Never had my nails done. Advice wanted

[BettyBobble]

As aboyive never had them done professionally but I'm toying with the idea. I want them a little longer than my natural nail but not huge. I don't know the difference between all of the different types. Please advise on what it all means so I can decide what would work best friend rnme.

Ask for a natural shape. They make give a diagram with different nail shapes and you can choose.

I was thinking this morning that I can only remember three times (across 6 decades) when I’ve had a manicure. And on two of those I almost immediately started scratching the stuff off.

Are you sure you want to submit yourself to the sheer tedium of it?

(Not to speak of the number of posters arriving on S&B in a panic because of terrible damage done to their nails through various procedures.)

Do you mean you want a nail extension? Or just gel polish on your natural nail?
I have gel every few weeks and it allows my natural nail to grow better than it would naturally. I suppose it works as a kind of crutch for my nail.
I have a break every so often and when I have them first done they don’t look amazing as they are usually very short.
i like mine not too long and natural looking but understand not everyone likes that look.
I had mine done yesterday have gone for French for holiday just gel in my own nail

If your own nails are in good nick I wouldn't bother. Whatever is in the products used, and some of the techniques, wrecked my nails the small number of times I've been for professional manicures over the years, whether a simple manicure and polish or more recently BIAB. The way nail techs now use a drill to remove cuticles has resulted in a visible indentation on my nails which then has to be grown out. One made several of my cuticles bleed and the nail tech said they would toughen up the more times I had it done! No thanks.

I've tried different things and none are good as my own, natural nails.

If you want to get it done I’d go for BIAB over your natural nails and let them grow to your desired length. I go once a month and have done for years. They’re not damaged underneath and my natural nails last well on the odd occasion I’ve had to remove them I just prefer the look when they’re done.
have a look on Pinterest for shapes/length/designs you’d like and avoid NSS who use questionable products and don’t care about nail health.
A good nail tech won’t cause damage to nails or surrounding skin.

Ridiculous and unnecessary snarky response.

I didn’t detect any snark but she’s not wrong though,@Graey - extensions and gels can damage nails. Gel fucked mine and I only had it done once, they were healthy and naturally long but pitted and weak when it was removed.

OP you might invest in some nail strengthening treatment like OPI Nail Envy and see if you can get that little bit of extra growth that way.

It's not the product that damages nails (unless you go to an unreputable nail bar that uses MMA monomer for their acrylic). It's overfiling, incorrect use of efiles, and incorrect removal. Ask around for nail tech recommendations, there are lots that specialise in natural nails rather than extensions.

I do my own - trained nail tech but only do it as a hobby. I have terribly weak natural nails, they really are rubbish (not from damage, they've always been weak and bendy despite biotin etc), but just gel polish alone is enough to prevent them from breaking and allow them to grow to a length I like. With just gel polish, you remove it and reapply fully ever time but the removal is very easy (with builder or hard gel, or acrylic, you infill them rather than removing every time). I can't be bothered with the upkeep of builder gel, although I do use it to rebuild a nail if I happen to break one. I remove my gels about every two weeks and my natural nails have no damage.

But the op hasn’t asked for your opinion about getting your nails done she wants her nails done 🙄

I think it's entirely possible to be sensitive to some of the products and therefore they can damage your nails. I find them very drying.