I have really brittle ridged toenails.  How can I make them better?  More calcium in my diet?
362890
Eat jello, or some other form of gelatine.  I know it sounds silly, but it really improves your nails and hair, and helps your joints too.  Give it enough time for your nails to grow out, though, before you will see any results; it won't improve what is already there, but will help them grow stronger while you eat it.
419460
i was around 5 when I lost my big toe nail, it wasnt because of anything aweful, i was wearing socks to bed and alot of moisture built up between the toe and nail.does she wear socks to bed or suck her thumbs?\n\nbtw:people that look for info on the web to answer these questions please just cut and paste the links to the sites instead of the entire site itself!!!!
631727
Improve your nutrition.  Your fingernails are one of the telltale signs of good or bad nutrition.  Anything you apply to the nails will only be a temporary solution...you'll have to figure out what your body is missing in order to see a real change.
1156418
There are cosmetic products for this kind of nail problems. I have so many people with the same problem around me. Most of them use AVON products for their problems. I hope this can help.
1099386
Go to the hospital and have it set.  Then take a coral calcim supplement twice a day.  Also take a daily megavitamin.
684415
Sure, you cut a V at the top of the nail, and it will pull the ingrown toenail out of the surrounding skin to "heal itself".  Or you can dig and dig at it and cut the darn thing out of your skin (of course that hurts like a biatch). I had that problem.  Try wearing a wider shoe, don't leave your socks on all the time, and keep your toenails clipped.  This will help.
380517
This can also be a zinc deficiency. No matter what kind of deficency it is, just take a good multivitamin.\n\n Make sure that you take a good multivitamin, and in a few weeks check the tops of your nails again, as it takes a few weeks for the nails to grow out.\n\nIf you're still having problems after a few weeks/months with your nails go to your doctor about it, and he can help you with it. \n\nBut it's probably just a nutritional thing.
204286
Please tell me more about your general health through the form on this weblink http://www.jentleearthhealing.com/medherb.html and I will try to help you out.\n\nI suspect it is from a build up of toxins that can present as calcium build up in the bottom of the foot. Reflexology is great for remedying this but I will not know if this is the case till I talk to you further.\n\nCraig - Naturopath
33979
My grandmother told me to put white iodine on the toenail and the (toenail bed) cuticle. Three times a day. I did this on my son's toe for few weeks. (Make sure to change your socks twice a day.) Iodine doesn't hurt you or burn. It really works. You can get this at any pharmacy. Your cost will be about $2.00.  \n    Good Luck !!!!!!
1181380
hi there, i have had natural long nails since your age and i just want you to know if you take this route you will be very upset when one breaks, you will even consider yourself clumsy.  it takes a graceful person with hardly anything physical(handwise) to do. i was a ballarina for most my youth so this is what i spent 6 + hours a day doing, not out with friends going to parties getting my nails broken because i opened a can beer without an opener or  boyfriend doesn't open the door for you.  the list goes on and on.   One more thing in life to worry about and to be pisst about.  but wait the good news,  long nails are easy to grow, if you always concentrate on them.  imagine thinking about your nails all day!  when you reach about 20 or so, 8 yrs thinking about your nails it will be second nature hence you no doughtfully will be very graceful as well.  long beautiful nails take alot of care, not from a nail lady but from you.  i would never dream of letting anyone touch my nails with a emery board.  i drink lots of water,  eat right, vitamines,  hands are always very nourished with oils and lotions, i wear special gloves when ever at home and every evening i put a clear coat on.  having long beautiful nails requires products, just like long beautiful hair.   the good news is how wonderful my hands look compaired to everyone elses.  men automatically treat you different, like a lady.  but you don't need long nails for that if you are a true lady, right?  \nno product on nails - sorry babe but you will have dried our crack ugly nails.  Fake nails are for fake girls.  do yourself a favor and be 12 and have fun with life- no nails needed.  hope this gives you something to think about.    imagine how i type, its pretty funny to watch but others say how i make the most simplest thing so elegant.
862542
I've heard a few things about that:\n1. could be an injury; did you injure/bump it in some way? Is this ongoing. If you stop picking at it, will it go away?\n2. Vitamin deficiencies. Are you low on iron or other vitamins. Go to your yearly physicals to rule those things out and always take at LEAST  a multivitamin daily. B complex vitamins (mainly biotin) are for hair/skin/nails. Get a bottle!\n3. Are they moisturized? Get some nail cuticle oil. No you don't need to spend a lot of money, but you can try rubbing jojoba oil into your cuticles and nail area every day. \n4. A disease, have you ruled that out? Thyroid disease; I've noticed others with thyroid problems describe this. Diabetes, maybe, too. Like I said before get your regular yearly check ups and if you suspect thyroid or diabetes, get checked for those, too. \n\nGood luck!
777416
Soak your foot in a mixture of water and Epsom salt as hot as you can stand it. For 20 minutes 3 x a day this will help with the inflammation and then while nails are soft trim along edges to get rough edges out of your flesh. This is just a temporary fix. For about $100.00 you can go to the Doctor and have a procedure done for ingrown toenails in which they numb up your toe then clip along side nail bed then put a medicine down at your nail bed that will kill that side of your nail and will not grow back. Will take care of your problem indefinitely. Good luck!
423190
go to a CVS or Eckerd and buy a nail hardener.  File them onc a week too
600362
here is an idea that may work for the fingernail fungel infection -- ADD SOME ZINC to the daily vitamin supplements. Bathing your hands in a bowl of wather with 2 drops of essential oil of sage, every day for a week, will help too. Its caused from bacteria for one thing.. and thick fingernails are a sign of poor diet but also in the maturing years. "Tea Tree" essential neat oil drops massaged on nail & nail beds may also help. IF you know of a armomatherapy shop in your area they can make a mixture of Tea Tree & Tagetes (5 drops each) oils diluted with 2 teaspoons of olive or grapeseed oil - if its not a fungus.\n\nas for the "eczema" -- the root problem may be due to allergy - cow's milk or eggs. There also is some type of correlation between allergies in the family and eczema. Even if parent or grandparent has history of hay fever, eczema, asthma, psoriasis -- or even food allergies!! If mom has allergies she probably passed them on.... \nDermatoligist should check that all out -- if its truly bothersome & itches alot -- it can be releaved by applying affected area twice a day with essential oils. Again, check with nearest aromatherapy shop -- mixure should be chamomile, yarrow, tagetes with 10 drops of primrose oil --
437131
BUY CRISTAL STONE APPLY SEESAM OIL AND ROLLE WITH PEBBLE. \nAVOID EATING MUSTURD, RICE, COFFEE, PINEAPPLE\n\nKEEP YOUR FEET ALWAYS CLEAN WHEN EVER ON YOUR RETURN FROM OUTING. APPLY WATER, PULLS POWDER, DRY IT HOT AIR AND CLEANS IT
28104
when i was 6 years old my toe nails was remove bec. of accident...\nhow long it  hurt u.....?as long as u move ur feet it will hurt....\nwell ur nail will grow  soon but it will take a month to fully grow....\ni suggest u eat jelly ace...it will help ur nails to grow faster...
159890
From Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Balch & Balch \n\nThe nails protect the nerve-rich fingertips and tips of the toes from injury. Nails are a substructure of the epidermis (the outer layer of the skin) and are composed mainly of keratin, a type of protein. the nail bed is the skin on tip of which the nails grow. Nails grow from .05 to 1.2 millimeters (approximately 1/500 to 1/20 inch) a week. If a nail is lost, it takes about seven months to grow out fully. \n\nHealthy nail beds are pink, indicating a rich blood supply. changes or abnormalities in the nails are often the result of nutritional deficiencies or other underlying conditions. The nails can reveal a great deal about the body's internal health. nail abnormalities on either the fingers or the toes can indication underlying disorder. \n\nThe following are some of the changes that nutritional deficiencies can produce in the nails: \n\nA lack of protein, folic acid, and vitamin C causes hang nails. White bands across the nails are also an indication of protein deficiency. \n\nA lack of vitamin A and calcium causes dryness and brittleness. \n\nA deficiency of the B vitamins causes fragility, with horizontal and vertical ridges. \n\nInsufficient intake of vitamin B12 leads to excessive dryness, very rounded and curved nail ends, and darkened nails. \n\nIron deficiency may result in 'spoon' nails (nails that develop a concave shape) and/or vertical ridges. \n\nZinc deficiency may cause the development of white spots on the nails. \n\nA lack of sufficient 'friendly' bacteria (lactobacilli) in the body can result in the growth of fungus under and around nails. \n\nA lack of sufficient hydrochloric acid (HCI) contributes to splitting nails. \n\nDISORDERS THAT SHOW UP IN THE NAILS \n\nNail changes may signify a number of disorders elsewhere in the body. These changes may indicate illness before any othersymptoms do. Seek medical attention if any of the following symptoms are suspected. \n\nBLACK, SPLINTER LIKE BITS UNDER THE NAILS can be a sign of infectious endocarditis, a serious heart infection; other heart disease; or a bleeding disorder. \n\nBLACK BANDS from the cuticle outward to the end of the nail can be an early sign of melanoma. \n\nBRITTLE, SOFT, SHINY NAILS WITHOUT A MOON may indicate an overactive thyroid. \n\nBRITTLE NAILS signify possible iron deficiency, thyroid problems, impaired kidney function, and circulation problems. \n\nCRUMBLY, WHITE NAILS near the cuticle are sometimes an indication of AIDS. \n\nDAR NAILS AND/OR THIN, FLAT, SPOON-SHAPED NAILS are a sign of vitamin B12 deficiency or anemia. Nails can also turn gray or dark if the hands are placed in chemicals such as cleaning supplies (most often bleach) or a substance to which one is allergic. \n\nDEEP BLUE NAIL BEDS show a pulmonary obstructive disorder such as asthma or emphysema. \n\nDOWNWARD-CURVED nail ends may denote heart, liver, or respiratory problems. \n\nFLAT NAILS can denote Raynaud's disease. \n\nGREENISH NAILS, if not a result of a localized fungal infection, may indicate an internal bacterial infection. \n\nA HALF-WHITE NAIL WITH DARK SPOTS AT THE TIP points to possible kidney disease. \n\nAN ISOLATED DARK-BLUE BAND IN THE NAIL BED, especially in light-skinned people, can be a sign of skin cancer. \n\nLINDSAY'S NAILS (sometimes known as 'half-and-half' nails), nails in which half of the top of the nail is white and the other half is pink, may be a sign of chronic kidney disease. \n\nNAIL BEADING (the development of bumps on the surface of the nail) is a sign of rheumatoid arthritis. \n\nNAILS RAISED AT THE BASE WITH SMALL WHITE ENDS, show a respiratory disorder such as emphysema or chronic bronchitis. This type of nails may also simply be inherited. \n\nNAILS SEPARATED FROM THE NAIL BED may signify a thyroid disorder (this condition is known as onyholysis) or a local infection. \n\nNAILS THAT BROADEN TOWARD THE TIP AND CURVE DOWNWARD are a sin