QuestionI have always just chewed or cut my nails pretty short because they're so thin they bend and peel/flake if grown longer. Recently I started getting SNS tips, and while at first they seemed great (very strong, light, etc) after the false tip grew out and it was just my real nail supporting the coating, they would snap off really easily. Supposedly the SNS shouldn't damage your real nails, but the technician would still use a rotary tool to buff down my real nails before applying the coating (to get it to stick, I guess?), so now that I've taken the tips off, the nails are so thin that it actually hurts to try and scratch my head, open a soda can, etc.
Is there anything I can do to either 1) strengthen my real nails (beyond one of stupid polishes, which I have tried and seem to do nothing), or 2) find a type of false nail that is strong enough to deal with dish-washing and a lot of typing? I really prefer to have false nails, but after the SNS started to lift after a week I have grown kind of wary; I don't want an infection, and when I come back for a fill and the nail has lifted, most technicians just want to pop them off and replace them completely, which winds up stripping my poor nails down to nothing if done too many times.
They say that I have "oily nail beds" and that's why they pop off so easily. I don't know if there is anything I can actually do about that, because washing my hands often seems to produce it's own host of problems from the nails being in water so often.
Any advice you can give would be much appreciated!
AnswerHi Natasha!
First, let me apologize for taking so long to get back to you. I've been on vacation and I totally forgot to tell Allexperts about it!
First of all, this "SNS" system's website doesn't say what it's made of. I know it says it's "organic" but ALL nail products are organic! Because, when you are talking about cosmetics, we use the chemical definition of "organic" which has to do with the molecular make up of the products, not how they are grown and raised-- which is how the term is defined in agriculture and that's what most people think of when they hear the word "organic." It can be misleading when it's used in cosmetics because companies know that people think of the agricultural definition...
which is a lengthy way of saying to be wary of companies that make a big deal out of having "organic" cosmetic products.
But, the SNS system looks to be a pretty ordinary "tip and dip" system, which means it's unlikely that it was the products that made your nails worse. But the glue (what they call "gel" is actual cyanoacrylate resin-- same thing Crazy Glue is made of) gets very brittle as it ages, so that might be a factor in why they broke easily after the tip grew out.
Most likely, especially since your natural nails are already thin and weak, the extra filing with the rotary file is what went wrong.
What you need to do is find a REALLY GOOD nail tech who won't pop off or clip nails that are lifting and knows how to deal with your thin nails.
Until your natural nails grow out, you might want to look into the new gel polishes or traditional gel nails. These will require putting your hands under a UV light, but the UV output is very minimal so there's nothing to worry about. Gel polish is just a polish product that uses some of the gel chemistry to make the polish wear much longer than regular polish. You'll have to have it soaked off and redone every few weeks, but it will add just enough support to your nails to keep them from hurting and give them time to grow out.
A gel manicure should not involve filing directly on your nail. There might be a little minimal filing to get traces of color all the way off after soaking, but it isn't necessary to file on top of your nails to make the product stick, and the products should be soaked off, not filed off.
Traditional gel nails are done with thicker gels and built up in layers, each layer gets cured under a UV light before the next layer. This builds up to create a fake nail that can be used to extend your own nails like acrylic. Gel often sticks to natural nails better than acrylic because it's more flexible and can flex with the natural nail-- especially thin, bendy, natural nails-- better than acrylic. So you should have less lifting.
Lifting should NEVER be taken care of by just prying off the nail. The lifted part of the product should be cut away and filed down so that your nail doesn't get damaged.
Also-- there's no such thing as "oily nail plates." Nails don't breathe or sweat, so the oils on the nail plate come from your skin. Once the nail plate is properly prepared for product, those oils are removed and they aren't getting in between the natural nail and the product if that product is on right! So you need to find someone who understands this and has really good prep skills and can and will explain the details to you-- so you can be careful not to lean on your hands or reach into your pockets or try to eat French fries while you're getting your nails done, these things really do make a difference!
And believe it or not, one of the best things you can do to take care of your nails is use OIL on them everyday! A high-quality botanical (NOT mineral/baby oil!) oil is excellent to keep your natural nails and cuticle healthy and hydrated, and when you are wearing fake nails, it's also excellent at PREVENTING lifting! Because it keeps the skin around your nails hydrated so that skin and nails don't shrink and pull away from the product on your nails.
What part of PA are you in? I know a couple of good nail techs that I would love to refer you too if you're close enough to get to them!
