Saturday, February 10, 2007

Figuring out natural fingernail care/ naildisc

As a long time classical guitar player, I have always found it difficult to keep my fingernails in acceptable condition. I tried all the usual cosmetic and salon treatments and couldn't quite get it right. My real challenge came as my high school daughter needed guitar accompaniment for some vocal jazz and Bossanova pieces she was performing. I had to get serious. After spending way too much time reading every online opinion I could possibly Google on the topic, I realized there were 3 three thing I would have to start doing.

1. Keeping fingernails dry, this meant dish washing gloves, and general attention to where my fingers were.

2. Keeping your hands, especially your fingernails and cuticles from drying out by regular use of a hand cream or lotion.

3. Using the right nail files, it is very important to progressively shape, smooth, and buff each nail. Nail splits and breaks begin with small nicks, chips, and rough edges.

Number one is pretty much self explanatory. Number 2 meant finding a hand cream that wasn't greasy or scented, absorbed quickly, and didn't need to be applied every 30 minutes (2-3 times daily would be ideal). I tried about 25 different products, from designer brands, to organic brands, even equine hoof cream as some guitarists recommend. What stood out well above and beyond the rest was an after sun lotion by Aubrey Organics (www.aubreyorganics.com). Another product I found helpful is oil of Myrrh, this centuries old remedy helps nails grow fast and strong. I use a product called Onymyrrhe from www.onymyrrhe.com.

Number three was another challenge altogether. As a guy who thought he was taking OK care of his fingernails, I had the basic German clippers and ceramic file. I had to get into multi-layer salon type buffers before I would start to get close. What I could not figure out at this point though, was how to do a good job finishing the underside (the part that you actually touch things with, like guitar strings) of my nails. I realized that not only is this part of the fingernail constantly subjected to anything I touch, but also next to impossible to reach with conventional nail files.

Being an industrial designer, and product developer I began to turn my attention toward this little by little until one day I had an idea. I started out by making some prototypes, I was a little skeptical but, to my surprise they worked. Not only did they work, these things really worked well. I decided, at least for now, to call the product naildisc. I applied for and received "patent pending" status for the naildisc. I made some sample packages and showed them to a local classical guitar shop, they wanted to place an order.

I'm in business

To purchase naildisc use the Paypal link below!