What would cause a vertical crack in the nail?

[AdelleNailsIt]

Hi there

I have just had a new client visit me and 5 days later she rang to say that they nails were lifting really badly and she wouldn't be able to wait for her backfil next week. I said to come straight in and I would fix the nails that were lifting. I did nothing but worry until she arrived!!!

When she arrived there was a SMALL bit of lifting on most nails, so I did a complete backfil to keep her happy. When I was doing the backfil I noted that one of the nails had a crack in it from the middle of the cuticle to the middle of the nail and was only in the acrylic, it also had no lifting. I asked her if she had banged her nail and she said no, but it may have been caught in her hair and she wrenched it out Would this be correct??? There was no lifting on that nail, only a crack, so don't know how it would have gotten caught in her hair?!?!?!

I have never had a client come back with a crack in the nail (unless it is from the side and they have banged or squashed it). I have never seen a crack in the nail from the cuticle forward, seems a funny place to get a crack.

Oh yeah, and they were sculpted nails, no tips, using HD Cover Prink, Competition White and HD Clear for the apex.

To help with the lifting on her 2nd visit I sanitised her hands, wrapped them in a warm towel while I heated a hottie bottle, put the hottie under her hands, used Primer (which I didn't do on her 1st visit as HD system is a Primer optional system) then completed the service as normal. I did this as I remember on her 1st visit she had very cold hands, and after speaking with Ezflow they also suggested the Primer and using a slightly drier L+P ratio.

Sorry if this is information overload!!! Thought the more information the better

Any suggestions welcome.... I'm confused!

 

[Eni]

Adelle,

A thought:

When you did her nails, we were getting that northwesterly if I recall, so it was much warmer and as it takes 24 hours to fully "cure" wouldn't that have been right when the Southerly hit?. I have found that I have to seriously play with my ratio this time of year because of the temperature variations.

If she normally has cold hands and *doesn't* wear gloves in this bitter cold, at least for the first 24hrs, I can't imagine that it would cure properly. Add to that if she is washing up dishes, etc within that first 24hrs.....

What I have done, cos its happened to me here, is I have done the dry prep and double primed (and mind, i hate primer) and done one finger at a time. Sort of, prep all, prime all and then prime again two fingers away (I hope that makes sense) so that the primer is dry by the time I get there. I also press really well, HARD even, especially at the sidewalls. I had one girl who was a nightmare last year, and I made sure I did her nails when she *didn't* have to do anything for 24 hours (like on a Saturday Arvo). and to keep her hands warm.

The other thing you *might* want to try, is after you have sculpted one hand, take that hand and put it in warm (not hot) water to help the cure along whilst you work on the other.

Its not even winter yet and I am loathe to see how much colder its going to get (and ball season is upon us even).

Good luck mate and keep me posted OK? If I think of anything I'll email you.

Nancy

 

[Jolicatellas]

Gee, you learn something new every day! I didn't know that cold weather affected curing. We were taught to keep the room warm - and last summer I had to turn my air-con down b/c the acrylic wasn't behaving itself .

Out of interest, how do you repair a cracked nail so that the crack doesn't show? I've only ever had one client come in with cracks in her nails, they were MMA & she had banged them, & I soaked the cracked nails off and started again.

 

[spn01]

Hi Adelle,
Personally I have never had a client crack a nail from the middle of the cuticle line to the centre of the enhancement. IMO I can only imagine this being a result of the finger being put in the mouth and the sidewalls being bitten down on.
I live in Palmerston North and we get pretty cold here to, I do however adjust my mix ratio a little (just a fraction), and upon bead placement I often wait a moment for the bead to dome before pressing and gliding.
All liquids and powders to through a polymerization process that involves an inital surface set followed by a complete cure. "Set" is partial polymerization and occurs within 3 minutes. "Cure" is complete polymerization taking around 24-48hrs, of which 60% of the process has happened in the first hour. The wetter the mix ratio the longer it will take to fully cure.
Do ensure that your client uses her oil 2 -3 times in the first 24hrs as oxygen can also inhibit the rate of cure.

Gosh it has been freezing here over the past few days, thanks you southern guys for bringing on the chill:lol:

 

[geeg]

As usual, spn01 has given you a great answer.

It is well to remember that temperature effects ALL chemical reactions, and when working with fresh product technicians need to be adaptable to conditions where the temperature has changed in their working area. For instance, here in Spain, I use a slow setting monomer in the summer when it is hot and in the winter I use a faster setting monomer for when it is cold. Both monomers are CND so I don't have to change any prep etc. Having choices and understanding your products from receiving good education is KEY to working smart and lessening the chance of any problems.

As to the vertical crack. Squeezing the nails between the teeth is a common cause (so many clients have their fingers in their mouths )

Another cause of vertical cracks can be excessive shrinkage of the product on curing (happens more with gels than L&P) but can happen if a product is 'shock cured' with heat, such as a lamp or too hot water being used to speed up the cure time??

 

[CatsClaws]

I am always sqeezing my nails on my index fingers with my teeth until it cracks all the way up the middle then I get annoyed because I have to redo it all over again. One of my clients does it too, 9 times out of 10 when i see her for her 2 week appointment both index fingers have vertical cracks. She says its a nervous thing and always pays extra for the replacement nails.
Xx
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[AdelleNailsIt]

Thanks guys

I also had a 2nd client cancel her appt becuase her nails only lasted a week... I think I have a serious problem with people having cold hands and me not getting the ratio right.

I can never understand why my nails stay on just fine, but I seem to have problems with lifting. I have another long term client that i also have no problems with.... PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE with ratio and REALLY good prep.