I've had acrylic nails since November. Just this past weekend I had them removed since I was getting tired of making trips to get fill-ins. I had a manicure after getting them removed and had my nails painted to cover up some of the damage that has happened. Because of what my job entails, the polish didn't last long and I had to remove it.
As expected my nails are very soft. They have always been soft, but not like this. Is it true that nails need to "breathe" (so to say)? Or is using a product such as OPI Nail Strengthener good to use? Any suggestions would help...I know that it will take a bit for these nails to grow but I am just trying to take good care of them from now on. Acrylic nails were nice and easy, but annoying and expensive for me to maintain!
When one has acrylic nails applied, the technician should tell them what to expect long-term. this includes the damage the technician will do to the nail plate as well as the monetary committment.
The damage you see on your nails is from the technician overfiling the natural nail plate, either with a hand file or worse yet, a drill. If she used nippers to remove any lifted material, it will actually rip up good tight product a well which in turn rips up nail plate layers.
The damage is not from the product itself, but from the way it was maintained by the technician - not healthy techniques, but 'qucik' techniques.
Keep them short and treat them with a good quality nail and cuticle oil such as Botanical Oil from your local Sally Beauty Supply. Apply at least twice daily, always at night and always after having your hands in water. Nail strengtheners contain formaldehyde in larger quantities than regular nail polish, so they will end up drying out the nail plate in an attempt to make them appear stronger.
It can take from 3-6 months for the nail plate to grow from the matrix and replace the existing nail plate - time depends on your genetics for nail growth.
Don't feel bad because you didn't know. The nail tech failed to educate you on the process and failed to properly perform the service. In all honesty, whenever I taught a class, they all used these techniques because they said if they did it my way that it would take too much time. A proper acrylic nail service should take at least an hour and a half; most nail salons do it in less than 30 minutes. They rely on speed and cut corners in order to make money; they feel if they go fast, they can service more clients. This is not the case! I take my time and book every 2 hours. I can perform a proper service, have time to perform the proper sanitation and disinfection steps and still be on time for the next client. For performing the service correctly, the technician can ensure the clients natural nail health, educate the client on proper home care, the client experiences less service breakdown and can go longer between maintenance appointments. This costs more than at the 'speed' salons, but the clients I have are willing to pay more for the type of service I perform. I can 'out earn' the 'fast' salons and guarantee my services.
Since you have opted for natural nail care, check out the 'manicure' page of my website: [url]www.hooked-on-nails.com[/url] (link approved by Moderator 1.)
Wow, thanks so much for the information. I feel cheated!
One more question...at most nail salons around here I see that people opt to have little trays of their own equipment for when they come in (cuticle nippers, nail clippers, etc.). I imagine this is a cleanliness issue, but when I get manicures they always take the equipment out of the sanitizer right before they go to work on me. So is there a big benefit to buying my own stuff to keep at the salon or is using the stuff there alright?
I really appreciate your advice...your website is great!
It depends entirely on if they have sanitized the instruments correctly, or if they just stick them into the sanitizer without first washing and soaking. You can take your own, but you will need to sanitize them properly after each use.
