HELOISE: Using white iodine on nails

Dear Heloise: I’ve read in your column a hint concerning how to treat soft, peeling and weak fingernails. You wrote about a product that could be obtained only from your pharmacist. Could you please reprint this information?

Susan in Ohio

Dear Susan: Yes, I’m delighted to print this often-asked-for hint. White (sometimes called decolorized, colorless or yodo blanco) iodine is what to use.

It is fairly inexpensive (usually less than $5) and can help strengthen nails that have been weakened after acrylic nail removal, or natural nails that are cracked and thin. Finding decolorized iodine may be tricky. Call around and ask the pharmacist if he or she carries it. You might have to call several drugstores, including independent pharmacies, but be persistent. It might be kept behind the counter in some states. Or, look on the Internet, where we found many brands available.

Here’s the routine to help get stronger nails: Using a cotton swab or an old, clean nail-polish brush, wipe the decolorized iodine on just the tips of your nails (not the entire nail). After a week, use the iodine only once a week. More often is not helpful. It may take several weeks to see results.

Don’t use hydrogen peroxide or any products that contain hydrogen peroxide while using the iodine. It will turn your nails yellow or orange!

Other things you can do to strengthen your nails? Apply vitamin E oil — it’s a good nail conditioner. Also, prevent damage by donning household gloves when working in hot, soapy water or harsh chemicals for prolonged periods of time.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: I have always been frugal, and with the economy the way it is, here is a real saver. I use a face cleanser that comes in a pump. The stem of the pump doesn’t reach all the way to the bottom. When it no longer pumps, I cut the plastic bottle in half and scoop out the rest of the cleanser into a travel-size jar. Amazing how much more is in the bottle. Nothing wasted.

Ardis Riley, via e-mail

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate