Nails wrecked

[Alwaysworryingoversomething]

I had gel nails done 3 times in about 5 months.
My nails now seem to be wrecked; very weak, splitting, peeling etc.
Horrible, as they used to be nice.
Gel was new to me, I've usually not bothered much with my nails but if I did it was just polish.

What can I do to get my nails back to better condition.
Can anyone recommend some products that will help?

Unfortunately you'll just have to wait for them to grow out.

Moisturiser and get a cuticle oil. And I swear by Sally's hard as nails. It's dirt cheap at 4 quid a bottle and has been a main staple for me since the 90s.

I did the same a few years ago - ad had always had the strongest fastest growing nails; I have no idea why I went for gel like a fool.... Mine were so brittle that they would break vertically, which was horrendous.
There are probably two aspects to help repair- your diet may play a part, so adding collagen might help - and topically, taking care of your entire hand, and your nail will grow out of a healthy nail bed, so a good (glycerin?) hand cream, and massaging specifically at the base of the nail.
I recently discovered a new Essie product (and had until now been using Dior Nail Glow but the price is ridiculous), after much searching for one that increases strength and gives a nice tint and shine. I forget what it's called but it was only £7.99 from Boots, and my nails are now looking good and feeling strong.
Generally though, less is more, so I do as little tampering as I can.
Gel and other false nails are the work of the Devil!

I had this. I have been having gels for years with no issues. Moved house and changed salon and my nails after about 5 times were absolutely wrecked. Sound the same as yours. I was so pissed off! Anyhow, I bought Essie hard to resist nail hardener and the apricot cuticle oil and now about 4/6 weeks later they are back to normal. Both products really helped. I recommended them to my bosses wife who had the same issue and her nails recovered. Good luck

Keep them short and apply Rimmel nail nurse (pink cloudy bottle) every day. Remove once a week and re start. That’s really helped my nails.

It's Essie Hard to Resist, Glow and Shine.

Nails Inc does one, but more expensive, and I haven't tried that one.
The Dior does little for strength, just a nice effect, but costs £25.

Gel does the same to my nails. I only have them short term for a special occasion now.
I've also recommended this product on here before and continue to use it. Its really good!
You need CND RescueRxx
You can get it on Amazon. Its a 2 week course but I use it all the time now a week on a week off to keep my nails nice.
In the week off I use CND Solar oil.
It really good!

I also can't have regular gel nails a s get them maybe once every season for special occasions. So four times a year. It's the removal as well which ruins my nails I think, so I just let them grow out and keep them short till they're gone.

Wow thanks everyone, some great tips here. And strangely glad to know that I'm not alone, although obviously sorry that others have had similar problems.

It's such a shame, because they looked lovely. I wish I'd just left it at the one go now (which was for my wedding) but because they looked so nice I wanted to do it again.

The removal does seem very brutal! I'm going to visit Boots at the weekend and see what I can get. Thanks again.

Have a look at The Salon Life on YouTube or instagram. She is incredibly helpful and informative. She recommends keeping the nails short while they recover and, rather than any nail hardeners etc, just using oil. I have been using the Rx remedy and solar oil for a few weeks and my nails are so much better. Use the oils several times a day, the more often the better, massaging in each time, and do a warm oil soak with something like jojoba oil once a week.

Honestly forget paint on nail treatments, just use oil. The skin around your nails will improve immeasurably too.

Good tips from others - but concerned as to why you are getting a brutal removal!

Gel polish can just be soaked off with foils and should not damage nails if done correctly

If you ever want gel again, use a peel off base coat - I have used for years and it works brilliantly - stays on for 10 days ish then just peels off in seconds

www.nailpolishdirect.co.uk/peel-off-strip-gel-polish-basecoat-7-39ml-71791-p31219

They did the wrapping and soaking thing but then some sort of gadget which seemed to drill my nails.

I'm never doing it again.

It's taken me ages to find a salon using the right lamp for the brand of polish (cnd shellac) but I found them by googling IBX manicure which is a strengthening/ repair system invented by the Nordstrums.

I know how to soak off at home so I just need to check they aren't buffing before I book in.

Drills are just awful but there's no legislation or registration here and some brands will sell without a manicure certificate too.

@FormerlyPathologicallyHappy I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. Way back when gel polishes were fairly new (shellac) and they did the removal using foils my nails were never damaged. Even when newer gel brands came onto the market my nails were not damaged. The lady I started going to recently (and have now stopped) use gels that I had not heard of. They chipped almost immediately and she used a drill to remove them. After about 5 sessions my nails were wrecked and I stopped going.

They’re recovered now but if I want them done again I need to find a salon with the right gels and lamps. Dare I say it but there’s so many brands and lamps available now it seems like they are wrecking nails.

Those removal machines are brutal! I had my toes done with one a few times and now the nails on both of my big toes have broken off more than halfway down 😫They are taking soo long to grow back too!

I've vowed that I'm always going to remove the gels myself in future using a gentle soak off process.