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The Savarez Nail Kit is expensive, but the silk comes on sticky backed plastic which makes it easier to cut, shape and apply. Other than that, I have no idea what kind of silk it is (very thin) but the rest is just (diluted?) superglue.
I never used a kit and Ive stoped using silk now. You need some kind of nail base to glue to as silk is used mainly for repairs. Prolonged glue use has a progresive and I know this from my own experience as I now use stick on nails. It would take a LONG time for my nails ever to be 'normal' again. So beware of going down that path!!! Fergus
Hey, thanks for the advice. I should have pointed out that I don't use superglue, only nail polish. right now, I use tea-bag paper(1 layer) and several layers of nail polish. It works great, but isn't transparent enough.........hey, I am single again and don't need assumptions about nail fungus.
Man, when you were talking about tea bags on the F-T, I was thinking you either rubbed a used one on your nails every morning or you duct-taped them on whole. I might try the silk from the Savarez Kit but without the superglue and plenty of "Hard-As-Nails" (clear) varnish, excellent stuff BTW.
Prolonged glue use has a progresive and I know this from my own experience as I now use stick on nails.
Yeah, I started losing nouns from using glue too...
But seriously, for repairs, I glue a bit of plastic nail just on the nailtip, 3mm or less. I use the tips that acrylic kits come with. No acrylic, just hard-as-nails clear.
We all have different physiology. I have a friend who is a classical guitar player, who has 'perfect' nails. However my nails are thin and easily eroded by various techniques. I also have highly acidic sweat that pores from my hands and even through my nail fibres. I burn through bass strings in 3 or 4 days of 9 hour practice...sometimes I wish I had my classical' guitar friends physiology...he keeps strings for 6 months (all the nickel worn off due to friction rather than pitted and burned off by acidic lipids).
I use 'Star Nails' china silk strips and cyanoacrylate (nail/super glue) in small 3g bottles that are easier to keep the nozzle clean. Almost every day, as the moisture comes through my nails, the previous day's protection lifts off easily leaving a clean undamaged nail. As Fergusito points out, this method CAN damage nails...so try it out, but monitor the situation.
One thing I advise COMPLETELY AGAINST is acrylic nails. I tried this 8 years ago and discovered that as the nail fibres grow under the acrylic, they get deformed by being stuck to the nasty acrylic.
acryllic is the only thing that works for me. sucks.... nasty stuff, but a necessary evil.
Is it possible to use acrylic to replace the entire tip of the nail? In other words cut the nail as short as possible and have the acrylic nail extending out. Or do people use them just as an extra layer of protection laid on top of the existing nail?
yes you have to use a nail form. after putting the form in place you brush the acryllic over the nail and the form and let dry. then pull the form away and you have a new tip. you have to shape it and it usually takes 2 passes depending on how much acryllic powder you pick up on the brush.
I might try the silk from the Savarez Kit but without the superglue and plenty of "Hard-As-Nails" (clear) varnish, excellent stuff BTW.
Dont you find that this stuff takes for ever to dry? Ive used different Sally Hansen products, and while they dont all work that well, at least they dry quickly. Hard as Nails just takes for ever. It may be the humidity where I live, or maybe my nail?? who knows.