Nail mending..

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annalooby

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Jan 13, 2004
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Western Australia
Hey everyone!

We have just been 'taught' to do nail mending at college (Beauty Therapy Diploma) when I say nail mending I mean one of those little sticky fibreglass wraps and some nail glue. Now cos I'm already a nail tech I tend to pretty much ignore what they teach us about nails (cos I know better lol!!) but this was just stooopid! The teacher got us to stick on the already-sticky fibreglass wrap with glue and then buff it till it's smooth (which removed most of the wrap!!) - she said to cut it really small so that it only just covered the break and, get this, if we didn't already have a break in our nails - to cut one with scissors.....ARRRGGGH!!! I ran for the door and had an early lunch!!! When I dared to come back in I found her telling the class that in a salon we'd be fixing badly broken natural nails with acrylic anyway.....

Now, Is it just me or was anyone else told NOT to apply acrylic to a broken nail (I'm not just talking a split in the f/e but a crack through the plate)?? Couldn't this be pretty damn dangerous - not to mention hurting like hell!! It'd be like putting monomer on a cut....just for a laugh! Also (and Ruth will no doubt be the best person on this) I've not been trained in fibreglass but would a small piece of wrap hold up with just nail glue on a broken nail????

Sometimes the info given on nail related issues really is dodgy and as we're in a small town most of the sets of nails are done by Beauty Therapists who have only learned nails at college (I'm the only one who's done it the other way around) so the standard is pretty shocking but with this sort of teaching - no wonder!! Still - I suppose I shouldn't moan as most of my clients have already had a shockin set and then go out with mine and think they've died and gone to heaven!!

Looby:D
 
When I had a bad break in a nail & was in danger of ripping half the nail bed off if it came off I went running to Ruth for advice on saving it & thats not the way she told me to fix it :lol:

Cant remember it word for word but it went along the lines of buffing over the split then applying resin followed by the fibreglass then 2 more layers of resin & then buff smooth. It certainly didnt involve nail glue.

I'm sure as soon as Ruth logs in she will give the full explanation of how its done properly.
 
my oldest daughter caught her natural nail on something a few years ago and tore it halfway down and across her nail bed,not knowing anything about nails at the time i just wrapped a plaster round it so she wouldn't catch it on hair and clothes, and told her we would just have to wait until it grew up towards the egde ( not being aware of the term "free egde"),a few days later the plaster came off and to our amazement the nail had actually sealed itself ( thats the only way i can describe it)her nails have always grown fast and they are very hard,nowadays she has them french polished and gets quite offended when people ask " are they her own or fake?" or "where do you get your enhancements done?"
 
Ok the way you where shown is possible.....every body has their own tried and tested way........But never use Glue always use resin !!!!!!!!.....
I also make use of the sticky back fibreglass, it holds in place very well without using resin.......lol more work and more fiddly..........

It really depends on the size of the split, whether you would stress strip then cover the whole nail or just use a small fibreglass shape...............

Most nails break in the stress area, so it makes sense to take a strip the size of the stress area and re-inforcing it........

This is a method used with normal fibreglass systems..........
With a large split.......
Apply wrap from one side of the nail to the other............
Then one complete wrap...........

  1. Scrubfresh
  2. light buff.......
  3. resin, making sure the resin goes in between the split and press it together..............
  4. Apply one coat of resin to whole nail plate........
  5. stress strip
  6. then one complete strip....
  7. resin 2 x both Fibreglass layers at the same time,no need to do this in seperate applications.............
  8. Activate
  9. buff with a 240 grit
If you are using the Fabric# system..........
You wont need the stress strip (step 4) just the one complete wrap.....As the Fabric# system is tough and durable.
  1. Prep
  2. Scrubfresh
  3. light buff nail plate....240 grit...
  4. Apply bond ,making sure the resin goes in between the split and press it together..............
  5. Apply Bond to area to be wrapped
  6. then one complete strip....
  7. bond again
  8. build 1x
  9. activate
  10. Buff to tidy up the edges ........240 grit
  11. Boost 2x.............
  12. buff with a 240 grit
  13. Finish
But if it is a tiny tiny split I cut a triangle shape pointed bit towards the nail, longest bit towards the lateral wall...............

  1. Scrubfresh...........
  2. light buff over the area to be covered.....240 grit.....
  3. Apply resin, making sure the resin goes inbetween the split, press it together...........
  4. Apply resin to area to be covered by the fibreglass
  5. Apply strip.....
  6. resin 2x..
  7. activate
  8. buff with a 240 grit.
  9. finish.........
I have added some pictures for visuals..........Hope it makes sense...........
 

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Ouch...I broke my pickie last night big style underneath my hyponichium (I know I cant spell!) in both directions and the split vertually meets in the middle!

Now It's not quite so tender now and I want to save the little blighter until the split grows out - but I am scared of using polish remover (got coral pink on v.nice colour) on this as I think it will hurt like crazy - any one got any bright ideas so I don't hit the roof, or scare the cats....

I really cant take the nail off as its just so so low and I dont really want to have a stump for a few weaks until I can tip it again :cry:
 
During my gel training, we were told to 'wet' the area with gel first, then use a small piece of fibreglass or silk over the break, and then layer the gel over the top. I have tried this on myself and the problems I have are disguising the edges of silk into the gel without ending up with a really thick nail. I also find it difficult to make the silk lie flat to the nail particularly at the side wall edge. Anyone got any hints or tips to nail mending with gel?
 
any hints for gel repairs anyone? I also find that the silk repair lifts quite quickly, but I don't know if that's just me as I appear to have oily nails and lifting problems generally.
 
I find the same problem Debs, just using silk & gel over a tear only seems to last a few days before starting to lift. Now I use a fibreglass patch & resin repair over the break & then apply the gel as normal. This seems to work & I recently used it on my mum's nail which had been torn quite badly half way down the nail bed & about 1/3 of the width, it held her break together till it had grown to the free edge.
 

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