How to make my nails look nice if I give up biab

[Elsadutton]

I’ve been getting manicures done constantly for nearly 2 years, starting to think of the effect of the lamps/chemicals and not to mention the cost.

What products should I use instead? I don’t mind spending on decent products and making an appointment with myself to keep on top of it and get the best out of my natural nails. I was thinking of using Dior Nail glow. Any other recommendations?

Gel finish nail wraps are super cheap and look professional!

I’ve tried the Glaize ones from dragons den and they’re actually quite a good substitute for biab. They don’t wreck your nails and they stay on well. They’re about £12 a set.

Just paint them with regular nail varnish? I don’t get the obsession with ruinous gels etc.

All of my friends that get gels and the like have absolutely ruined their nails.

I love the Essie gel polishes and top coat.

But I really think you’ve hit the nail on the head with the “regular appointments with yourself”. That’s a great way to think about it

Gels are horrible things, I only had them once and my nails took weeks to recover. Just shape them nicely and put on pale or clear polish?

I’d just go for a normal nail polish. It lasts a fortnight ( which is how long it takes to get a growth gap) and have a break for a week or two in between with good nail oil.

The lady in my salon got a terrible hand reaction to gel nails after doing them for years. All that UV light must be pretty bad too,

@Letsummercommencewhat nail varnish are you using that lasts 2 weeks?? Mine lasts 2 days max without chipping.

following OP as my nails are absolutely fucked from BIAB that I’ve only had on since January. Never again, can’t wait for them to grow out healthy again but it’s taking forever!

lily and fox nail wraps are fabulous, only 1.99 and free shipping.

if you paint over them with clear ‘hard as nails’ they last 2 weeks.
i love them!!!!

The salon. There’s three I go to to ranging from £15 to £24 - lots cheaper than gel. I’m pretty hard on my nails too ( no washing up gloves, gardening, lifting and shifting stuff at work..

The upside of gel is that it’s set dry there and then. And you can have art if that way inclined. Normal varnish needs an hour to set. I like you can take it off at home easily too.

For those using nail wraps, how easy are they to remove?

I have converted to natural nails for about 3 years now !
I did buy the Dior polish but I didn’t like it !
so I just kept them short and bare for a while til they recovered !
Then I bought the manicurist u can do online survey and it tells you what product best for your nails !
After using this for a few months my nails felt so much stronger and now I just paint them myself now ! I also bought eraser pen for going round the nail after painting them so they look super neat ! (Boots own brand )
Hope this helps I will never go back x

Really easy you just peel them off!

I just keep mine short with a couple of coats of nail glow when I remember. Used to get BIAB but then thought what else i could be doing with my time if I wasn’t sitting in a nail salon for 90 minutes every two to three weeks. Saves a fortune too.

Post-Christmas season I decided to give my nails a much needed break and did the two week nail repair system from this company. It really helped and they actually looked pretty nice while I was doing it because the base fortifier you leave on looks like clear polish. Now that they're in good condition, I'm going to try their green flash products and see how that goes. I also really like their acetone free remover.

https://uk.manucurist.com/collections/nail-care

Adding - I think the reason they were so damaged previously was from biab removal.

I used to get gel nails done every three weeks for years. Then I realised I was damaging my nail beds which was making ridges and lines in them. I grew my nails out and put nothing but nail oil on them for a year.
Now they are amazing. Strong, a beautiful natural sheen to them from my natural nail oils and I wear gloves for cleaning, washing up. I keep them fairly short and rounded. So much nicer and no nasty chemicals.
I just buff them with a buffing block for a natural shine.

Yes that’s the thing, I’ve kind of falling into just keeping getting them done and booking in for next time at the end of each appointment. Somehow it is 2 years later and I’m dreading what my nails are like underneath!

That’s good to know, I was looking at the Manicurist as that’s kind of the natural look I want to get!

Nail wraps sound interesting as I hadn’t considered these before- they might be a good option when I want to get a fancier look!
in what crazy world did we start thinking nails should be painted all the time!