I read a lot of messages about blisters and how to deal with them. The best way is to avoid them by not overdoing it with your fingers until you can build callus on the fingertips.
I learned to tape my fingertips 30+ years ago while playing upright bass in dance bands. I've commented about taping fingertips in threads here twice this morning, and after dong a search on the topic, I don't find any "how-to" here on Talkbass.
Looks like it's time to provide more info.
Here's how to do it:
1) Buy roll of
Johnson & Johnson waterproof adhesive tape, 1/2" wide.
2) Tear off a strip about 2" long and tape from on top of your finger above your fingernail around over the tip, and up the inside of your finger. This puts one strip over the tip, in line with your finger.
3) Now we'll go around the finger. Using a longer strip, start taping over the nail, and wind it around the finger at a slight angle, working upwards.
4) Stop when you feel like it. Taping over the first joint may be necessary, but it stiffens the action of the joint and it will take some time playing to flex and soften the tape enough to get decent flexibility back in the fingers.
It may be a mess the first time you try this, so practice it a few times. Tape is cheap.
It is VERY important that you start the winding action at the fingertip so the "open" edge of the tape faces the tip. If you start high on the finger and tape down toward the fingertip, the "open" edge will face upward and the action of your fingers against the string will strip the tape off quickly.
Some people say that when the tape is stuck to the fingernail, it makes the nail sore. This doesn't happen for me, but if it does for you, put a small piece of gauze, paper or something else over the nail before you start taping.
This will prevent blisters, and it will REALLY help prevent making them worse.
Now go do this:
