Blackmores Nails, Hair and Skin supplements – a review

When I was offered the chance to trial Blackmores Nails, Hair and Skin supplements, I was pretty keen to say yes. I keep my skin care routine simple, and while I love make up and lotions and potions, I don't expect that much from most of them. I think good skin, hair and nails comes so much from what you eat, and not just what you put on them.

I eat pretty well (and I am a great believer in a little of what you fancy doing you good, too!) and, after a recent doctor's check up, I know my vitamin levels are good. I sometimes take iron and Vitamin D tablets to keep things tickety boo, but I am also wary of going too far; I think getting carried away on vitamins just gives you expensive pee.

That said, I have always wanted to try this kind of vitamin supplement, but I’ve always hesitated and then put the bottle back on the shelf. It's quite a lot of money for something not instantly fun, or tangible… such as shoes, for example! There are no guarantees they'll work. And twice a day for, well, it can take "... up to 12 weeks" to see any difference… that’s a long time to wait. What if I don’t even remember to take them..?!

But the one reason – the only reason, really – I’ve been wanting to try a skin, hair and nails (let’s save my fingers and call it an shn!) supplement, for some time now, is simple. I know two women, both of whom, like me, have celebrated their 30th birthday, who have the most beautiful skin. Great hair and nails, too. But it’s their great skin that really sticks in my mind. They both take an shn supplement.

And while I know that good skin has a lot to do with good genetics, anything that helps is a good thing!

My skin is not too bad, but it’s far from perfect. My hair is pretty good, despite its constant mistreatment. It’s my nails that need all the help they can get.

I naturally have very thin, brittle nails. I look after them (and my hands) and use a good hand cream several times a day, but while they grow pretty quickly, they break very easily. My mum had amazingly strong nails. So much for genetics, then! Over the past few months my nails have taken an absolute battering – sanding, painting, and general diy is not good for hands! – and winter always wrecks them, anyway.

So it was my nails where I was really hoping to see results.

I decided the best way to do this trial justice was to photograph the progress once a week – give or take a day or two! – for six weeks, and then show you!

So, week one: this is the first day I start taking the tablets. Look at my poor nails. Dreadful. Dry and splitting and short. Sanding floorboards does not help matters. Halp!




Week two: Masking tape application and removal, more sanding, painting. I’ve taken two tablets a day, and my nails are the same as before.




Week three: same same. I keep filing them down to get rid of the splits. No point in longer nails if they aren’t perfect. Still no improvement. I know it’s meant to take a while, but I’m getting over it. Remind myself to be patient.




Week four: staining the floorboards. My nails are still short, but they are in much better condition. It’s only now I start to think there may be a change happening, but I can’t be sure. Maybe I am just paying them more attention?




Week five: for the first time, I think there is a definite improvement. My nails are less dry, and aren’t breaking so easily. Really pleased! It’s good for motivating me to keep up with the tablets, which I only sometimes forget to take..! Fig jam in a pretty jar gives me a good opportunity to take a picture.




Week six: my nails are actually nice. Even after some digging in the herb garden and replanting some mint! I haven’t worn much nail varnish at all over the last six weeks, to really give my nails a chance to improve. They are now longer, healthy, and harder to bend. Yay!




Week seven: after six weeks of tablet taking, my nails were looking great… and I went and jammed my hand in a door and broke off the middle one! Ha! Bad timing, bad language... But, reduced middle nail aside, there is a huge improvement. My nails have never been this good. Even my loved one, who was very skeptical to begin with, is super impressed.

So, now what?

I can honestly say I found these tablets have made a HUGE difference to my nails, and I am going to keep taking them. Apparently it can take around 3 months to really see results, and I want to see how good they will be! I am genuinely surprised at the difference so far, though.


***It should go without saying, but any review I do on here will ALWAYS be completely honest.***