QuestionI have worn acrylic tips that later turned into wraps for a year a so. Finally, I've been able to taken them off in June and let my natural nail do it's self healing. I've had a total of 4 manicures since the removal of my wraps and my nails have a problem with chipping, splitting and cracking constantly. I can't seem to keep them at a decent length. What should I do?
AnswerGet more frequent manicures. Try "dry" manicures: a cream or oil is liberally applied to your hands and nails, then you put your hands in warm mitts for awhile instead of starting off the service with soaking in water. The water will dry out your nails and skin.
It helps to get a manicure at least every 2 weeks, especially when you're trying to restore your natural nail. Every week would be ideal, but I realize that's not feasible for many people.
Use lots of cuticle oil. If high-end salon quality cuticle oil isn't readily available to you, you can use olive oil. It does not have to be "extra virgin." Olive oil is an excellent botanical oil for rehydrating your skin and nails. The lipids in the oil are small enough to be readily absorbed into the skin to help moisturize, as opposed to most lotions, creams, and petroleum based oils like baby oil which are too thick to be absorbed by the skin and just sit on top and make you greasy. Also, many skin care professionals say that petroleum products (Vaseline, baby oil, and lotion/creams that contain mineral oil and alcohol) actually dry the skin out.
See if you can find a product by Nail Tek or Nailtiques that is designed to help brittle nails-- I believe it's formula 3 in both lines. These lines are designed for natural nails and they come in different formulas designed to address specific nail types.
It sounds like your nails are dry and brittle from years of chemical processing (just like hair can get)-- typically this dehydration should only last for a week or two after removing enhancements, just until the natural nail can reabsorb the oils from your skin.
It's possible that your natural nails are damaged from over filing, which would leave your nails thinner than they naturally grow out and it will take several months for them to grow out and get back to normal.
Another problem might be that the length you want to keep your natural nail at is too long. We get so used to being able to wear our nails longer and treat them a little rougher when we wear enhancements, when we take off the product and go back to natural it's common to feel like our natural nails are worse than they used to be because we want them to wear like enhancements. This is an illusion and usually it just means we can't wear our natural nails at the same length we got away with with enhancements. You might have to shorten your nails.
Mostly, keep them moisturized with lots of cuticle oil and if you can't make it into the salon for a weekly manicure, make sure you make time to do your own.
