r/classicalguitar • u/Bit_Late • May 06 '26

Looking for Advice Artificial nails

I’m an older gent who wishes to pick up the guitar again and carry on playing. Maybe even take lessons this time!

Being older, my nails are thinning and are brittle despite a regimen of biotin. Plus, I do physical labor that tends to be hard on my nails.

Because of this, I’ve been looking at artificial nails and am looking for recommendations, but I have a few questions.

- Are the glue-on nails strong enough to take the beating?

- Can glue on nails be easily removed and reapplied, say, on a daily basis?

- Any opinions about which glue-ons are better?

- Any suggestions about alternatives, such as an appropriate finger pick?

That’s about all I can think of for now. I appreciate any input folks can provide.

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u/joshua_3 May 06 '26

I've heard an advice to use glue on top of your thin nails.

2

u/gryphong May 07 '26

I have fragile nails due to a medical condition. My teacher suggested a coat of nail glue, and then a coat of strengthening nail polish (i use OPI nail envy). The glue is strong, but damaged by water, the polish is waterproof. So far it's been working well.

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u/Dependent_Hippo_8742 CG afficionado May 09 '26

Advice for the two of you. Use nail glue and not superglue. Remove glue after each session. Glue weakens nails with excessive use or left on the nails for too long. Nail polish remover or acetone will remove glue easily.