Ladies (or gents) who get their nails done....

[AprilBaby]

My nails are ok but not fabulous. Last year for a while I did no chip polish but it left my nails a wreck. They have recovered and I'm doing my own, but I still crave that gorgeous long look the no chip brought. I tried acrylic years ago and it was tight and my nail beds were blue under. I know there is new technology like gels. It seems like most women I see have no chip or "done" nails. Does everyone have crummy nails under and just keeping getting them covered or what am I doing wrong that I have mine ruined by the salon? Are yours natural or done?

 

[Dee*Jay]

April, I'm sorry that you had a bad experience. I've been doing no-chip on my own nails for many years now and only had issues early on when I didn't abide by the mandate to ONLY ONLY ONLY soak the polish off -- NEVER peel it off (which can be sooooo tempting!). Did the salon soak your polish off or do something else...? That's not relevant to your question I realize, but am just trying to get a sense of the current condition of your nails. In my opinion (and working with limited information here obviously) I *think* that you can get no chips done on an ongoing basis but just make sure the salon soaks the polish off ONLY and does not scrape or otherwise peel it or remove it in any other way. Over time the damaged portion of your nails will grow out and you should be left in good shape once that process completes itself.

 

[VRBeauty]

Ive worn my nails natural for many years - I don't like the upkeep associated with nail polish, and I kind of like the look of my natural nails - so I can't help you with that part of your question. As to dealing with any damage though: a year or two ago I was going through a prolonged stressful time, and one or two nails started splitting really easily and I was constantly having to trim all of my nails back to the quick, more or less, to keep them at an even length. Earlier this year I started taking vitamins to help my body counteract the effects of the stress I had been through. I take a general multivitamin daily, and two products specifically for skin and nails etc.: revenemax, and deva vegan ceramide. I'm not sure if it's just one of these pills or all of them that's doing the trick but my nails are now healthy again, and I can grow them pretty much as long as I want them to be.

I hope you're able to figure out what's bothering your nails, and to get them healthy again!

 

[Calliecake]

April Baby, My nail are and have always been very very weak. I've had them done for this reason for approximately 16 years. I would imagine that yes they are a mess due to acrylic nails. I also have no chip polish on top of the acrylic.

 

[momhappy]

I've never had much done to my nails (except maybe a normal manicure from time to time), but I've read that the no-chip manicure can be really hard on nails (the removal process can be damaging). I'm not a fan of fake nails. I'd rather have short nails than fake ones. Not everyone can grow long nails and there can be various reasons for that. How about just keeping them short, but nicely groomed and maybe with some clear polish? Have you tried a vitamin supplement that's good for nails (the issue could be internal)?

 

[PintoBean]

My nails grow fast, so the gel polishes don't work out great for me. Also, the removal is indeed harsh!

I've never had "fake" nails, but I've heard from friends that when they decided to quit the fakes, their natural nails were quite delicate, so they resorted to using Lee Press-on type nails in the mean time until healthier nails grew in lololol!

I'd stick with a sheer Essie polish if you want a "polished" look that masks flaws and chips. for someone who STINKS at polishing, I just use a base coat, then 1-2 coats of the following Essie polishes - BBF best boyfriend, blushing bride, or pink glove service. They have such a shiny jelly like finish that I skip a top coat often. Those 2-3 layers of polish make my nails feel thicker and stiffer. I also tend to keep my nails short and have to cut them once a week.

 

[mom2dolls]

My nails naturally are a mess. About a year ago I discovered SNS manicure in our area. I live in So Cal.
It is a combination between gel and acrylics without the harshness.
My nails have never been stronger or longer.
The process includes a vitamin enhanced base coat that protects and nourishes your nails. The chemicals never penetrate your nails. The color is actually a powder. The base coat is applied, then a clear adhesive, then your nail is dipped clear powder, second layer of liquid adhesive, then nail dipped into colored powder. Repeat with either two to three coats of color and another clear coat and a final gloss top coat.
My manicure will last up to a month. The only thing wrong at that point is the growth showing. My nails will still be perfect.
I have to cut my nails down every time because they grow so fast.

 

[Queenie60]

I have my nails done with Shellac. They are healthy and not weak underneath. When have them done, the polish is soaked off and she gently scrapes and it seems to come off quite easy. I specifically tell them to do a longer soak so that they don't have a need to scrape hard. I like the natural look of the shellac and the fact that it stays on for a few weeks. Never seems to chip, my nails grow fast.

 

[LadyMCh]

I do shellac/gel on occasion, but it really messes up my nails. No matter what salon I've been to, the manicurist has always filed the top of my nail to scratch it up so the polish will adhere better. The longer soaking to remove the polish has a lot of acetone in it, which also seems to damage my nails. I'm on a break now from getting manicures with shellac/gel because my nails had gotten thin, sharp, and peeling. I'm going au naturale for a bit so they can strengthen back up. It's only been a month, but I can already see and feel a big improvement.

 

[Dee*Jay]

I do shellac/gel on occasion, but it really messes up my nails. No matter what salon I've been to, the manicurist has always filed the top of my nail to scratch it up so the polish will adhere better. The longer soaking to remove the polish has a lot of acetone in it, which also seems to damage my nails. I'm on a break now from getting manicures with shellac/gel because my nails had gotten thin, sharp, and peeling. I'm going au naturale for a bit so they can strengthen back up. It's only been a month, but I can already see and feel a big improvement.

Just tell the nail tech you don't want them to do that. Period. I do my own, as I mentioned before. I do not file the top of my nails before applying the base coat and I have absolutely no problem with the polish staying on for weeks. I generally do mine every two weeks because the growing out at the bottom bugs me, but I just got back from a trip to Asia where my polish (which I applied myself) was on almost a month and there was only one nail that was problematic (that I used to pry something open -- my bad). If my home-done mani will last a month with no filing on the top of the nails I really hope one done in a salon would last adequately too.

 

[LadyMCh]

I do shellac/gel on occasion, but it really messes up my nails. No matter what salon I've been to, the manicurist has always filed the top of my nail to scratch it up so the polish will adhere better. The longer soaking to remove the polish has a lot of acetone in it, which also seems to damage my nails. I'm on a break now from getting manicures with shellac/gel because my nails had gotten thin, sharp, and peeling. I'm going au naturale for a bit so they can strengthen back up. It's only been a month, but I can already see and feel a big improvement.

Just tell the nail tech you don't want them to do that. Period. I do my own, as I mentioned before. I do not file the top of my nails before applying the base coat and I have absolutely no problem with the polish staying on for weeks. I generally do mine every two weeks because the growing out at the bottom bugs me, but I just got back from a trip to Asia where my polish (which I applied myself) was on almost a month and there was only one nail that was problematic (that I used to pry something open -- my bad). If my home-done mani will last a month with no filing on the top of the nails I really hope one done in a salon would last adequately too.

A month?! I've never had one last longer than 2.5-3 weeks! The sides or part by the nail bed always start to peel up!

 

[Dee*Jay]

I do shellac/gel on occasion, but it really messes up my nails. No matter what salon I've been to, the manicurist has always filed the top of my nail to scratch it up so the polish will adhere better. The longer soaking to remove the polish has a lot of acetone in it, which also seems to damage my nails. I'm on a break now from getting manicures with shellac/gel because my nails had gotten thin, sharp, and peeling. I'm going au naturale for a bit so they can strengthen back up. It's only been a month, but I can already see and feel a big improvement.

Just tell the nail tech you don't want them to do that. Period. I do my own, as I mentioned before. I do not file the top of my nails before applying the base coat and I have absolutely no problem with the polish staying on for weeks. I generally do mine every two weeks because the growing out at the bottom bugs me, but I just got back from a trip to Asia where my polish (which I applied myself) was on almost a month and there was only one nail that was problematic (that I used to pry something open -- my bad). If my home-done mani will last a month with no filing on the top of the nails I really hope one done in a salon would last adequately too.

A month?! I've never had one last longer than 2.5-3 weeks! The sides or part by the nail bed always start to peel up!

And I was even in a swimming pool several times! I was really glad it lasted because it would have looked a hot mess if it didn't. But I was pretty confident in it since I've been doing it so long.

BTW, I hope my tone didn't sound condescending (or anything else like that)before about just telling them not to do the filing. I didn't mean it if it appeared that way -- I typed the message out in a hurry while I was waiting for something else (well... OK... while I was waiting for my boyfriend to finish dinner and put it in front of me, ha ha!) and didn't realize until I reread it that it might not have come across very nice.

 

[House Cat]

My nails naturally are a mess. About a year ago I discovered SNS manicure in our area. I live in So Cal.
It is a combination between gel and acrylics without the harshness.
My nails have never been stronger or longer.
The process includes a vitamin enhanced base coat that protects and nourishes your nails. The chemicals never penetrate your nails. The color is actually a powder. The base coat is applied, then a clear adhesive, then your nail is dipped clear powder, second layer of liquid adhesive, then nail dipped into colored powder. Repeat with either two to three coats of color and another clear coat and a final gloss top coat.
My manicure will last up to a month. The only thing wrong at that point is the growth showing. My nails will still be perfect.
I have to cut my nails down every time because they grow so fast.

Beautiful!!! Must find this method!

 

[LLJsmom]

I do my nails at the salon maybe once a year. I do them myself maybe 8x a year, max. My nails are always healthier when nothing is on them.

I get pedicures 3-5x a year. Also healthier without them. I must say that I love my short little home cut nails. And I love my awesome Hello Kitty nail clipper.

But I do appreciate a beautiful manicure on others, and on the hands of so many Pricescopers.

 

[AprilBaby]

Thanks all! Just got home from work. The manicurist soaked in acetone and then scraped off the rest. It seems my nails now split and peel I'm interested in the SMS but how does it get taken off? I take biotin and a multi vitamin but on top of all this I had a bad health summer (after the nails) so I'm not really in great health either. In the mean time I am doing my own Zoya naked manicure. I love Zoya product and that it's more chemical free. I get a good 5 days out of most manicures. I got a month out of the no chips!
Below is my Zoya naked!

 

[momhappy]

^I think your nails look lovely!
Personally, I would just keep doing what you're doing (taking biotin and keeping them groomed, but not overly-done). I have read some reviews where the SNS manicure can be damaging to your nails too, so if you're end-goal is to try to get your natural nails as healthy as possible, I would probably avoid heavy chemicals, glue, etc. (although, mom2dolls nails sure look pretty )
I have noticed that my nails seem a little healthier than normal. I am on my second bottle of hair vitamins (Phytophanere) and it seems that it's been good for both my hair and nails!

 

[mom2dolls]

The removal process is soaking in acetone for about 5 minutes. They put oil all over your hands first to prevent drying out from the acetone. In the bowl they place squares of paper towels. You soak your nails for about 2-3 minutes, then rub each nail with the towel. The color rubs off in the process. No scraping needed.

SNS can damage your nails only if you pick the color off like removing acrylics. I have done that and it damaged my nails the same way. My fault though. Now I go often enough to not have the urge to pick.

My daughter also has them and plays club volleyball with no breakage. Her nails are of course shorter than mine.

 

[baby monster]

I usually have polish on. Not sure what it is but if I don't apply polish for a week, my naked nails split and break. I also do my own nails because salon manicures ruin my nails. Between too much acetone and too much buffing, my nails get damaged. Polish usually lasts 5-6 days on me with good base and top coats. I like changing it every week and can't imagine wearing the same color for a month. I'd probably try to rip it off.

 

[jordyonbass]

My wife has this issue, her natural fingernails become brittle when she gets hers done for a while and then removes the fake part (forgive my illiteracy on it, I'm a dude). What makes it worse for her is working on opals on our cabbing machine as she grinds the salon parr on the wheels, removes them from frustration and then her nails are so soft that they almost become water-logged. The only thing she can do is let her natural finger nails recover over time.

I used to have longer nails on my right hand for the sound-attack on my bass guitar and I used a nail hardener although my attack still caused my nails to literally split down the middle to the nail bed, so I cut/bite them back now (I know, bad habit). The hardener didn't seem to affect my nails but I did put my nails under insane punishment so maybe it could provide a barrier that you need to keep your nails from becoming crummy.

 

[Shondra]

I get my nails done all the time, but I do give them a break between treatments for a few days to give them time to breathe and recover from the process of putting the 'fake' ones on.

 

[ringo865]

I do my own nails with a gel kit and I LOVE it. Agree that soaking off works best but is a major pain.

Ninety-five percent the time, I just file down the outgrowth and "fill" with clear then reapply the same color polish; when I want to change color, I will file all the old polish down to the clear coat and start over with the new color. Once, I went to the quickie salon and for $5 they soaked off, and filed smooth then I went home and put on new polish.

My natural nails are as strong as wax paper, the gel makes them so hard without looking so thick like acrylic nails. They last easily 3 weeks with no chips and stay as shiny as the first day! The kit was like $30 on Amazon. What I'd pay for one salon visit with tip. I figured if it wasn't for me, no big loss, but I've had it almost a year (my Xmas present) and I'd never go back to natural or paying at the salon.