Although you can't stop ridges from forming, you can smooth them over. Here's how: Once a week dab nails with buffing cream, then even them out with the fine textured section of a nail buffer. Next apply a strengthening base coat, followed by a ridge filler, says aesthetician Yelena of the Gil Gamlieli Beauty Group in New York City. To camouflage ridges, she adds, "try a French manicure. The horizontal stripe makes vertical lines much less noticeable."

Thin, flimsy, fingernails

Nail strength is determined mostly by genetics. If you didn't luck out, here's how to toughen up: Once a week apply a base coat to nourish and fortify nails, advises Yelena. Then top it with two coats of dark polish. "The more pigment in the enamel, the stronger it makes your nails" she explains. Finish with another layer of base coat applied not only on the nail but on the under side of the tips as well, To prevent tearing nails as you file, leave the old polish on (remove it after shaping is complete).

Splits, peels, chips and breaks

The culprit? Overly dry, brittle nails, To keep them supple, apply a rich hand cream to nails and cuticles three times a day, recommends Cutex nail consultant Elisa Ferri. Once a week, give nails a deep-conditioning treatment. Soak them for five minutes in a small bowl of warm olive oil or corn oil. It's also essential to protect your nails with rubber gloves whenever you re washing dishes or doing other household chores. "The nail plates expand when they get wet and contract when nails dry," says Paul Kechijian, M.D., chief of the Nail Clinic at New York University Medical Center in New York City. If that happens too often during the course of a day, nails can become so dry they crack finally, use polish removers once a week, max some contain harsh solvents that may dry out and even dissolve nails.

Stubborn Stains

Yellow-tinged fingernails are typically caused by frequent use of dark polish. If you like deep tones, protect nails with a base coat. To remove existing stains, buff nails, then soak them for five minutes in lemon juice or in an effervescent denture cleaner. If residue remains, wrap cotton around an orange-wood stick, dip it in hydrogen peroxide and go over the tops and under sides of nails, advises Ferri. Consult your doctor if yellowing persists or if you notice white spots or dark streaks on your nails.

Nails that grow like snails

Nail growth slows as you get older and tends to be more sluggish in winter than in summer (warmth stimulates growth). To put nail growth on fast forward, keep fingers as active as possible, suggests Lawrence A. Noflon, M.D. a clinical professor of dermatology at Boston University. "Any movement that lightly jars the finger tips, such as playing the piano or typing, stimulates the nail matrix to generate new cells," he explains. Also helpful: Give yourself a daily hand massage, pulling gently on each finger to stimulate blood flow to the nail bed, recommends Yelena. And you can make nails of any length look longer by pushing back cuticles or by using an alpha-hydroxy acid enriched cuticle cream nightly (it will slough off excess skin around the nail bed). When polishing, concentrate on the middle of the nail, leaving a slim, unpainted strip at either side, which creates the illusion of length.