When To Call A Professional
If blood under the nail occupies more than half of the nail area, a physician should evaluate the finger because it could signify an underlying bone fracture or tissue tear. Your doctor also should evaluate bleeding under the nail that is not caused by trauma.
If you experience a nail injury, make sure that your tetanus vaccination is up to date.
The Best Home Treatments To Cure Damaged Nails & Dry Cuticles
Do you know how to care for nails and cuticles so they are smooth, strong and look gorgeous? Why don’t you check our round-up of the best home treatments for damaged nails and dry cuticles? They will bring life to the most damaged nails due to gel. Beautiful nails and neat hands show that you really care for your looks and presence. Find the best ways to enhance them.
How To Heal Damaged Nails In A Few Easy Steps
Damaged nails are the worst. Dry and peeling, rough and ugly, damaged nails can happen for multiple reasons. On two separate occasions last year, I damaged my nails by getting two gel manicures in a row. The removal process is rough on nails, and weeks later, my poor nails still looked awful. Luckily, damaged nails dont have to last forever! Learn how to heal damaged nails with just a little TLC.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click on one and make a purchase, I might earn a commission at no cost to you. These links to not affect my reviews and recommendations. I also received products from Barielle in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.
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While We Love The Way Nail Extensions Make Our Hands And Fingers Look We Cannot Deny That They Leave Our Real Nails Looking Extremely Damaged Here’re Some Tips To Fix Chipped And Damaged Nails
For weddings and special events, we have to get a new set of nail extensions to look our absolute best. But, the moment we think of nail extensions, we cannot help but think of the pain that comes after their removal. If you are getting nail extensions one after another and are unable to give your nails a break, your nail beds will become extremely sensitive and even a small hit will make your fingernails bleed.
So, it’s important to know how to fix damaged nails after extensions and it’s also important to know how to properly remove extensions to minimise the damage. In this article, we will help you fix your nails in the quickest time possible. Just follow our tips!
Why Nail Cuticles Get Damaged
They are fragile and incessantly exposed to cracking. Detergents and physical damage make them look awful and ragged. Wrongly-performed manicure is another thing making cuticles look bad.
Cuticle-related problems often result from atopic dermatitis or eczema. Dry cuticles around nails may be also caused by weather conditions . We’re often guilty of making them dry, forgetting about a lotion after hand washing.
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How To Restore Damaged Nails After Gel Acrylic Or Powder Manicures
Perfectly manicured nails. Who doesnt love the look of the perfect length, shape and color you can get by going to the nail salon every two weeks and getting your nails done with acrylics, a gel or powders? But what happens when you try to go back to your natural nails? All of these methods damage your nails in some way, leaving them dry, brittle, thin and splitting. Thats why so many women go back to the artificial nails. It seems like if you dont, youll never have nice nails again. But there is hope and I have found a way. Heres how to restore damaged nails after gel, acrylic or powder manicures.
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase through one of my links, I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
What Do Nail Strengtheners Do
Most strengthening treatments include proteins and nourishing oils to help relieve any brittleness and peeling, leaving nails looking and feeling stronger.
Weve also noted whether the below products contain formaldehyde, phthalates and toluene. Theyre most commonly found in industrial cleaning products, so its understandable to be weary of applying them to your skin, but in beauty products theyre used to prolong shelf life. While they do have a bit of a bad reputation, they dont cause any damage at this low potency or in this format.
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Treating Your Nails With Products
Cut Back On Gel And Acrylic Manicures
They may be touted as an easy alternative for people who have trouble growing their nails, but frequent gel or acrylic manicures can cause your nails to peel, weakening them in the process. These manicures also expose your digits to excessive amounts of acetone in the soak required to remove them, which is very drying to the nail, says Dr. Klein. If you prefer to keep these types of manicures on rotation, make sure to either give your nails time to breathe between applications or save them for special occasions.
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Can You Put An Acrylic Nail On A Missing Toenail
If you injured your toenail and havent healed properly yet, you shouldnt apply an acrylic nail to cover it up. This will only end up causing more issues for you.
If the nail has healed, but the nail cannot fully grow out, even then, you cant put an acrylic nail on it. Acrylic fingernails dont work on the toenails.
When To See A Doctor For Damaged Nails
Most of the time, you do not need to see a doctor for damaged nails. Its normal to experience certain irregularities in your nails, like little white marks or even dark discoloration after an injury. These usually go away on their own. You also might have yellow discoloration after wearing dark nail polish, even if you used a base coat. Again, this is normal.
However, for the following changes to your nails, you might need to see a dermatologist.
- Dark streaks without having had an injury.
- The nail lifting up so its no longer completely attached to your finger.
- Redness and swelling around a nail.
- Greenish-black discoloration.
Learn more from the American Academy of Dermatology Association.
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Hydration Will Strengthen Your Nails
Now that the gel-dip-acrylic is off, the key is to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. “Prolonged use of gel manis and acrylics dehydrates your nails, making them dry, brittle, and fragile,” says manicurist Jin Soon Choi, founder of JINSoon nail polish and salons.
A cuticle oil is your BFF for imparting deep hydration. Focus on slathering it not only on the nail itself, but also massaging it well into the cuticle the cuticle is where new, healthy nail growth will start so it’s important to nourish and hydrate this area, says Choi.
One best-seller to try: CND Solar Oil Nail and Cuticle Conditioner. Holford also likes using straight up jojoba oil, which can strengthen nail beds and boost healthy nail growth. She recommends applying it three times per day for five days for the best results.
Tips : Applying Teabag
An unused teabag also can be used to fix the damaged nails. At first, cut a small section of the teabag in such a way that it fits the size of your nails. Apply a clear base coat on the affected nails. This base coat will work as the glue to hold the teabag tightly. Place the section of teabag on the split nail and smooth it using an orange stick or your fingers. When the tea bag get attached to the nails, apply another layer of clear nail polish. Make sure that you cover the damaged part of your nails. File off the extra teabag after the clear nail polish becomes dry. After removing the residue, you can apply your desired nail polish to adorn your split nails.
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Stick To A Strengthening Regime
Making your nails stronger should be one of your main goals after acrylics. This means that you need to develop a routine to keep you on track. It is worth getting a strengthening treatment to help speed up the process however some of them may not work,so be careful. Combining this along with moisturising your hands should speed up the process even quicker. People say it can take up to a month for your nails to become stronger again depending on how weak they were before.
Let Your Nails Breath
Some people recommend only a week to let your nail breathe but I think it should be a few weeks just to ensure they are strong enough again. This also gives you a little bit of time to decide whether or not you want to return to natural nails or continue the acrylics life. And I just want to emphasise that this is crucial in your repairing process.
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What Is Nail Trauma
A fingernail or toenail can be injured by a blow to the nail or by closing the finger or toe in a door or drawer. This kind of trauma commonly results in blood under the nail, a condition called subungual hematoma. Nails also can be accidentally torn or split, or a splinter can get under the nail.
Repeated trauma to toenails, caused by ill-fitting shoes, can lead to deformities in the nails. The deformities may resemble a fungal infection nails can be thickened or discolored and can lift away from the nail bed, which causes cosmetic concerns.
Habits such as nail biting and cuticle biting also can cause trauma to the nails. Nail biting is a main cause of acute paronychia, a type of infection in which bacteria get underneath the tissue at the side of the nail and cause swelling and irritation. Repetitive picking at your thumb’s nail and cuticle with your index finger can produce a line of horizontal hatch marks in the middle of the nail. In extreme cases, the nail can split.
But Do Use Cuticle Oil On The Regular
Peeling, brittle nails and dry cuticles can be a sign of dehydration so make sure you are using nail oil regularly, says nail tech and OPI Nail Boss . During the pandemic we are constantly washing our hands and using hand sanitiser, washing out the natural oils, so replenish the moisture loss by applying your cuticle oil at least twice a day to reap the benefits. A regular use of cuticle oil is also a great way to prevent painful hangnails. Keep a bottle on your bedside table and use it before you go to sleep.
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Why I Wanted To Restore My Nails After Gel Manicures
I love the perfectly shaped nails that didnt chip, cuticles with no hangnails and long lasting color that I got from my artificial nails. Over the last 15 years, Ive tried them all acrylics, gel and powder.
At first, getting my nails done every two weeks was a luxury. When I started these regular appointments in my 40s, I had just been promoted to a management position at the nonprofit where I was working. I was making a little money. My boss got her nails done. After years as a stay at home mom with no extra money in the budget for such a luxury, I was ready to treat myself. And for a while, it was great. Until it wasnt.
At some point, I got tired of sitting in the manicurists chair for an hour every two weeks. And I had other things I wanted to spend my money on. So I decided to go back to my natural nails. Except they werent the nails that I used to have. They were thin, dry, splitting and brittle. And after a few weeks of looking like that, I just couldnt stand it anymore, so headed back to the salon to get the artificial ones again. I continued this cycle for 15 years.
A few months ago, I decided once again to try and go natural, but before doing so, I asked ladies in my who had done this HOW they achieved healthy natural nails again. They encouraged me that it could be done. I also did some research online and came up with this plan that restored my nails to their strong and healthy original state in 8 weeks.
Take Breathers Between Manicures
Bottom line: Your nails need to breathe. Constant use of polish, even non-toxic polish, can weaken the nail, says Dr. Solomon. If you find that your nails have become especially fragile , give them a month off from nail polish to allow them to grow and strengthen. Applying a keratin treatment between manicures, such as CND RescueRXx, can help nourish your nails during the hiatus.
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Top 1: The Best Home Treatments For Damaged Nails
Don’t waste time on salon appointments, struggling to get a convenient date. You can repair damaged nails on your own. All you need to do is make use of the below treatments. Before you start DIY therapies, trim your nails and file them with a mineral file to get rid of sharp edges.
1. Olive oil nail soak
Float a bottle of olive oil in hot water to warm it up add 2-3 drops of vitamins A and E to the oil. Soak your nails in the mixture for a couple of minutes. Repeat the hot olive oil nail treatment regularly, ideally twice a week.
2. Apple and lemon nail soak
This appetizing nail therapy is a simple way to make nails lovely and free from yellowish stains. All you need to do is grate half of an apple and mix it with fresh lemon juice. Enrich the mixture with jojoba oil and soak your nails in it. Do the treatment a few times a week to see strong, beautiful nails in no time. This treatment will let you get rid of the unwanted yellow nail shade.
3. Beauty oils go solo!
Rub castor oil or equally effective liquid wax, that is jojoba oil, into nail plates and cuticles twice a day. Argan oil is also cut out for nail repair, having strongly-antiaging and revitalizing effect.
4. Linseed nail soak
Linseeds work like a brilliant multi-functional conditioner that you can mix with natural beauty oils to present new quality to your cosmetics. Natural linseed gel fights brittle fragile nails.
5. Egg yolk and lemon treatment
6. Egg yolk as a base for beauty oils
8. Garlic nail treatment
Switch To Regular Polish While They Heal
Instead of a gel polish, which usually entails filing down the nail when it’s removed and reapplied, try staying on a regular nail lacquer routine for a while. “If one really can’t go without their normal nail-care regime, I recommend a clear nail polish, just to observe one’s nail growth situation,” says Lin.
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How To Feed Your Nails
The first step in restoring your nails to their former glory is using a cuticle oil. Adding yet another step to your beauty regime might seem arduous but cuticle oil is key to nail health they moisturise both the nail and the cuticle and applying it can also increase the circulation around your nails which stimulates nail growth – key if you want to get your nails back in top condition. We put some of the best cuticle oils to the test to see which made a difference.
Ways To Repair Dry Nail Cuticles
What’s best remedy for dry cuticles? Natural beauty oils, of course. They don’t only moisturize, prevent dryness, repair and nourish with the power of vitamins, plant sterols and flavonoids but also protect from further damage. At the same time, they nurture nails and are a common ingredient in finest-quality nail conditioners.
A nutrient-rich hand lotion is your ally when caring for cuticles – use it as an intensive repair treatment apply a thick coat of the product to hands and cuticles before sleep.
Give up on cutting cuticles with nippers. Use a wooden pusher instead it’s far more delicate. Always remember to apply a cuticle softener first. To keep cuticles from drying, moisturize your nails: use one vegetable oil or mix a few to get the most powerful repair mixtures which additionally make nails stronger.
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How To Fix A Split Nail
If you have cracked or split your nail and you don’t want to chop them down, nail industry pro Leighton Denny has a trick that can help the split grow out.
“Gently buff over the crack/split then apply a small amount of nail adhesive over the area. Place a little bit of tissue/or tea bag mesh over the crack and let the nail glue set. Once dry, gently buff and apply another coat of nail adhesive over the repair and let dry. Then gently buff again and apply base coat and colour to hide the repair. It should hold the crack until it grows out!â
