shellac/gel has ruined my nails again - rescue remedies

[habibihabibi]

I'm a special occasion user only but do not learn.
Two months post a 2 week gel wear and my nails are ridged and flaky.
i've found out that there are some long wear/ gel effect polishes now so thats my future but what can i do to rescue my poor nails now?

E45 cream regularly plus a nail strengthener. Oh, and avoid washing up! Keep trimming them as the damaged bits grow out to avoid more breakage than necessary.

I peeled my shellac off about 3/4 weeks ago (the soaking burns my skin, so I trim and peel), and the 3 fingers I don't use so much on each hand have now recovered. My left index finger and thumb nails are nearly there, but the ones on the right need another month to grow out the damage.

Didn’t they buff? Buffing is contraindicated in shellac application.

I've had various typess at varius places. Some have buffed and removal by sanding thing as well as soaking . I think I have crap nails . I've never managed length but do have a job where I have wash a lot.

hand

Drilling to remove is totally contraindicated for removing any polish, drills are for rebalancing acrylic extensions.

Correct shellac application is on YouTube. Cnd put videos up to show how it ought to be done.

You don’t have crap nails you have poor nail techs.

An Ibx manicure will help and is compatible with all nail coatings.

@fluffycloudland77 what does rebalancing the acrylic extensions mean please?

It's where you infill the grown out area at the base then grind the tip down. Rather than infill then soak off a few weeks later and do a whole new set.

Not everyone's aware of it or proficient but it's meant to work out cheaper over a year.

Fresh Therapies Nail Oil is good. The soak off always kills mine too, so I just keep them short and use the oil til they’ve totally renewed.

File them down and then rub coconut oil into them at bedtime x

Agree with some people just having crap nails. I've had them done in so many salons and all over the world (travelling for work, sadly not some kind of glamorous salon tourist) and after a few goes of shellac mine always need a few months off. That said, after just one they shouldn't need it, I agree that drilling or peeling is WAY worse than soaking and doing it properly.

Sally Hansen has a really good strengthener, it's like a clear polish. I do this and use nail oil, and the new growth comes through quickly and with decent strength.

I have excellent nails, strong and grow fast. Any kind of long-term polish still kills them though, no matter who applies it (and I go to good salons). We are always told we're imagining it on these threads though.

Mine took months to recover last year and I was just pondering doing it again for 50th birthday in August. Your post should stop me (but probably won't LOL).

Shellac has caused mine to split and flake a few times recently. Even though I've been having it for years and never used to have a problem (my nails were always vert strong before)

My nail technician recommended Nailtiques Formula 2 (I bought it from Amazon) I applied it every day for 7 days, then took it all off & started the whole process again for another week. It definitely improved them then I just went back to normal polishes for a while with a Sally Hansen nail strengthener underneath.
Having said that, I had a similar quandary to you @Whitney168 as I was going to Ascot, so risked having it again...I'll have to see what they're like when I get it taken off. I've had it on two weeks today and it still looks great, so hopefully it wont have damaged the nail underneath or I'll be back to the Nailtiques.

My beauty therapist friend recommends OPI nail envy for strengthening nails after shellac.

IME, it’s not the polish that creates problems, it’s the taking it off. I’ve taken off shellac at home myself by soaking cotton pads then wrapping in tinfoil. So no acetone steeping of whole finger tip. For me, that’s what ruins my nails after shellac as the acetone seems under the nail.

Last salon removal really screwed up my nails but they’ve bounced back after just using strengthener for 2 weeks and trimmed short.

*seeps under

@Raines100

Have you tried these (or similar) www.boots.com/sensationail-peel-off-base-strips-10193845

I haven't but may save you peeling it all off?

I used to have shellac every 2 weeks. My tech followed all the steps but when it stopped it took a long time for my nails to recover. I now do my own manicures every 3 days with normal polish. I do it just before I go to sleep so it won't smudge- takes 5 mins. It looks just as good as shellac and as soon as it chips, I do another coat to get an extra day out of it. It can be removed in 30 seconds, I can change my mind if I get bored of the colour, I have saved loads of money. My polish is the M&S autograph range- I got 24 shades for £18 in the January sales.

@WigglyBlossom that looks amazing. Does it work???

I find Opi Nail Envy and Barielle nail strengthener cream or Onyx hard as hoof plus a good nail oil such as solar oil work well for me whenever I have a break from gels. I don't find gels cause much damage but I do have two nails that go thin over time so I like to grow them out every now and then.

Just keep rubbing Vaseline or a cuticle cream at night while watching tv.

My nails hate shellac, I always have crap nails until it totally grows out and swear never again.

Just cut them short and be patient. And never do it again!

Yeah my nails just hate shellac too, I forget every couple of years and get it done, spend three weeks admiring my nails and three months cursing as the split and tear off. It really affects them right the way through, not just damaging surface.

I use Sally Hensen Nailgrowth Miracle every week, with OPI polish on top. I've previously had a bad experience with gel, as the technician was just so rough buffing therm.

OPI nail envy definitely - I swear by it. I’ve just taken my gels off after months of continuous infills and they are so weak and bendy and keep breaking. I’ll use the OPI stuff for a month or so to allow them to recover.