Most girls prefer to have long nails. It takes several weeks to grow them. However, the structure of the nail plate is such that they often crack and break. There is a way that allows you to hide the crack that appears; it involves using silk. To do this, you need to know how to use silk to repair nails.
Broken nails
The appearance of cracks is caused by the abuse of shellac and extension procedures, as well as poor nutrition. Weak plates begin to break, and this ruins the manicure. Sometimes the nail cracks closer to the base or in the middle, which is accompanied by discomfort, and pain appears when touched. There is no need to cut it off; it is best to seal the affected area. Here you can use adhesive-based silk to repair nails. It will help temporarily strengthen or repair the surface. The silk that covers the nail plate creates a protective layer that prevents it from deteriorating further.
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The work will take very little time, and the result will last about 7 days. This is done until the nail can be cut without pain. Silk is used to make it easier to grow nails. To strengthen them, cut off a piece of fabric that follows the shape of the nail plate. If you perform this procedure every month, or maybe twice, then even brittle and crumbling nails will grow healthy and strong.
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It is worth noting
Silk is a rather fragile material. For this reason, it is not the best choice for those who lead a very active lifestyle, regularly engage in manual labor, or participate in competitive sports.
Silk extensions are a great option for how to do nail extensions without gel or acrylic if you have a special occasion and want your nails to look natural and beautiful. It will last about a week. But don't invest in this procedure just to make your nails stronger. The result will be temporary.
The advantages of this extension:
- Not too harmful to natural nails.
- An excellent method for “repairing” nails.
- Low operating costs.
- Silk nails look more realistic and natural compared to acrylic nails. In fact, they are usually so natural in appearance that they can be mistaken for real nails.
Minuses:
- Not as durable as biogel nail extensions and other types of artificial nails.
- The result is short-lived.
How to extend nails without gel and acrylic using silk:
When you decide it's time for silk extensions, it's best to have the procedure done at a salon. This way you minimize the risk of damage to your natural nails. If you are determined to grow your nails yourself, then make sure you have an hour or more of free time.
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Silk extensions require completely clean and grease-free nails.
- They must first be polished with a buff, this guarantees good adhesion of the material to the natural nail.
- Then a special glue is applied to the nails (for example, CND Glue for tips and silk).
- Next, a piece of silk fabric, selected according to the desired shape and length of the nails, is applied to the glue.
- The silk is smoothed over the surface of the nail with an orange stick. Excess is removed with nail scissors.
- An activator gel is applied.
- The final stage is sanding the dried coating and possibly applying varnish. Many people, however, prefer the "clean" look of silk nails.
It is better to avoid using polish if you are using silk extensions to temporarily cover a damaged nail. This will allow the damaged nail to grow, and you can easily monitor it and, if necessary, correct the growth.
Material characteristics
Before you learn how to use silk to repair nails, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with its characteristics. This material is a natural fabric woven from soft threads. They, in turn, are made from silkworm cocoon fibers: 75% fibroin and 25% sericin. Although this fabric is soft and thin, it is very durable. It is considered the most suitable for nail repair. Silk in manicure is used if:
- cracks on the free edge or on the nail covering the nail bed;
- chipped nail extensions;
- a broken piece of the free edge of a natural nail.
They strengthen thin and brittle plates. It is also used as a material for extensions. Runail silk for nail repair has an adhesive base. When applying, you should detach it from the base and secure it to the nail plate. Can be used with:
- gel polish;
- gel;
- acrylic.
This material acts as an elastic spacer between the plate and the glue. When a crack is sealed only with glue, a crack will soon appear on the nail again. Although glue is a hard material, it is characterized by brittleness. Silk does not have this quality.
Features of using silk
Many girls have already tried to repair cracks in their nails with varnish, or simply by first covering it with glue.
The problem with this procedure is that after hardening, the varnish or glue becomes brittle, and therefore often cracks in the same places as the nail itself, thereby sometimes even worsening the original situation.
On the other hand, we have a silk ribbon - itself solid, not to mention the fact that the material is quite durable. Here it is needed as a soft spacer between the nail and the next layer.
Usually silk has an adhesive base, and therefore, after fixing it on the nail, it constantly keeps it in the same condition, preventing new cracks and the enlargement of old ones.
Approximately the same situation occurs with the restoration of a lost piece of nail. Silk strengthens the entire nail and prevents further deformation at the site of damage.
As a result, we get a natural contour of the nail, not to mention the fact that the entire nail becomes stronger.
Repair technology
Now you need to learn how to use silk to repair nails. First you need to prepare the broken area of the plate. To do this, use a nail file to make several light movements, starting from the cuticle, and move towards the free edge. Thus, the edges of the fracture are trimmed, and the surface gets rid of shine. After this, degrease with nail polish remover. Then cut off the required amount of fabric to cover the crack. Treat the broken area with glue and attach the cut piece of material. In order for it to lie flat on the nail plate, you need to use an orange stick. After the glue has dried, the excess must be removed. For this procedure, a nail file is used to process the resulting bulge. After treatment, the surface will become smooth. Then you need to cover all your nails with a textured varnish with tiny sandy or shiny particles. This will help hide the unevenness, and the fabric and glue will adhere more firmly to the crack. This place can be hidden with rhinestones or other decorative elements.
It must be borne in mind that you should not repair a nail with silk if the skin is damaged or there is bleeding from the wound.
Nail repair for applying gel polish
To repair a nail with gel polish using silk, you will need the following tools and materials:
- disinfectant;
- buff and file;
- tweezers or orange stick;
- top polish and gel.
Attention! Disinfectant is needed when the crack has touched the bed. It may bleed. To prevent infection from getting under the nail, the wound must be treated with an antiseptic.
In addition to the repair, you will need to apply gel polish so that the repair lasts a long time until the nail plate grows and the damaged area can be cut off. 3 weeks are enough for the damaged area to appear behind the bed area. After it is trimmed, you can do a new manicure.
Step by step execution:
- Preparation. The cuticle must be removed. This is done as usual. The nail must be treated with a buff. If the crack is deep and has touched the bed, you must first treat the wound with an antiseptic. Using a file, you need to give the nail plate the desired shape.
- Degreaser. In order for shellac to have sufficient adhesion to the nail, the latter must be degreased with a primer.
- Silk applique. It is necessary to apply a base to the nail plate and attach a silk cloth of the required size to it. After using the stick, you need to straighten the fabric and press it tightly to the nail. Then the nail is dried under a UV lamp.
- Correction. Unevenness needs to be smoothed out with a file so that the next manicure looks presentable and even.
- Basic application. After restoring the nail plate, apply a base coat and dry it under a lamp.
- Applying gel polish. This paint is decorative. It is necessary to apply a thick coating, preferably in 2 layers. They are dried separately.
- The final step is to execute the top application.
- Repairing the nail plate with silk allows you to return it to its original appearance. The artificial material has the necessary strength so that the manicure lasts as long as necessary until the nail grows back.
For your information! On the remaining nails, the manicure can simply be updated.
Benefits of silk
This material has a lot of advantages. They can be used to repair nails because they:
- lasting;
- perfectly adapts to the shape of the nail plate;
- has a minimum thickness at which traces of repair are not visible.
An additional advantage of silk is that it is visually invisible because it blends with the natural shade of the nail plates. Silk can be purchased separately, or it is also sold in a special set.
The main advantages of silk nail extensions
The technology of silk gel nail extension is popular all over the world, as it has a number of unique features:
— the created nail plates are elastic and resilient, and if you use fiberglass, you can create unique nails that glow in ultraviolet light;
— this technology allows you to grow very long nails, which will delight you with their beauty for a long time;
- the silk technique is suitable even for very damaged nail plates, since the fabric reliably hides all the imperfections of the natural nail.
What can replace silk
If there is no way to purchase this material, you can try strengthening the nail with flax or fiberglass. The latter is a durable artificial fabric with moisture-resistant qualities. Available in small skeins with an adhesive base.
It is convenient to temporarily restore the plate with liquid silk. This special product contains microfiber fibers, which form a durable polymer coating that protects the nail from further destruction. The kit intended for repairing the plate contains powder, which is applied directly to the glue. It gives strength while maintaining elasticity.
Sometimes it happens that the material suddenly runs out, then the question arises of how to replace silk for nail repair. An ordinary medical fabric plaster can come to the rescue, but not a rubberized one; the nail must breathe. Tea bag paper is also suitable for these purposes. The principle of repair with all these materials is similar to silk.
Scheme for strengthening nails with silk
Using a similar technology, nails are strengthened with silk if the plate is particularly thin. Artificial nails will last longer than natural ones. This is due to the difference in thickness. If you are not a supporter of the extension process, then this procedure will come in handy for you.
To do this, you need to follow these simple steps:
- Remove shine using a nail file;
- Align the silk piece with the nail bed and cut out the desired shape;
- Disinfect and degrease the plate;
- Apply a glue strip to the nail and attach the cut fabric;
- Trim the edges with an orange stick;
- After the glue has dried, polish the surface with buff;
- Cover with a layer of varnish.
The procedure must be performed several times a month. This will help strengthen and grow nails that will not break or crumble.
Reviews of manicure silk
Before you learn how to use silk to repair nails, it is advisable to read what those who have already used this material say. You can purchase this product online or in cosmetic departments of stores. Repairing nails with silk under gel polish can be done on both natural and artificial plates. In the case of artificial nails, the cracked one should be sealed with silk, and on the rest, just update the design. Silk for nail repair, reviews of which are mostly positive, is a temporary aid for brittle plates. This great thing will help maintain length and save your nails from painful cutting. It is, of course, recommended to visit a cosmetologist who knows all the nuances and features of the manipulation. If necessary, he will tell you all the details of the procedure and tell you how to preserve your nail.
It is necessary to remember that you must take care of your hands, this largely applies to your nails. If even taking vitamins does not help keep them healthy, you should resort to special creams and baths that are aimed at strengthening the nail plate.
Source
Nail preparation
To grow your nails at home, you need to start with preparation.
How does the step-by-step preparation work:
- Cleaning and disinfection. The client's hands should be thoroughly washed with soap and treated with a disinfectant.
- Cuticle treatment. It is not recommended to cut it off so as not to cause microtrauma (wound, cut) to the periungual area of the skin. First, you need to apply an emollient to the cuticle (moisturizer or a preparation with an AHA complex), and then slightly move it away from the nail plate closer to the skin.
- Giving nails shape. It is necessary to make the desired shape from the free edge of the nail plate. Nails are not treated with a file only if they are cut very short.
- Preparing the nail surface. Using a rough nail file, remove only the top 3-4 layers, otherwise, if you overdo it, the material will not stick or the fixation will be short-lived. The filing process should occur in the direction from the cuticle to the edge of the nail.
- The last stage of preparation is to apply adhesive . You need to work with this product carefully; contact with the skin (some brands) can cause a burning sensation. The nail must be held vertically. You need to start applying from the cuticle to the edge of the nail.
Correct adherence to these simple rules is a guarantee of quality work.
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