended a moisturiser but I’ve never used one. 

Also. Don’t play after a bath/shower or washing up. 

MartinB

For steel string, I keep them short but rounded, not more than 1mm on the first and second fingers and 2mm on the ring finger. More than that messes with my bass playing. 

I file them a little and smooth with one of those MicroMesh buffer sticks. I do moisturise my hands in the winter, but that's not specifically for nail care, more because my skin gets really dry and raspy otherwise, especially when I'm out with the dog a lot.

VimFuego

nails are kept less than 1mm, I see some players have massive long nails but I dislike the tone it gives me and I find it awkward to play. 
The only care I do is to file and not cut. I used to have a really good diamond file that was very fine, but lost it and the one I have now is way too course.
I do moisturise, but that's cos my hands get really dry from wearing latex gloves a lot. 

Supportact

I struggle with this ae well, I play nylon string classical,  but also do a lot of work outside, gardening etc which tends to cause damage.  I've reached a compromise of having them just long enough to get a bit of nail sound on the release of the note. 

As others have said, filing them is good.  I've also started taking a vitamin supplement for nails. Not sure how effective it is but I'm giving it a go. There are various ones available.  Mostly I find nails are more brittle after exposure to damp/cold so I try to wear gloves in the winter. Definitely always wear gloves for DIY,  gardening etc. It's a bit of a battle though and some people unfortunately just have more brittle nails than others. 

GoFish

I keep mine short too. I prefer the flesh, it feels more comfortable and less prone to breaks, particularly if you're always sticking your hand in places as I am (!).

Picking hand left marginally longer than the fretting one. I have a glass file I use occasionally or for problem areas.

I don't think there's any disadvantages to moisturising an don't as I can't stand the feel of cream etc on my palms and fingers.

Regular care seems to be the best advice I can give. That and general health I find has an impact the older I get. I  think chemo will have had some effect but the body is a wonderous thing and will be healing itself as well as it can. I get a lot of micro breaks and chips that I smooth out with the file or simply by strumming instad of picking for a while.

GTC

After a lot of experimentation, this has worked for me:
1) Nail health vitamins - I use Perfectil Plus (good for hair and skin too!)
2) Use of Nailtiques nail strengthener. Expensive but worth it - easy to apply and a little goes  along way. I started with the 2 plus formula and then went down to 2 for maintenance.
3) A visit to an experienced nail technician once a month
4) General maintenance - if I spot the formation of a chip or tear I deal with it immediately before it gets worse
5) Don't let them get too long.
Hope this helps. Nail condition and general technique have a far greater impact on tone than even string choice IMO. Also - the above isn't an instant fix. Changes to the body take a little time and patience.

Tannin

A great move - fingers are just so much more rewarding to play with @TheBigDipper ;

My story is very similar to yours. I used to bite them, and they are naturally fairly weak anyway, so when I switched to fingerstyle I had a lot of trouble. Even though I kept them short  and played with flesh, not nail, there was enough wear to cause me problems - once you've worn through to the quick, playing gets awkward!

I tried a few things but the turning point was going to a nail salon and having them done professionally. I first did that three  or four years ago, and the benefit was immediate. 

Gradually, I let them grow ever so slightly longer (even with the hard nail salon coating they wear almost as fast as they grow, so it has to be gradual) and, equally gradually, I adapted to using more nail in my playing. Nail V flesh is not a black V white either-or - if you keep them to a moderate length you can vary at will between all-flesh and something pretty close to all-nail. This is a great tool for getting different tones and developing expression.

One issue I had to deal with is back-of-the-nail tone. If you want to strum, playing fingerstyle, the obvious and usually best way to do it is with a downstroke using the back of your nail like a plectrum. (Or more often with several fingers at once - this has a slightly different, more shimmery sound.) With natural nails, you naturally get a good tone doing this (only you wear them down very fast and son have to stop). But artificial nails are harder and rather dulling - the tone they produce this way is harsh and lacks natural ring.I posted a thread here asking for help and advice on this some years ago, which produced inconclusive answers.

However, over time, I have slowly learned to deal with it, so successfully that these days I rarely even think about it and it's not a problem at all now. The key is that you have to develop a light touch and just barely brush the strings with the tips of your fingers. You need to be reasonably accurate too. You can still get plenty of volume doing this! Not a technique to work deliberately on, just something that will naturally develop as you play. 

People say that having your nails permanently painted is bad for them. Presumably there is some truth in this, at least some of the time, but I can assure you that I have had painted nails on my picking hand for years now without the slightest ill effect. 

TIP: do NOT get extensions (those shaped plastic false nail things that salons attach to your real nail and then paint over to get long, elegant nails in a range of colours). There are doubtless proper names for all these things, but I don't know them.

Your nail salon person will trim your nails and lightly file the top surface to give the goo a surface to stick to. Then they dip a  small brush into solvent, then into powdered silicon, and skillfully coat the nail. Then they shape and polish the surface smooth with a sanding gadget like a Dremel, touch-up file the ends, and finally coat the whole lot with a thin, clear topcoat.

(Or you can always have colours in topcoat if you want the way most women do - a couple of years ago just to shock Mrs Tannin I got them to give me pink nails with little Christmassy holly designs. That was a good laugh.)

An alternative way of doing it is to paint the solvent onto the nail and then press your finger into a jar of powder, repeating this half a dozen times.Some nail people prefer to do it this way. Ends up with the same result so far as I can tell.

I'd ask for details and learn the correct technical terms for all this except that every single nail technician I have ever been to - that would be 10 or a dozen different people - is Vietnamese with anywhere between no English to limited English. Four different salons in three different town in two different states, and every single one Vietnamese. When I ask about this they laugh and say "Oh, must be Vietnamese! Everyone Vietnamese!" 

It costs $25 or $30 once every three or four weeks, takes 20 minutes, and you meet lots of interesting women. (Shame I'm married!) I have never seen another man in a nail salon but they tell me that they do have one or two other male customers.

TLDR: it works for me.

malcolmkindness

I had acrylic nails done in a nail salon for several years and the results were great. However, it's the grinding of the surface of the natural nails when they are being renewed, that causes weakness over time.

shez

I have brittle nails and one that constantly splits and have tried all sort of methods to reduce damage and repair. The method below is the best I have found and you only reinforce the underside of the nail end, so no long term damage to the nails. Clive Carroll makes a reasonable sound with this technique! It takes a little while to get the hang of but worth persevering. You need more than 1mm to glue it to ideally. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LS1_PnsEAc

tragicsam

Yeah..cut them short..play with the fleshy pads of your fingertips and a little bit of nail...sounds warmer and more organic and no hissy fits over breaking a nail and not being able to play.Makes life a lot easier.

octatonic

GTC said:

After a lot of experimentation, this has worked for me:
1) Nail health vitamins - I use Perfectil Plus (good for hair and skin too!)
2) Use of Nailtiques nail strengthener. Expensive but worth it - easy to apply and a little goes  along way. I started with the 2 plus formula and then went down to 2 for maintenance.
3) A visit to an experienced nail technician once a month
4) General maintenance - if I spot the formation of a chip or tear I deal with it immediately before it gets worse
5) Don't let them get too long.
Hope this helps. Nail condition and general technique have a far greater impact on tone than even string choice IMO. Also - the above isn't an instant fix. Changes to the body take a little time and patience.

Pretty much all of this.
And avoiding manual labour.

TheBigDipper

Thanks, everyone, for your views and experiences. Let's see how I get on... :-) 

dshevy

Just to add my 2 cents. 

I had a door slam on my middle finger when I was 12 or so and I have a long ridge that goes all the way to the nail bed. It used to grow to 1mm and split.

CND Rescue RX and Mavala scientifique K have been part of my nail care for 3 years now since I started playing seriously again  

The CND product is like an oil/ syrup rather than a polish that you put on then chips and then you build up layers then remove it all and do it again. Instead, you put it on the whole nail and cuticle and it soaks in maybe 20/30 mins. I do it most nights before bed so it absorbs as my nails don’t touch the duvet or covers etc. It has made my nails thicker as well as less prone to split. 

I also use a Wolfram file and a buffer every day or 2 and apply Mavala after I have filed and buffed. It’s like water but absorbs in 30 seconds into the nail and bonds nail layers together.

Using the 2 I haven’t had a split for several years other than my own fault like hitting a door frame and can play full shows without my nails being damaged by the end. The upside of the CND rescue is it also promotes faster nail growth too so even if I do have issues, the nails are back to length in 3-5 days. 

ESBlonde

I can't do fingerstyle so like Tommy tedesco I use s pick for everything including nylon strung (I know - heathen).
James Taylor has a vid on his youtube channel going into great detail about his nail care and repair process. Worth a look maybe.