Natural Nails

 

Today in a little bit of a departure, I wanted to give you the results of a little contest I held. I was very excited to find the old school La Cross manicure pencils by Sally Hanson on eBay recently. I was introduced to these back in the early 1980s when we first moved to North Carolina. Unbeknownst to me or my family I was causing a lot of consternation among the well-bred southern ladies of the neighborhood running around with dirty fingernails and wild hair, very often to be found in the creek and woods behind our house. Not only as a girl but as a "grown" girl, my behavior was unacceptable in the refined south. I should point out I was only 10 years old at the time and had grown up in the freedom of coastal California and then rural Ohio. I was constantly catching frogs and snakes and other animals. I am famous in the family for having once shown up at my grandparents' house carrying a carp I pulled out of the lake with my bare hands when I was four years old (yes, you read that right; I was allowed to play alone at the lake when I was four!) and showing up at my other grandparents' house carrying  a bird I caught by hand when I was around seven. My grandfather did start taking me fishing after the carp incident. At any rate, I was just still as wild at the age of 10 and my parents didn't see any problem with it. But in the neighborhood I later found out it was a scandal. I was tall and already quite busty so I looked much older than my age. A kind neighbor named Ms. Becky took pity on me and sent her daughter to fetch me to her front room decorated all over with her fabulous 1950s Madame Alexander doll collection and there they taught me to use the La Cross white pencils and orange sticks to manicure my nails. To use them you first clean under your nails with the pointy end of the orange stick. Then you push back your cuticles with the flat end of the stick. Then you dip the white pencil in water, much like an artist's water color pencil, and you color under your nail tips to whiten them. Then you can buff the tops of your nails or apply clear polish,

The white nail pencil was my first introduction to southern feminine graces and I am grateful to this day. I still had a lot to learn, such as not speaking too loud and never ever saying anything directly, but skirting any direct statement with genteel language (which once caused my midwestern uncle to accuse me of "talking longer without saying anything" than any person he ever heard!). Eventually I became an acceptable southern woman. I used the La Cross nail pencils for years but then they just disappeared from all the local stores. I was afraid they were discontinued. I don't know why it took me so long to think of looking not he internet but I finally did and found they are still made, along with new ones. I ordered both to compare.

My nails are a constant source of frustration to me because as an online seller I am expected to have a very elaborate manicure. Every woman posting online, whether to sell goods or promote fitness or post recipes, has an amazing manicure, at least seemingly. My work as a doll doctor and my gardening hobby makes that hard to maintain. My nails are always stained by red clay and my fingers are often scratched and cut from difficult repairs. Until I was finally able to get diagnosis and treatment for my Hashimoto's disease my nails were usually broken to the quick as well. I have been using the press on nails when I need to show my hands but it's an elaborate measure and adds quite a bit of delay to the listing process. So I am thrilled to have the option to buy the La Cross nail pencils again.

So, which nail pencil did I prefer? Each has pros and cons. The La Cross nail pencil is made of clay and it diminishes very quickly. You need to sharpen it between each use but there is no sharpener. The orange sticks come loose so you have to find a way to store them together. The white clay really coats your nail, however. It goes on like paint and covers extremely well.

The generic nail pencil has a lid that is angled so you can use it as both a cleaner and cuticle pusher. It's really nice to be able to store the two together. It is longer so you get more product and comes with a sharpener. The tip is much harder, however, and it doesn't apply nearly as thick. You need several coats and it still doesn't whiten as well. There are no ingredients listed on the package so it's impossible to say if the pigment is as innocuous as white clay.

​My choice is the La Cross pencil. As long as I can get them I will buy them.

Other products I used to get these results: the Adesse Age-Defying nail treatment cuticle oil, growth enhancer, and age-defying top and base coat. My sister and mother gave them to me for Christmas and they really work! Dr. Westin Childs' Hashimoto's treatment bundle, including his protein powder and his Thyroid Hair and Nails supplement is another thing that really helped my nails grow. When I started his treatment my nails were broken to the quick, even though I was using the Adesse treatments. If you feel something is wrong with your thyroid but your doctor isn't listening I highly recommend his website, restart.com. He has a chart to compare your thyroid test results and diagnose yourself. Hashimoto's, for instance, can't be diagnosed with a regular thyroid panel but he tells you what your results mean so you can show your doctor and arrange treatment or order it from him. I do not get any kind of payment for recommending Dr. Childs; I am just so thrilled to find help after so many years I want to spread the word!

I hope you enjoy this different type of post from me! After so many years of doll posts I enjoyed writing about something new. Please let me know if you would like to see more product reviews. I am working to enhance my affiliate marketing career, which has been sadly neglected. As always, when you link to eBay from my store or any of these product links I may receive a small payment, depending on if you make a purchase in a certain amount of time (I can't remember if it's 24 or 48 hours). You do not have to buy the products I am showcasing. I have used the products shown but may have ordered them from a different seller. They are not my products and I can't comment on the seller's performance as to shipping time, etc. I and my family appreciate your reading and clicking on my links very much! It enables me to still bring in some money now that we are away from home so often.