Long Thin natural nails - suporting gel overlay?

[Cait]

Hi

Would like your opinion
I have a client that has been coming for 2 1/2 months now to me (every 3-4 weeks on average) She has had gel nails for 3 years and her natural nails are like baby's nails ........soo thin due to overfilling from the previous nail technician. She had a broken zone 2/3 (near the free edge) when she first came to me and also since starting with me this has happened to her also (on the index and middle fingers only though after a week). Oh! and I do file them short for her to allow 3-4 weeks of growth.

Is it technique? Am is placing the apex too near the free edge? (zone 2) Although it isnt happening with anyone else......
Or could it be that her nautral nails are so thin that they are in no way supporting the overlay?
Should I cut them all down and retip them to start afresh?

What do you suggest as I dont want another cracked nail coming back to me as obviously this is not good for both of our confidence!

Thanks for any thoughts

Cait x

 

[nailzoo]

i would build them up through the middle of the barrel to give extra support, this enables extra support without being very noticeable.

 

[geeg]

I agree with carl 100%. You must create a vertical apex for maximum strength.

You can do this easily by placing your sculpting bead of gel right down the centre of the nail (like a 'worm' of gel from zone 1 to zone 3).

Then just gently tease the product to the sides of the enhancement while leaving the 'bulk' or majority of the 'worm' lying in the middle of the nail. Cure and then do not file all the strength away when finishing.

 

[VHunter]

Ditto what Carl & Gigi have said.

That's what my nails are like naturally, not through damage.
And that's why I started wearing enhancements in the first place.. they were paper thin like a baby's nails and 'bendy'.

I do what they said, and now wear them long with zero problems...
I rarely, if ever break a nail (3 in 3 years?)

good luck:hug:

 

[Cait]

OK perfect! - taken on board - so no need then to cut nails short and retip - is this a bad idea in general or is it good every once in a while to do this?

Took this from the tutorial on perfect prepping Shine Be gone !

''The next step is to remove the shine from the natural nail plate.
The shine in the nail plate is oil locked within the uppermost layers of the plate to keep moisture where it is supposed to be (the nail... duh) and the easiest way to get rid of that excess oil is with a gentle abrasive.
Be very careful here. This is where I see many techs removing up to 50% of the nail plate.
The natural nail plate is the foundation for your nail enhancement (and your business too). Excessively thinning the nail plate will promote service breakdown (i.e.lifting and cracking and breaking). ''
Cheers!
Cait x

 

[min11]

...........That's what my nails are like naturally, not through damage.
And that's why I started wearing enhancements in the first place.. they were paper thin like a baby's nails and 'bendy'.........

Glad its not just me. At school one of teachers demo'd a manicure on me and told me I must have been over filing practicing on myself. I've hardly been to a tech who hasn't commented about how thin they are or even told me outright the last tech damaged my nails. My exeptions are my pinkies which are not too bad. Enhancements are the only way I can have long nails, until then they were bendy and tore constantly.

 

[geeg]

OK perfect! - taken on board - so no need then to cut nails short and retip - is this a bad idea in general or is it good every once in a while to do this?Cait x

You CAN re-tip if you want and have a whole new start (it isn't WRONG to do this), but it may not be necessary and the less trauma to these natural nails the better if they are so thin.