So I broke a nail again!

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Escribano

Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

So I broke a nail again!

Broke one just before Jerez now two just before the Lewes workshop, doh!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 21 2004 18:37:51

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: So I broke a nail again! (in reply to Escribano)

acrylics don't break.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 21 2004 18:40:12

Jim Opfer

Posts: 1876
Joined: Jul. 19 2003
From: Glasgow, Scotland.

RE: So I broke a nail again! (in reply to Escribano)

That's a real bummer Simon, listen, if you do try MdM's acrylic nails, make sure the beautician

doesn't coat the stuff the whole way up to the cutical.

They like to make it look nice but if they do, (long term damage to one side) you'll have a strange sensation when you pluck the strings and feel the acrylic push back into the top of your finger nail bed.

Hard to explain but as the botom part moves out as you pluck the string, the top part does the opposite and it's dreadful.

Hope to see you in Bath?

Cheers
Jim.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 23 2004 18:44:25

Guest

RE: So I broke a nail again! (in reply to Jim Opfer)

I broke a thumb nail on Thursday in a little midday juerga. Being aficionado rather than tocaor, I thought nothing of it until a friend asked me if I would accompany him in a show on Saturday. So I went to my mate Joaquin, a professional tocaor, to ask for advice. He said "Porcelana es el mejor" and gave me a little pot of powder. The label says "Star Nails Performance Acrylic Powder". His instructions were to spread superglue on the break and dip the nail in the powder. Then file. Home made acrylic nails on the cheap?

Sean

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 24 2004 0:47:53

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: So I broke a nail again! (in reply to Escribano)

When I was in Sevilla I couldn't find anyone that did acrylic nails. I asked quite a few girls in shops and got funny looks. Although I did see one raggedy old kit behind a counter for 14 Euros.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 24 2004 15:29:51

Jamey

Posts: 187
Joined: Jul. 7 2004
From: Winnipeg, Canada

RE: So I broke a nail again! (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

OPI Nail Envy - matte finish. Use three light coats. It will take a while to fully harden but the next day will be fine. Failing that (i.e. you can't find it and you're in Europe) try Orly Nail Envy. Same number of coats (thin ones). Orly's product actually has strands of silk and kevlar mixed in. It doesn't last as long as the OPI product but does as slightly better job. Both of these products do not dry out the nails and do not make them brittle. Both are intended as professional salon repair kits.

Be sure to coat the underside of your thumb nail if you grow it longer and be sure to do the same with your nail on your little finger (if you grow that longer as well). You can recoat every other day and at the end of the week, strip it all off with non-acetone remover and start over. I've been playing between an hour and 4 hours every day (not a lot I realize) and have yet to make a dent in them (I'm also very heavy handed, something I need to work to correct).

The crazy glue/cyanoacrylate route will just cause your nails to go brittle and they will snap (your nails break because they've become dried out and brittle). You get stuck in a cycle where you then reapply the glue to fix the nail that broke because it became brittle due to the glue......'round and 'round and 'round you go....

If your nails are really thin to begin with, consider taking 1500 to 2500 mg of calcuim (supplements) a day to help. It does work, it just takes a long time for you to see the benefit (longer than most are willing to wait - your nails all have to fully grow out from the nail bed all the while taking the supplements). No you won't get kidney stones etc., that's all a myth.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 30 2004 1:07:14

Billyboy

Posts: 389
Joined: Aug. 18 2003

RE: So I broke a nail again! (in reply to Jamey)

Anything that coats the nail will dry them out, super glue does not penatrate the nail, so doesent affect the nail anymore than varnish will, OPI nail envy is just nail varnish, and it doesent set hard enough.
Dave

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 10 2004 9:48:00

Jamey

Posts: 187
Joined: Jul. 7 2004
From: Winnipeg, Canada

RE: So I broke a nail again! (in reply to Billyboy)

I've found that it sets hard enough to be useful. Cyanoacrylates DO penetrate due to their very thin viscosity and do strip away a thin layer of your nail as they flake off (since the nail isn't actually smooth but ridged and porous). I used to use cyanoacrylates (crazy glue and nail glue) along with cellulose powder and they most definitely made my nails brittle. Whether it's the d-ethyle that is normally mixed in or not, I don't know. The Orly product dries much harder than the OPI product but I can't find it where I live so I revert to the OPI product. My nails are no longer brittle since switching to these products. They are now much thicker and practically strong enough to carve my name in a tree (no kidding). Hence my recommendation. Obviously mileage may vary. Regardless, stay away from acetone and other solvents.

I sometimes dust the nails with cellulose powder before a coat dries, then apply another coat after that one has dried. This acts to make the finish harder. I didn't do this with the Orly Nair Armour product because it dried much harder (perhaps the silk and kevlar but likely just the formulation).

A problem with cyanoacrylates is the possibility of contact induced paronychia nail infection. It's an ugly name for an ugly infection that can happen in some people when their skin comes into prolonged or repeated contact with cyanoacrylate. I had it once on my little and middle fingers years ago and it was a mess.

Use whatever works for you.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 10 2004 20:49:57