Hi Munim,
Using oil on nails that are prone to cracking, peeling or splitting is a good idea. My nails are pretty strong. I put his down to my liking for milk products such as yoghurt and lots of milk in my coffee (lots of calcium). I also take daily fish oil capsules to maintain flexible joints. I believe this also helps to maintain nail strength. I don't use any covering on my nails these days, but when I was playing lots of flamenco every day I used to use "Cutex strongnail" polish as a protective coat on the top part of the nail only. I mean the dead part that actually come in contact with the strings. Using protective polish or glue over the entire nail surface is a bad idea. I also rubbed in Vitamin E cream around the cuticles.
Here is a quote from an article found
here. Although I don't use this type of oil myself, it does make sense because some sort of oil is advised by nail specialists for nail problems.
"At the first signs of splitting or peeling, re-hydrate the nail plate layers with a good quality cuticle and nail oil that contains Jojoba and Vitamin E as two of the botanical oils. Jojoba oil has a very tiny molecule which can penetrate the nail plate surface, open up the layers and draw the Vitamin E in after it. The molecular structure of Vitamin E is too large to penetrate the nail plate layers or the surface layer of the skin without the benefits of Jojoba oil."Here is a related quote from my own,
article on fingernails"Don't ever let a manicurist shape your nails or mess around with your cuticles. For the uninformed, cuticles are hardened portions of skin that fit tightly against the base and side of the nail plate. They can peel, lift, split and bleed when they lack natural oils. Using a Vitamin E hand cream will prevent this. The important thing is that the cuticle is a barrier to keep bacteria from entering your body. Whatever you do, don't cut them, unless you want risk infection. Manicurists will offer to cut them if they are really ugly (the cuticles, not the women). They also have this torture device called an orange stick which they use to push back and prod the cuticles in order to remove the loose bits."A variety of creams and oils are advised by different people such as lemon oil, deodorized paraffin, vitamin E cream and also olive oil. The bottom line is that rubbing some sort of moisturizing cream or oil on the cuticle and nail plate is a good idea for maintaining nail health and strength.
Sal
