Brittle Nails

Biotin? Also, drinking/eating jello supposedly works with growing/health of hair and nails.

I take a biotin supplement for this. It helps your hair too.

My nails are terrible. They peel and break and are just awful. Have you tried a gel manicure? The polish stays on much longer than a regular manicure and you can't see any of the peeling underneath. Definitely not a good long term solution because they can damage your nails even more, but if you're really worried about it for your wedding it might be a good short term fix.

I wish I could take biotin but it makes me break out so so badly. I do have jello in the cabinet coincidentally may have to try that

That I don't know. I know that I had a lot of unflavored gelatin in the house on a regular basis for years (to style hair) so whenever I would use it I would eat some and my nails were really healthy.

This close to your wedding, I would just get a gel manicure, like Mrs Walters suggested. It took a good month for me to see results from biotin.

Yeah I don't have much hope for the ones that are already broken off. I will have to look into the gel manicure. I've had my nails done maybe three times in my life so I know nothing haha.

Biotin, but since you need a quick fix, I'd try garlic nail Polish or nail magic (you can find both at Sally beauty supply). Apply either twice before your wedding and I'd say you're good. Have a great wedding!

I recommend using OPI's Nail Envy. It's done wonders for a lot of ladies I know.

Also, cuticle oil. Not just any moisturizer, as most contain dimethicone, which is a protectant but also causes a rebound effect and can ultimately make them drier. Actual cuticle oil or hand balm is a good option to help.

@Leah: That article is extremely outdated. MOST nail polishes today are AT LEAST 3-free, including the hardeners and strengtheners. They draw their strengthening from the type and amount of cellulose in the formula, not the solvents used. You'd be hard pressed to find a Polish with formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, or camphor in them anymore, and many are 5-free which also omit two other hormone disrupters.

Gel manis are great, as long as the salon doesn't buff your nails first, which damages them and will make it worse. Proper gel application does NOT require buffing, and buffing does NOT help the gel polish adhere any better.

@Leah: No, over time a good combination of a strengthener and cuticle oil will help make nails stronger, as will keeping them polished. Polish was actually first invented to help protect nails, and when worn regularly can help them grow out stronger and less brittle.

Just beware of acetone based removers, which can make peeling and brittleness worse.

^^I agree with MNA. I found rubbing coconut oil into my nails at night helped me long term, as did OPI nail envy.

I bit my nails for years (gross i know) and my nails have never fully recovered. I love gel mani's and when I can't do that, I use OPI Nail envy to make they strong and shiny

May have to check out Nail Envy in the mean time, then go in for the gel Friday or Saturday. Biotin had helped my nails in the past but did give me the worst most painful breakouts so I stopped using it.