Colorless iodine will keep nails in the pink

Dear Heloise: All the women in my office are having problems with our nails cracking. You printed a hint about how to strengthen fingernails once. Can you reprint it for me and my co-workers? We need help! Sally, via fax

Sally, I’d be happy to reprint this hint for you and your colleagues! The hint for weak nails is what I call white iodine (also decolorized iodine or colorless), and here’s how you use it:

For the first week, apply on your nails (just the tips) daily. Use an old fingernail-polish brush that you’ve cleaned in polish remover. After the first week, use only once per week so your nails don’t become brittle (which can happen from overuse). It will take several weeks to notice any improvement, especially if your nails are super thin from using acrylics, or from using harsh chemicals to clean house. If you have a medical condition, this might not help.

Decolorized iodine can be found at most drugstores (you might have to ask the pharmacist, as many keep it behind the counter), and it’s usually fairly inexpensive. Caution: Don’t use hydrogen-peroxide products while using white iodine, since these two products react badly when used together and can turn your fingernails orange! Heloise

Dear Heloise: After using a roll of tape, I would always struggle to find the beginning of the tape the next time. Now after each use, I fold the end of the tape under about 1/4 inch. The next time, it is ready to go. Brenda Ellis, Cleveland, Tenn.

Dear Heloise: My grandmother was going to make bread pudding, but she lost her recipe. She then told me that she cut it out of your column. Could you reprint the recipe for me? It would mean a lot to my grandmother. She is 85 years old. Thanks so much. Renee S., via e-mail

Let’s get this Heloise Bread Pudding recipe printed for your grandmother! It’s not an exact recipe — you just kind of add the food items until it looks and tastes right.

•Beat an egg and put it in a casserole dish.

•Add 1 or 2 cups of milk.

•Tear up day-old bread, buns, doughnuts or sweet rolls.

•Soak in milk until it’s juicy and most of the milk is absorbed.

•Add a few teaspoons of sugar, a little cinnamon and a teaspoon of vanilla extract and stir thoroughly. (You don’t need to add sugar if using doughnuts or sweet rolls.)

Bake at 350 F for one hour. Heloise

Dear Heloise: To save time, I have marked each set of sheets in my linen closet. I use a permanent black marker. On the tag of the sheets, I mark “Q” for queen, “F” for full, etc. No more pulling sheets out of the closet to find out what size they are! Dorothy Jones, Youngstown, Ohio

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