Beautiful nails... What's the best route to take?

[Fabulassie]

I want to have beautiful painted groomed nails.

Regular manicures last two days at most. Usually less. I've tried gel and they would last a week or maybe a bit more... I am hard on my nails... But the removal of the stuff every week really messed up my nails. (Do all places files them off or will some purely soak them?)

I also break nails a lot. I'd love to have long, painted, perfect nails. Is there something like tips with gel? Acrylics with gel?

Keep nails short

Rub Vaseline into them at least 3x a day but especially at night

Always wear rubber gloves for washing up

After a week your nails should be in better condition.

Start with clean, dry nails.

Paint two coats without letting them dry in between - Rimmel is good.

Finish with No 7 top coat.

I'be tried regular manicure on nature nails. ..chips quickly. I'm hoping to find something more durable. If gels can be removed without damage that may be cool. I had acrylics years ago. ..wondered what else there was?

Gel nails that need to be filed off are banned in several countries but not the UK, it totally ruins nails. The fact that some high street nail technicians wear face masks when filing shows how bad they are!

My friend is a nail technician and I get gels done every fortnight. I have a physical job which wrecked my nails before starting on the gels but now they last 10-14 days. They are soaked off with acetone which doesn't damage my nails. I also sometimes have silk overlays which strengthen them or are fab for sealing a split until it grows up.

I found that since I've upped the amount of oily fish I eat, my nails NEVER break or flake, and look smooth and strong.

OK, I will look for a place that soaks them off. It's worth paying extra for!

You're better with a natural oil for moisturising the nails, than using vaseline or a mineral oil. Mineral oils often suppress the body's natural ability to produce its own oils. Vegetable derived oils don't suppress it.

And YY to the fish oil.

After you've had the nails soaked off, don't get new ones put on every time, give them a break sometimes. If possible, put a vegetable based cream quite thickly on your hands & nails, & some of those cotton gloves (to protect the bed sheets), & wear over night. It will help a lot.

Ooh! I just read how to soak them off at home. So I can do that and go to the cheap place to get them painted.

I soak mine off myself but don't actually submerge your fingertips, wrap them in foil. Good luck A

Eat a handful of almonds every day, my weak nails were strong and healthy after a month

Hand cream, solar oil morning noon and night, washing up gloves and try and find a salon that does cnd vinylux. It lasts well over a week on me. X

Is that true about the almonds? Makes sense, I eat about an ounce (small handful) of raw almonds a day & my nails are really strong.