Nail help needed

[FaerieDusting]

Please be gentle. I'm well aware that the picture I have posted looks like the work of a 6 year old. I will add that I have never ever used nail polish before and am quite embarrassed that I am trying to learn in my 30's

Anyway, I'm posting in hopes you can give me some advice.
I've been a bad nail biter since being a young child. A fortnight ago I finally tried to stop and got acrylics on. They have now come off so I am trying hard to make my nails healthy and to grow them.

They are very very weak and break super easily. I have been filing down any splits and pushing my cuticles back daily. And have been applying cuticle oil and Sally Hansen strengthening stuff twice daily.

I have attempted to put nail polish on in hopes that they won't break so easily. Two coats of base coat, two coats of coloured polish and then two coats of top polish.

Is there anything else I can do to help get them healthy and strong?

Also after applying the polish, even though it's fully dry, if I touch something more than gently with my nails it pulls the polish off :/ I'm new to pretty nails so have no idea what I'm doing wrong!

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Weak nails don't hold coatings well. It's like a house, you need good foundations. Ordinary nail polish never fully dries, that's why it's easier to chip than CND shellac.

You don't need to push the cuticles back daily, weekly is enough and you have to be really careful.

I would look for a salon nearby doing IBX, it's a nail repair & strengthener that's fixed to the nail using uv light. I have it (nail tech so I get to play with stuff) & my nails don't break at all now. I didn't see much of an improvement on the first application but on the second one I could tell they were stronger.

Don't bother soaking or buffing, it's not needed.

Can you try one coat of base & top coat? I think the chipping may be due to too many coats. Also a tip is to apply each coat thinly & ensure fully dry before the next cost. Otherwise smudging & chipping is more likely. Sorry if you do this already!

I use OPI Nail Envy as a nail strengthener which may be worth trying. You can buy in at Boots or Salon Services, around £18 a bottle but lasts ages! It comes in different formulations for your nail type. Can also be used as a top coat too. It also comes coloured but I would recommend the clear one.

So I would do OPI Nail Envy as a base coat. 2 x varnish & one top coat, all thinly applied. OPI, Leighton Denny & Nails Inc all do good top coats. However if my nails are in poor condition I'll use Nail Envy as a top coat instead of a normal top coat.

I bit & picked my nails until my teens & loved having nails long enough for varnish so well done! Keep it up 💅

A couple of other tips that might help you:-Get a great nail file that won't damage your nails. Leighton Denny sell an amazing glass one & I now won't use anything else
Use good quality nail varnish remover (acetone free)
Cuticle oil helps nourish/protect, i like the OPI one. Use on your cuticles before bed daily as a minimum
Consider Shellac. Personally I think if you go to a decent salon & get Shellac/Gelish I've found it can strengthen my nails & lasts around 2 weeks. Other people disagree & feel the removal can damage your nails

Hope this helps

I've tried gel before but once my nails start to grow I end up picking it off which causes more damage.

Am I better not having polish on then do you think?

I keep catching them which causes the nails to split. Which then makes it very very hard not to bite. Have added a pic without polish on that I took before painting them.

Try a 240grit nail file, eBay will have one. It won't tear the nail.

Polish is fine but thick polish won't hold, thin layers are best. Picking gel or CND shellac off will damage the nail.

I would stick with helping them polished, if only to stop you biting them.

I agree with PP about reducing your coats - so 1 basecoat, 2 colour and 1 topcoat. It looks like you've applied nice thin coats from your picture :) Seche Vite is a really good fast dry top coat (I think you can get it in boots these days), it's a little pricey but actually dries your polish solid. Use your nail strengthener as your base coat (I also like OPI Nail Envy but see how you get on with what you've already got).

I would stop pushing your cuticles back, you can do more harm than good doing that and I've never really seen the need for it personally. Definitely stick with using cuticle oil though.

I will look on eBay for the OPI stuff if this doesn't help. I've been pushing my cuticles back thinking it will help them grow faster, but will stop doing that.

I do have a glass file somewhere. Will see if I can dig it out.

I'm finding it very frustrating that I keep catching or snagging my nails which then causes them to split. I then have to file it all the way down until the split is gone or I cannot help put pick at it making it so much worse. So the more they grow the more they split and the shorter I have to file them. Which doesn't help me visually at trying to get nice nails. I'm working hard on not biting them but it's such an ingrained habit that I'm finding it so hard!
I have even ordered a fidget toy off eBay in hopes that may help distract me!

It's very hard to break any habit. Dh picks his nails & I have to pull him up on it because the sound drives me batty. No jury would convict me

Do try IBX treatments if you can. These are my nails au natural, I have never had them this long before.

A good diet & a multi vitamin-mineral doesn't hurt either.

Seche vite topcoat is totally worth the hype. No matter how many coats of polish you've got on it will be totally dry in a few minutes. No dents, no dings, no weird sheet marks if you do your nails before bed. Also it's a very thick gel which I do think helps protect your nails if they are prone to peeling and splitting.

You've had good advice from Pp's. Don't bother pushing your cuticles back, keep using the cuticle oil and lots of hands cream. Protective base coat. Glass nail file.

There is hope. I used to chew my cuticles and bite my nails, my nails were thin and soft used to peel. With a bit of TLC they are lovely and strong now (if I do say so myself!)

You need some solar oil. It's the best on the market and used daily helps to extend the wear of your polish.

CND Solar Oil Nail and Cuticle Conditioner 15 ml https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007NPX4LM/ref=cmswwrcppapi_.znOybA9X2RMJ