My damaged nails

[Noisysmurf]

Hey all,

Can somebody please give me some advice? I'm newly qualified nail tech and completed a gel extension course in March and would seem quite a few of my nails got damaged whilst on the course, my nails have always been very weak (bendy) and now i seem to be going round in circles... my nails look & feel very thin now so i have been putting soak off gels on myself to try and protect them but don't know if its because my nails are so damaged but i really struggle to soak the gel off and end up buffing it off causing more damage!!
I've just removed another set of soak off gels from them and they still feel so weak and sore and just want to put more gel back on to protect them but i'm obviously causing more damage when i come to removing it... what advice can you give me?? i already use solar oil most days but my nails are so sore

Should i just put up with the soreness for a while and leave them well alone..??!!

 

[Evaperk]

Use solar oil EVERYDAY not most days, at least morning and night. Keep you nails short and if you need something on to protect them try shellac as there is no need to remove the shine to apply. Soak off is fabulous, just be prepared for it to not last the full 14 days as it is marvellous but not miraculous!

 

[Lucybluebell]

I'm sorry your nails are sore.. When I was at college I only let someone remove gel from my nails once... They started to make the one nail sore and I asked them to stop!!!! Some of the girls just let people carry on and their nails were in a right state- made me cross but the tutor didn't seem to say anything about it!!
Definitely lots of solar oil. Shellac is great because when you come to remove it, it comes away really easily only thing is as your nails aren't in good condition it may not last well.
If they were my nails I'd do a Brisa overlay and then Shellac them xx

 

[PixieBeauty]

Why do you struggle to soak the gel off?

Either it's not a very good brand that doesn't soak off properly or you're not soaking long enough. Buffing off a sog isn't going to help if your nails feel sore already.

Why don't you put on a product that instead of soaking / buffing every two weeks you just rebalance eg hard gel or l&p? That way you're not exposing your sore nails but keeping them covered and protected till the damage grows our. I'd do as Lucy says above xx

 

[souz]

i struggle to soak gel off clients who dont use oil everyday and also whose nails are very dry and some who are on medication. the more porous the nail plate the more the gel will soak into it and hence problems with removal. have you tried heated mitts or hot water bottle over your hands (not too hot obviously), sometimes when hands are cold it doesnt help.

you really do need to start using oil like solar oil every day, it will help greatly. maybe even leave your nails enhancement free if they are sore for a few weeks whilst using solar oil and keep your nails short. as said before you could try shellac but cant guarantee how long it will last. x hth

 

[scentsations]

Hey. I could have wrote this post myself a couple of months ago. My nails were in a right mess when I finished college. Damaged weak and thin. I kept them short and applied solar oil 2/3 times a day. Trained in shellac so have been using it for a few months now and my nails are in the best condition they've ever been in. I know it's not recommended for weak nails but it was good on my nails. I also use rejuvenator and solar oil every night.

 

[Noisysmurf]

Thanks for all your replies

I'm thinking i'm struggling to remove the soak off gel as my nails feel very dry and thin, i wrap my nails in foil and put my hand under a towel to trap the heat in but even after 20 mins + only a small amount of the gel just lifts off so i re-soak but still i end up using an orange stick or buffing it off

Think i will try and leave them short with nothing on them and use solar oil least twice daily from now on... some are so thin they have a little ridge of the free edge, its so horrible to do anything even scratch an itch with them or even in the shower they hurt! its awful

Not heard of brisa will have to look it up, maybe i'll get shellac done in a couple of weeks to help protect them as they grow, but will keep them short

Nightmare really! I hardly look the professional with nails as bad as this

 

[Lucybluebell]

Thanks for all your replies

I'm thinking i'm struggling to remove the soak off gel as my nails feel very dry and thin, i wrap my nails in foil and put my hand under a towel to trap the heat in but even after 20 mins + only a small amount of the gel just lifts off so i re-soak but still i end up using an orange stick or buffing it off

Think i will try and leave them short with nothing on them and use solar oil least twice daily from now on... some are so thin they have a little ridge of the free edge, its so horrible to do anything even scratch an itch with them or even in the shower they hurt! its awful

Not heard of brisa will have to look it up, maybe i'll get shellac done in a couple of weeks to help protect them as they grow, but will keep them short

Nightmare really! I hardly look the professional with nails as bad as this

Brisa is a CND hard gel..wonderful product! You then could paint your nails however you like and have them looking pretty

 

[Michybug]

Are you buffing the shine off before applying the foil and soak off? Also you could apply a layer of Gelish structure gel, which is soak off for weak nails.

Michelle x

 

[Harlequin]

Thanks for all your replies

I'm thinking i'm struggling to remove the soak off gel as my nails feel very dry and thin, i wrap my nails in foil and put my hand under a towel to trap the heat in but even after 20 mins + only a small amount of the gel just lifts off so i re-soak but still i end up using an orange stick or buffing it off

Think i will try and leave them short with nothing on them and use solar oil least twice daily from now on... some are so thin they have a little ridge of the free edge, its so horrible to do anything even scratch an itch with them or even in the shower they hurt! its awful

Not heard of brisa will have to look it up, maybe i'll get shellac done in a couple of weeks to help protect them as they grow, but will keep them short

Nightmare really! I hardly look the professional with nails as bad as this

I've got to ask, what gel is it you are using? Any time I used a soak off gel 20minutes was more than long enough...

Defo go with Solar Oil, shorten your nails and Shellac. I was a chronic nail biter and my nails were a wreck and I swear using the solar oil and shellac got me to stop biting them completely. They looked so much better even just after a few days just using the oil.You will need a wee free edge in order to get the shellac done though and it will offer some protection if your nails are sensitive....xx

 

[tanfastic]

Oh dear, I had much the same, I had to change my nails all the time, one week Acrylic, next week Gel then fiberglass, then Soak offs. My nails got into an awful state and have now finally grown out. I stopped all enhancements on my self, was careful with my own nails, used cuticle oil obsessively. It was dificult but a very important lesson learnt. I always had beautiful long strong natural nails and really ruined them for a few months.

I heard a very good tip on here, if you have to keep putting products on yourself to change regularly, put some cuticle oil on the nail BEFORE the enhancement, it will last a few days and just slide or pop off without damage to the nails and no need to buff gel off. This is only for yourself. Doing this on client will just make them lose their enhancements so it is not recommended. It is only for us that do our own and cant help ourselves when we want to change our nails

Hopefully you have learnt the same hard lesson I did. Respect your nails. This just proves how important file control is so good luck, they will grow out soon enough.

If you absolutely need to have your nails done then I would suggest something like an acrylic overlay ( no added length, keep them short till all the damage has grown out)

Good luck

 

[Perfect-10]

Oh dear, I had much the same, I had to change my nails all the time, one week Acrylic, next week Gel then fiberglass, then Soak offs. My nails got into an awful state and have now finally grown out. I stopped all enhancements on my self, was careful with my own nails, used cuticle oil obsessively. It was dificult but a very important lesson learnt. I always had beautiful long strong natural nails and really ruined them for a few months.

I heard a very good tip on here, if you have to keep putting products on yourself to change regularly, put some cuticle oil on the nail BEFORE the enhancement, it will last a few days and just slide or pop off without damage to the nails and no need to buff gel off. This is only for yourself. Doing this on client will just make them lose their enhancements so it is not recommended. It is only for us that do our own and cant help ourselves when we want to change our nails

Hopefully you have learnt the same hard lesson I did. Respect your nails. This just proves how important file control is so good luck, they will grow out soon enough.

If you absolutely need to have your nails done then I would suggest something like an acrylic overlay ( no added length, keep them short till all the damage has grown out)

Good luck

Glad i found this thread as i've been doing nails nearly 4yrs now and now just use Nubar Gelicure and the only people i can't get it to stay on for longer than a week with out nails breaking or chipping is myself and my mother and i have her nails, very weak and brittle. I've tried acrylic overlay but thats making them worse!

I was thinking of giving them a complete break with no product just really short so i cant catch anything and masses of solar oil and maybe some sally hansen hard as nails??

Is this what you ladies did to get your nail strong or is it in my genes from my mum! Ive had to give up on here after 4yrs!!!!

 

[dudeymel]

When my nails were very weak and thin I put a thin coat of clear hard gel on my nails, it protected the weak nail until it grew out and I could paint over it, if the coat is thin enough it will just grow out with your nail x