Nail treatments

[Mudflaps]

I'm looking for advise on having my nails done. My nails grow quite fast, they are resonably strong but once they get to a certain (decent) length they develop cracks just above the nail bed and then break. I've only got a shellac/gel nail polish done twice in the past and both times ended up with damage to the nails which took ages to heal. Following this I will not have any treatment which involves filing the nail surface but would love to have my nails done for an upcoming holiday. Yesterday I went to a salon, explained all this and they recommended BIAB so I went ahead but after shaping the nails the manicurist went to file the nail surface saying BIAB wouldn't work otherwise so I ended just having an ordinary polish which, of course has already chipped!! So ladies with more experience than me is there anything I can get done so my nails will love good for my holiday in mid March, unfortunately they are now shorter than I'd like but they'll grow a bit before I head away.

I have the same issue. I now have BNIB which allows me to have repeated polish without breaks as long as I have a gap every 3/4 months. It does mean keeping it up regularly but I have found a lady that charges £20 so not too expensive. The alternative is having it for your holiday then allowing time for your nails to recover as they will be damaged to some extent.

Ordinary polish should not chip in one day. What did you do with your hands to make it chip? I have natural nails that I keep just long enough to go over the fingertips. I get manicures every three weeks, use cuticle oil most nights.

Do you take collagen supplements? That might work to get your nails stronger before using anything on them. Mine have become so much stronger and stay long for ages without any breakages since I started taking a collagen supplement

How was you previous gel removed - by a nail tech or your self?

I'd go for BIAB and book in for a removal in three weeks.

But I've just given up gel nails and instead buff them and do the cuticles my self and use Dior nail glow or the NAILS inc equivalent (glow you own way) and decent cuticle oil daily and the look super.

I prefer short nails too.

Thank you all for the info

Pic is of the second nail to chip, I've been really careful so definitely not impressed. Luckily I have varnish in an identical colour so I can touch up but it still shows. When I had gel nails I went back to the salon to have them removed, they used a file and soaking which is when I think the nail bed was damaged. The girl who did my nails yesterday was shocked when I decided to go for the 'old fashioned' polish and she had to search for the base and top coats which were OPI which I actually have at home. I got the impression that she may never had actually used normal polish. Looks like I'll be reverting to keeping them short and getting my husband to polish them at home (I've arthritis and stuggle to hold the brush). It's a pity because I loved having naturally long nails years ago, I remember my nephew trying to pull my nails off because he thought they were fake and had seen his mother remove her stick on's. I try all the tips given, get some supplements and start using nail oil regularly maybe I'll manage to grow talons after all.

Third nail just chipped while I was crocheting!! They lasted better when my husband painted them!! Maybe I just got a particularly poor manicurist.

My nails naturally split as they reach the top of the nail bed as I was a biter for 21 years.
I have been having biab for two years now and they don't split at all, every three applications I have it all soaked off and my nails checked before reapplying. My nails are really strong underneath and they grow long.
A really good nail tech won't damage your nails with their processes

@Mudflaps I recommend her every time but check out the Salon Life on YouTube and Instagram. She has lots of videos showing you how to care for natural nails.

She also explains why gels and even BIAB - even though it’s marketed as a ‘strengthener’ - it’s not, it’s basically just a shell that’s only as good as the nails underneath it. She only ever recommends any form of enhancement (e.g. gel polishes or acrylics) are done on strong, healthy nails.

@fatgirlswims just a heads up. Buffing is not recommended for natural nails. Unless it’s very, very light to create a key for gel polish. Every time you buff, you’re removing layers of the nail plate..for some people with thicker (more layers) nails, it may not be a massive issue but for most people it will just cause damage. Your regular cuticle oil and Dior Glow/Nails Inc on their own would probably be better.

@BeretRaspberry that YouTuber sounds good!

Was vaguely aware of the buffing and try and limit it but will be more diligent now. I have annoying ridges.

Your natural nails are beautiful and look strong. Honestly I would try a different salon. How many coats are on there? There should ideally be two coats and then a topcoat.

Ridges are totally normal but I know they can be a pain as they don’t look nice and smooth. I think there are some polishes that claim to fill them but I don’t know how good they are. I use the Dior Nail Glow too and love it. I just keep my nails short.

The Salon Life lady is brill. Her advice transformed my nails and it didn’t cost much more than a bottle of jojoba oil. I do use something called Kerasal that she recommends as well, which is fab. It does last ages though because I only use it at night.

Base coat, polish x 2 and top coat. I've always had strong nails but in recent years they get tiny little breaks on the side and that leads to them breaking very close to the finger tip. I think I'll just keep them shorter than I like and diy manicures from now on.

If your nails are really strong underneath why do you continue getting biab done? Wouldn't it be unnecessary if your nails are nice and strong? I was looking for a treatment that would help me get my nails to the length I prefer without breaking but never intended having to continue it indefinitely.

Thank you, I'll check out Salon Life. As soon as I realised the manicurist intended filing the nail plate I knew i wasn't going ahead with biab, it seems counterproductive to me.

I'm tempted to remove the polish completely now because of how many have chipped, even the way it's chipping seems odd, it's more like the polish is falling off in sections. My husband asked if the polish or other coats could have been gone off due to age, he compared it to paint having a reaction to undercoat. Ah well, it's an excuse to treat myself to some polish and products. The last piece to vanish happened while I put on my pjs so I can't imagine it'll last the weekend even with my touching it up.