My nails used to crack and peel so badly that they would not grow past the quick. I always had a file handy because my nails would snag and tear so easily. I picked and peeled my cuticles because they were so hard, dry and cracked. Like you, I tried every kind of moisturizer, lotion and cuticle and nail treatment. Anything petroleum-based, like Vaseline, or containing alcohol made it worse.

What finally worked for me was pure organic Shea butter- but it has to be just pure 100% Shea butter, no other ingredients - no preservatives, additives, or fragrance. It is a thick, solid paste that softens as you rub it in. It smells nice - sort of a mild coconut smell. At first I was putting it on many times a day. Always after a bath and before bed. It took a while, but now I only use it maybe once a day. My cuticles are perfect and I have nails a bit longer than my fingertips, that rarely split or peel. A 7oz. jar has lasted for ages. For me, it really has been a miracle cure.

I just got some Argan oil - sometimes called Moroccan oil, to try on my long, curly, dry hair, and it has been great for my nails, too. Like shea butter, it comes from a nut. You don't need to get the crazy expensive brand in the fancy light blue box. I found 100% pure, certified organic, cold pressed argan oil, from Morocco, for about $8, on amazon. It comes in a little dropper bottle. Two drops is plenty for fingers. It smells slightly nutty.

Good luck! I hope this helps you. Oh, and avoid things like hand sanitizers and harsh hand soap, like in public restrooms. Those will totally destroy my nails. I stopped using any soaps or shampoos that contain sulphates. I keep a little travel-size bottle of a vegetable oil based soap in my purse. And I put some Shea butter in a tiny plastic pill box, for my purse, too.

Thanks JustBev. Where do you get your Shea Butter? I've had lotions with shea butter, but they had fragrance. I wonder if Sally's Beauty Supply has some. I may check tomorrow. I have some Argan styling cream that I got there. I didn't like it on my hair and thought I might use it for hand lotion but never did. Maybe I need to find it and use it as lotion. Like you , I hate the hand sanitizers and antibactrial hand soaps. As matter of fact, I was just searching for some liquid soap that wasn't harsh to take to work. I also only have cold water there to wash my hands. I work with a lot of fabric and I think it drys my hands out too. But thanks for the information. I will see if I can find some shea butter tomorrow. Do you use nail polish? I always look for the ones without formaldehyde, toluene or Dep. What kind of polish remover do you use? It seems to be very drying too, on cuticles and nails. Thanks again for the tips. I'll see what I can find.

my nail beds are always cracked dry and often bleeding....all my fingers are affected....my rhuemo said it is part of the disease for me....when they are really bad i use aquaphor and put cotton gloves on...it helps...sometimes they are so bad it makes my entire arm hurt from my finger to my shoulders

My nails are very dry and have ridges downs most of the nails.

Jewl -
The Shea butter was from Whole Foods - I bought the cheapest organic one, with no other added ingredients. I seriously don't recommend using any lotion because it will dry out your hands even more. I have Raynaud's, so I hate cold water like a vampire hates sunlight. And I'm a serious knitter, so I totally get how textiles can be killer on your hands.
I finally quit using nail polish on my fingers. It seemed to make the top nail layer peel off with the polish, especially after getting my hands wet, like after a shower. Then my nails would be even weaker. (Even the $20 Nailtiques, for weak, peeling nails did this to me.) My toenails, however, are much stronger, and painted a fabulous turquoise, today! I make the pedi last as long as possible because the remover is so drying. Since I am on a whopping load of immunosuppressants, I always do my own nails... I'm terrified of getting fungus or something at the salon.

Pconville - I have spondyloarthropathy, and you are right, this sucky nail stuff is part of the whole autoimmune arthritis disease. Poor thing, yours sounds really painful. Have you ever tried those Bucky buckwheat- filled pillows, that you heat in the microwave. It makes a moist heat that feels so good on achy joints. Also great for warming frozen Raynaud's feet, SI joint back pain, shoulders, cramps. Seriously, I own three of their Body Bags and use them every day.
(If you get on their web site mailing list, they have sales and free shipping offers pretty often)

Angellady - My rheumo noticed ridges on my nails and said they can be an indication of psoriasis. He referred me to a dermatologist, who should be able to diagnose and treat it. (oops, still need to do that.) The ridges can also indicate psoriatic arthritis, which is probably what I have, but we are calling it spondyloarthropathy, which is a more general term - and the treatment is the same, anyway. My nails got a bit stronger when I started Humera. Now I'm on Simponi and the nails are still doing well.

This is my first day on this site. Sorry to be so chatty and go on so much. It's been a tough week and this is has been a really great distraction from just stewing in it! Thanks for being patient with me...

@just bev
i have raynauds also ....i have the hot booties that you put in the micro HEAVEN!
i also have cvid (bubble boy).... sjogren's is secondary ...with the cvid it comes with its own flu like feelings daily and i have had it since childhhood....
instead of heating pads i use heated throws...heated mattress covers, heated blankets and the micro versions too....
the cracking of the nail beds has gone on for years...just another great symptom to go along with the others!

I agree, re: shea butter. Also coconut oil for cuticles, and rubbed into the nail bed before sleeping, helps a lot. I take fish oil capsules, as my eye doctor recommended them for dry eyes, but it seems to help my nails grow a bit stronger too. I no longer use nail polish, but I found buffing helps make them look better. Thanks for the tip on the argan oil, I had gotten some as a gift a while back, and thought it was too expensive to replace, but I will look on Amazon :)

JustBev--Don't worry about being too chatty. You're giving some good information. I looked at Sally's for shea butter this morning before work but they didn't have any except in a lotion. I live in a small town so I may not be able to find it here. May need to order it somewhere. Just thought of GNC. Wonder if they have it. I'll call in a minute. I dug out the Argan oil styling cream that I spoke of in the earlier post and soaked my hands in it a couple of times before I went to bed last night. I think it helped. At least they wern't as sore when I got up this morning. Of course, unless I'm using something constantly, they start to dry out again.

Jewl -
Thanks for excusing my chattiness. My ten year old daughter was diagnosed with serious scoliosis, this week. She will have to wear a hard plastic brace, 23 hours a day, for the next 3 years. It's a lot to process. I got on this site to look into scoliosis, but found I'm not ready to go there yet. For now, I'd rather distract myself by sharing my 25+ years of problem solving, living with multiple autoimmune diseases. And I'm getting great ideas from you lovely people, too.

Back to shea butter: Now Solutions Shea Butter is what I use.
http://www.naturalhealthyconcepts.com/shea-butter-N7-p-now.html
This site sells it for less than $8 an doesn't charge shipping. This was the best deal I could find for you. (I was reluctant to be specific about naming products and sites, because I wasn't sure it was allowed on this site. I am not associated with any product I've mentioned.)

Ok, Jewl, hang on for a little tough love! ;) I am going to keep bugging you about not using lotions. They have additives that will actually dry your skin more. Two common examples: water to thin it out and alcohol to make it seem to absorb. When those evaporate, it dries out your skin. Pure oils will not evaporate, and will seal in your natural moisture.

I really encourage you to try the Shea butter and keep putting it on several times a day and always after your hands get wet. I promise you will see some difference in a week. It takes a while for your new, moisture-protected, undamaged skin to grow in and replace the cracked, damaged skin. I said it was a miracle, but it takes some time and dedication at first. I really love Pconville's idea about the cotton gloves, too.

I also keep a bottle of sweet almond oil in the shower. Just before I dry off, I rub it onto my wet skin. A little goes a long way because your skin is still wet. It doesn't seem to stain my white towels and has only the slightest sweet warm scent.

Because of my sjgren's, if I don't keep my skin moisturized, it can get really scaly, dry, and even painful. The skin on my back sometimes feels like a bad sunburn and just the movement of my shirt can be painful.

Cassjen -
My eye doctor also put me on fish oil. It seems to help a lot. I rarely use drops any more. I also use biotin.

thanks for all the good info JustBev. Sorry to hear about your daughter. I know that must be hard on her & you. I just got dx with Sjogren's this year so I'm still learning. My Rheumy has me on Plaquinel. I take Flaxseed oil with Omega's (It doesn't have that fishy taste that upsets my stomach. I get bloated from anything I eat. Constipation is bad. I dry prune juice but lately not helping.

Angellady-
I HAVE to use Miralax EVERY morning, mixed into my hot tea, (stirred well!) because my meds constipate me so badly. Nothing natural I could find made a dent in my constipation. I take plaquanil, too, but I suspect my pain meds and sjgren's are the true culprit for me. From what I understand, Miralax is not a laxative, stimulant, or addictive. It just adds moisture to your stool, so it passes easier. I was totally against it and afraid to try it at first. Until one day, I was doubled over in pain, rushed to the hospital, and got an X-ray that showed my intestines were completely impacted solid. Miralax is my friend now. You may only need a half dose a day to get you moving. Add more if it isn't working and If you get too loose, cut back. Drink a whole glass of water after you take it.

I hope this helps. Constipation is miserable. Oh, and the generic, store brand Miralax knock-offs have the same ingredients and cost much less.

A combination of flax and krill oil, taken separately, has really helped my hair, skin, and nails. I also take magnesium for constipation. It is supposed to make your nails stronger too, as well as do many other fantastic things. 500 mg with a tall glass of water everyday. The great thing is that it doesn't interact with any of my meds. It is also gentle on the intestines unlike many laxatives.

I totally know how you feel. My hands and fingers are so dry and cracked. When I'm shuffling around paper on my desk my finger tips sound like sandpaper.

My nails and finger tips also were horrible. The deep cracks and bleeding on the sides were painful. I started out using neosporin and bandaids to heal the cracks. I finally went to a manicurist just for her help with it. She suggested Amlactin cream for my hands. It took one week and I was better. Use it twice daily. Cracks gone nails got good enough to try a new product to keep nails strong-shellac. I now have nails at a manageable length. I wear rubber gloves to clean or do dishes. I use normal inexpensive lotions in between times after washing hands and I use store brand moisturing hand wash (not anti bacterial) . They come in milk/honey or aloe or shea butter.
I make breakfast smoothies with fresh or fresh frozen fruit I freeze while stuff is in season and add it to a yogurt that has probiotic in it. I like buying the big containers and scooping out what I need. Dannon classic is good and its gluten free.(I am gluten intolerant)