Hi,

This may sound unusual, but can anyone recommend some kind of white or neutral colored substance to put under my nails that might block or resist darker colored dirt from getting caught under there?

Or, does anyone know of a something that can safely turn dirt already under the nail into a white or neutral color? I suppose I'd be looking for a non-toxic liquid of some sort.

Scraping with a wooden nail tool only clears out under the nail very briefly, and can weaken the nails as well.

Please pass along some good advice.

Many thanks!

The best way may be to strengthen your nails with the Tin-Peptide Nail Renewal and also take 2 grams of MSM daily as as supplement. This will thicken and harden your nails so that any cleaning is easier and less damaging.

How about a nail brush? You can always get a soft one. I find they clean my nails the best. (I hope that's OK, Dr Pickart.) I also find that drying my hands well with a paper towel and making sure the area under the nails is dry also helps my nails stay cleaner longer, since dust doesn't settle in as dirt. Another bonus I find in getting nails stronger is that they seem whiter and that whiteness seems to catch one's attention and get one to stop using the nails as tools so that one's not getting dirt underneath them much - unless one's gardening. Another thing I've noticed with my nails, the longer they are, the longer I am able to keep them clean. So comes right back to Dr Pickart's suggestion to make them stronger.

I know ppl who will put some bar soap under their nails if they are working in the yard to prevent dirt from getting under there. Perhaps some Ivory soap would work? It's soft enuf to scrape your nail along the bar to fill the undersides with the soap. And, it would wash out easy enuf w/ a nail brush.