Not so long ago, a type of gel polish called shellac became popular. It is a cosmetic varnish made from natural resin and is particularly durable while causing minimal damage to the nails.
How to maintain a manicure
But, despite its durability, shellac, like any other varnish, tends to chip and ruin a beautiful manicure.
And then questions arise: what to do if the shellac on your nails chips?
First you need to find out why shellac chips.
There are 3 main reasons:
- a specialist who does manicure;
- the products he uses;
- susceptibility of nails to shellac.
You need to be sure that the master is a qualified specialist and uses high-quality products.
How to maintain a manicure
There is also a personal intolerance to shellac. This is quite rare and is most often caused by various diseases.
A piece of gel nail broke off
A manicure done with high quality gel polish and in compliance with all the rules will last 3-4 weeks. However, his appearance will not change in any way, only his nails will grow. But, sometimes it happens that a chip forms at the tip of the nail plate. Let's figure it out together why this happens and how to quickly fix the upsetting design defect. Knowing the reasons in advance, we can prevent consequences and avoid mistakes.
Manicure done with gel polish
Shellac chipped: what to do at home
If shellac chips off at the ends, there is no need to immediately make an appointment at a beauty salon. Sometimes it is enough to simply file off that part of the tip of the nail where the polish has peeled off, and the manicure will look presentable again.
A piece of gel polish that has broken off from the tip of the nail can be restored independently using special equipment. It is only necessary to carry out all the procedures that the master performs, but not on the entire nail plate, but only on the exposed area. Such equipment is quite expensive, so not every woman can afford to apply shellac at home.
What to do:
- You can cover the chipped piece with varnish of the same color as the shellac coating; then apply clear varnish to the entire surface. No one will notice the difference, but finding the perfect varnish is quite problematic.
- Pieces that break off from the tip of the nail can be hidden by simulating a “French manicure” with any cosmetic varnish.
- You can also hide the exposed area using shiny varnish, applying it, for example, in stripes, or completely covering the entire nail.
- There are many different nail stickers available. They will help disguise a peeling piece of shellac and prevent further chipping of the coating.
Why does gel polish chip?
A professional approach is the key to the success of any business. Before you start creating a beautiful manicure with gel polish, you should thoroughly study the rules for step-by-step preparation of nail plates and applying all the necessary layers. One of the most common reasons why gel polish chips is precisely the wrong approach to the process. If you are new to the nail industry, be sure to read the step-by-step instructions and nuances of working with gel polishes.
Manicure with gel polish
There are quite a few reasons why a piece of varnish may break off:
- the presence of defects and damage to the nail plates that were not previously cut down or polished;
- use of low-quality materials;
- mechanical damage to nails;
- violation of the step-by-step process;
- debris getting under the top layer;
- insufficient drying time;
- the use of decorative elements that are incorrectly secured;
- raw nail tips;
- exposure to chemical composition on manicure;
- personal intolerance and reaction to gel polishes;
- lack of vitamins in the body, as a result of which pieces of any coating break off.
Applying blue varnish
Note! The free edges of the nail plates must be treated with each layer of primer, top, varnish and finish. If this is not done, the gel polish on the tips of the nails will chip off.
How to maintain a manicure
To avoid such situations when shellac lags behind, you need to:
- Use cuticle oil. Moisturizing makes the nail softer, so the coating lasts longer.
- Apply clear varnish. The durability and beauty of your manicure will improve if you regularly renew the coating.
- Do all household chores with gloves. Gloves will protect your manicure not only from accidental damage, but also from exposure to chemical liquids used for cleaning and washing dishes.
- Take vitamins. Having healthy nails, it’s easy to avoid delamination of the plate, which means there’s less of another reason for manicure damage.
- Strengthen nails. There are many recipes for strengthening nails. The same principle works as in the previous paragraph.
- Use quality products. Even with ideal care, the coating will not last long if low-quality varnish has been applied.
It’s easy to restore and maintain a presentable manicure at home, you just need to try a little.
How to fix
If the polish has chipped on the eve of your next visit to the manicurist, then you should just make an earlier appointment. But what to do if the design is still completely “fresh”, and the master is far away? Sometimes a girl has to correct an annoying misunderstanding on her own and quickly remove the flaw.
First, we recommend that you figure out the reason. If it was not immediately possible to find out why this happened, then other tips of the nails can expect a similar result. You need to understand that depending on the root cause, you will have to choose a method to solve the problem.
- If the chip has formed at the very tip of the nail, you can carefully file the plate to the desired level. Thus, the defective area is completely eliminated.
- If the gel polish has chipped off in several places along the edges of the nails, you can decorate it with a French polish. Take a lighter color of varnish than the main background. Draw smile lines along the edges of the plates with it to hide the chipped areas. Cover the top of the nails completely with a colorless fixative.
- When a large area of gel polish has chipped and needs to be fixed quickly, without visiting a specialist, then you need to choose a similar color. If the desired tone is not available, you can apply any decor: rhinestones, stones, beads, stickers, etc. Using decorative elements, you can visually remove the coating defect. The entire design should be covered with a fixative on top.
- If you have all the necessary tools and materials, chips and other design violations must be removed step by step. All layers are applied using a specific technique. Large areas of deformation should be completely covered in a new way.
Note! When you know exactly why your gel polish is chipping at the ends, you can take the right measures. For example, if a woman has serious hormonal imbalances, or a severe lack of vitamins, then no design will last long.
The qualifications of the manicurist and the quality of the products used are also quite important. Violation of the process technology leads to the inevitable formation of defects and deformations of the manicure.
If your nail is broken
From the edge and a little bit. Then it makes sense to file it down, as in the case of a small end detachment. There is nothing left to lose, and life will be more convenient.
At the growth point or higher. Such breakdowns are popularly called “meatless”, they are painful and constantly cling, risking breaking the entire system. To “convey” such a breakdown to the master, you need to fix it with a regular plaster, wrapping it a couple of times around the phalanx of the finger in the right place. Don't forget to change the patch 1-2 times a day. And, of course, it’s better to get to the master as quickly as possible. We proceed in a similar way if the nail cracks vertically on the free edge due to an impact.
Damage to nails also happens if the manicure is not done professionally. Find out how to avoid this: How to recognize an incompetent manicurist in advance: 6 sure signs.
Did you know what to do in such cases?
A nail broke under gel polish: what to do before going to the nail technician
If your nail breaks under gel polish, you need to do the following:
- remove the coating as carefully as possible so as not to increase the size of the crack;
- use a tea bag or special glue for fixation.
When a nail bursts under gel polish, repairs should be made by preparing the tools and liquids:
- files,
- nail scissors,
- orange stick or pusher,
- degreaser,
- remover for soaking the coating,
- lint-free wipes.
How to restore with a tea bag
You can restore a damaged plate using a tea bag:
- Remove the coating from the cracked nail. It is better to do this by cutting off the top and then soaking it with remover.
- A piece corresponding to the size of the nail is cut out of a tea bag. Or 2-3 smaller fragments, but so that they can close the crack.
- The nail is degreased. And cover with a layer of base or clear varnish.
- The product must be polymerized, but do not remove the sticky layer. And if clear varnish was used, it is not dried.
- The “patch” is placed on the damaged nail on top of a base with a sticky layer or wet transparent varnish. It needs to be smoothed out using a pusher.
- You need to apply another layer of base on top, leveling the surface. It is dried.
- If necessary, the end of the plate is filed to remove roughness. It is better to take a glass file for this.
- Next they paint the nail with a flower bed and polymerize it. All that remains is to apply the top coat and dry it too.
It is quite possible to seal a nail under gel polish with a tea bag for several days, because it is made of a fairly durable but pliable material. Therefore, a thin “patch” reliably fixes the crack and does not lie in lumps.
How to repair with special glue
Applying glue to a crack
You can also repair a nail with glue purchased at a manicure supply store:
- The coating is removed by soaking.
- The nail and skin are wiped with a degreaser.
- Glue is applied to the crack.
- It is distributed evenly over the plate and allowed to dry.
- Irregularities are removed with a file.
- Now you can apply a fresh coating - base, flower bed, top using conventional technology.
If you need to seal a nail whose free edge has completely fallen off, the process will be slightly different. The fragment is immersed in warm water for several minutes to make it more flexible. You need to hold your finger in it for a little while. Then the nail and fragment are blotted with a napkin and secured with glue. It is necessary to hold them together for a couple of minutes for a more reliable fixation.
Nail extension repair
Extensions are done with acrylic tips. They do not have a living structure, so if they break off, they can be glued with synthetic glue for plastic (superglue, “Moment”). The fastening materials are the same - filter paper, silk strips, paper plaster.
The technology for gluing the extended plate is as follows:
If repairing the extended nail is impossible, you can replace it with a new one.
Apply glue to the nail and place a cut-out paper strip on top of it.
Place another drop of glue on top of the strip. Apply the third layer of glue on top of the dried second.
Treat the repair area with a nail file. Apply varnish on top.
Another repair option is to replace the broken tip with a new one.
