If your gel nail breaks, what should you do? What to do if your nail is broken: little tricks and effective tips

What to do if a nail breaks is a question that every woman seeks an answer to at least once in her life. A beautiful manicure is a real decoration for a woman’s hand, and it’s such a shame when nails that have been grown for a long time and carefully have to be cut off because of one broken nail.

Of course, if your nail is broken, you can go to a salon where a manicurist will cover your nail plate with biogel, which hardens quickly, based on proteins, which will return it to its natural appearance.

What to do if you can’t get into the salon? Are there other ways to avoid shortening your nails and maintain a beautiful manicure at home?

It turns out that today there are a huge number of special products that will help you revive your manicure at home. If you go to a specialized store, they may offer you:

silk strips and special glue for them,
nail repair kits, which usually include powder, a brush and glue,
tips (also with special glue).

The kits always come with special instructions, thanks to which you will quickly figure out what to do if your nail is broken and how to fix it.

The listed methods are quite convenient, but only if you have the opportunity to quickly visit the desired store and purchase everything you need. If this is not possible, do not rush to get upset, because enterprising women have come up with a simple, quick and convenient solution to the problem - repairing a nail with a tea bag. And the most common one, which can be found in every home.

Features of nail repair with a tea bag

A tea bag can be used to resuscitate a nail only if the nail is broken by less than one third, and only the surface is damaged, without going deeper and without injuring the soft tissue. The material is very thin, but durable enough, so the manicure will not look rough or be visually different.

The big advantage is that you don’t need to spend any money on tools to repair your nails with a tea bag and gel polish. All you need is: nail scissors, a tea bag, glue (but never superglue) or gel polish (you can use it for a small crack, and if you don’t have special glue on hand).

Before sealing a nail at home, remove the old coating from the nail (repairing a painted nail plate will not have any effect) and degrease the surface. Further:

empty the tea bag of its contents and cut a strip large enough to cover the crack,
Apply glue to the damaged area in the nail plate and immediately apply the blank cut from the bag,
Apply glue over the “patch” again,
wait until the glue dries,
file the edges of the patch and lightly polish the surface,
cover with clear varnish and decorative coating.

Of course, a damaged nail plate is not able to “heal” at the site of the break, but by sealing it, you can forget about the trouble until the nail grows back.

How to fix a broken nail at home using tips

A tea bag will solve the problem of a small break in the nail plate, but what to do if the nail is half broken and the break goes deep? In this case, it will be necessary to hide the damaged area with a tip. It is an artificial plastic nail that is glued to the surface of the nail plate using special glue. Due to the fact that the tip has a reserve length, you can easily adjust it to the size of all other nails.

Now let's take a closer look at how to fix a broken nail at home using tips:

first remove the old varnish,
remove all irregularities and polish the nail plate along the edges,
degrease the tip along the inside (this can be done by wiping it with nail polish remover),
let it dry for a couple of minutes and cover the entire inner surface of the tip with special glue, apply a little of the same glue to the area of the break,
attach the artificial nail to the surface of the natural plate so that their bases clearly coincide,
wait until the glue has completely dried, then cut the tip so that it is the same length as the rest of the nails, leaving a small margin for growing, give the desired shape,
process the joints.

What to do if your nail breaks on the side

You can carefully restore a nail that has broken on the side using silk strips, which you can buy along with glue in a specialty store. Before restoring the nail, remove the old polish and use a mildly abrasive file to treat the chipped area so as to smooth the surface as much as possible.

Now work on the fabric. You need to cut two strips: first one (according to the size of the chip), then the second (it should be designed to cover the entire nail plate).

Remove the paper backing and place the first piece on the damaged area, carefully straighten it, hold it with an orange stick and cover with glue. After it has dried, remove any roughness (lightly using a file), trim off the excess silk. Then apply a large blank in exactly the same way (on the entire nail plate), cover the silk with two layers of glue (with an interval of 20 seconds). Wait until completely dry.

Trim off excess silk, then apply a base, cover the nail with decorative varnish and top coat. Now about the problem: I broke my nail - what should I do? You can forget until it grows to the required length.

Attention! If your nails break or peel quite often, your body may not have enough calcium. Review your daily diet.

Long nails have always been an adornment for women. This is one of the main parts of grooming, femininity, attractiveness, such as hair, clothes, makeup and the like. How disappointing it becomes when your efforts are ruined at the most unpredictable moment.

The next time your nail breaks, don't panic. There are several ways to correct the situation. Although you may experience pain, do your best to restore your nails to their original appearance! Never let a broken nail ruin your holiday!

In this article we will tell you how to fix a broken nail at home using four different methods.

Important! Repairing a nail is only possible when it is no more than 1/3 broken. Do not count on getting any lasting results. If you successfully try to glue a nail, its approximate service life will be a couple of days or a little more (if handled with care).

You will need: tea bag and glue

The easiest and most affordable way to solve the problem of a broken nail at home. And even if a nail breaks not at home, but at work, a tea bag and superglue are always at hand. A one-time use of glue will not have a strong negative impact, and the nail will be saved. But still, this method should be used only as a last resort, so if you often break your nails, it is better to buy several bottles of specialized nail glue at once - for home and for work. We tell you how to proceed:

Cut a square piece from the tea bag of a size that will completely cover the crack.
Sand the damaged area and degrease the nail.
Apply glue to the crack and the area around it.
Press the tea bag onto your nail.
Apply another layer of glue until the piece of the bag is completely saturated.
Let dry and then sand the edges to smooth out the transitions.

You will need: nail glue and acrylic powder

This method of “fixing” a broken nail is good because it allows you to fix the crack on the free edge on both sides at once, and not just on top.

Apply glue to the crack, including the underside of the free edge.
Dip your finger into clear acrylic powder for a few seconds.
Let the layer dry for a minute.
Brush off excess powder and sand the “repair” area.

You will need: acrylic powder and gel polish base

If you use gel polish, then you can repair a crack on your nail at the stage of applying the base without using any third-party products. In addition, this method allows you to further strengthen your nails and create a reliable frame that will keep the gel polish in good condition for much longer. Therefore, feel free to use this method, working with all nails at once, and not just the damaged one.
Repairing a broken nail

Apply the first layer of base, carefully filling the crack area with it, and dry in a lamp.
Apply a second coat of base and dust it with clear acrylic powder before drying in the lamp.
Dry in a lamp and remove excess.
Apply another layer of base and dry in a lamp.
Next, you can follow the usual sequence of applying gel polish.

You will need: gel polish base and tea bag

If the crack is deep, then additional reinforcement with a tea bag will not be superfluous. If you combine this method with the previous option, you will get the best protection for your damaged nail.

Prepare the nail plate for applying gel polish.
Apply the first layer of base, carefully filling the crack area with it.
Attach a tea bag to the damaged area, smooth the edges and wait until it is completely saturated with the base.
Dry the first layer of base with a bag in a lamp.
Apply a second coat of base and dry in a lamp.
Then proceed in the usual sequence.

Many women take care of the beauty of their manicure, giving it the most incredible design. After all, we all know that well-groomed nails are the key to the beauty of women’s hands. Today, nail design masters offer a great variety of different nail coatings, the most popular of which is gel polish. It is famous for its ability to last on nails for up to two weeks, while maintaining its original shine and shine. But force majeure situations often happen when a nail breaks even under gel polish; we’ll figure out what to do in this case and how to preserve the beauty of the manicure right now.

Causes of brittle nails

A strong gel polish coating does not guarantee the strength of the nail plate. First, you need to figure out why uncoated natural nails break; there are many reasons for this:

Lack of vitamins in the body;
Working with household chemicals without protective gloves;
Problems in the gastrointestinal tract;
Mechanical damage to the nail plate;

The cause of brittle nails with gel coating is most often mechanical damage. For example, if there is a strong impact on a hard surface, a microcrack may form on a nail coated with gel polish, which will subsequently grow into a break or chip.

If your main activity is constant mechanical stress on your nails, such as typing on a keyboard, this can also lead to damage to the nail plate. But you should not lose sight of the unprofessionalism of the master who performed the gel polish coating on you; improperly done work can be one of the reasons for brittle nails.

Features of nail repair

It’s worth mentioning right away that a nail that is broken by more than half cannot be repaired; you can try to preserve the length only with small chips, and then such a correction will last a maximum of a week. It is also worth refusing to repair if soft tissue was affected during the breakdown.

If it turns out that the nail plate cannot be repaired, then it is worth shortening all the nails to the same length and monitoring their condition.

Tools for repairing nails with gel polish

Nail repair with gel polish requires special attention. Ideally, if damaged, you should contact a professional who will carry out the restoration work professionally and efficiently. But if you do not have such an opportunity, then you should stock up on special tools, such as:

Files and scissors;
Ultraviolet lamp;
Scotch tape or thin adhesive tape;
Base coat for gel polishes;
Top coating;
Basic color gel polish;
Foil.

Nail restoration with gel polish

In order to restore the nail plate, you should first polish the broken area a little with a nail file. You should not get carried away with this matter, otherwise the nail will become very thin and restoration will not work. Next we need foil. A small piece, you need to fold it four times for strength and cut a strip out of it wider than your nail.

Slide the resulting strip of foil under the nail from the inside and give it a curved shape. After which you need to degrease the surface of the nail and the foil; for this you can use a special degreasing agent; if one is not available, you can use boric acid. But under no circumstances wipe your nails with nail polish remover.

Next, you should apply the base to the entire surface of the nail, but in the area where it breaks, the coating layer should be a little thicker. The base should extend onto the foil, where it is applied in a thick layer. Then dry the coating in a UV lamp for 3-4 minutes.

After this, you can apply a layer of color, in some cases it is worth repeating the application several times to make the color brighter and more saturated. Colored gel should also be dried in a UV lamp. We fix the nail with a standard coating and degrease the nail plate.

Remove the foil from under the nail secured with a band-aid. We trim the resulting nail using scissors and file it a little to give it the desired shape.

Provided that the nail fracture occurred with gel polish already applied, you should remove the coating and repeat the entire procedure described above.

How to avoid brittle nails?

If you are constantly faced with broken nails, then you should postpone the decorative treatment of the nail plate and begin to find out the cause of the brittleness. Consulting a dermatologist will help solve this problem.

If everything is fine with your health, then perhaps the cause of brittle nails may be poor quality manicure materials and insufficient nail care. Strengthening baths and masks will help improve the quality of nails. It is also worth refusing to do housework without gloves; household chemicals negatively affect the condition of the skin of your hands and nails.

You should not trust your nails to a non-professional nail designer; choose only specialists with extensive experience, this will help protect your nails from poorly done work.

Video on the topic of the article:

The next time your nail breaks, don't panic. There are several ways to correct the situation. A broken nail causes discomfort - you can’t argue with that, but there are ways to return your nail to its original appearance! Never let a broken nail ruin your holiday.

Steps

Nail restoration

Wash your hands or feet. Before you begin restoring your nail, make sure your hands (or feet) are clean and non-greasy.

Wash your hands or feet with warm water and soap. Dry with a clean towel.
Wash and dry your hands or feet. This will prevent you from accidentally snagging your nail again and making an already difficult situation worse.

Cut a strip of material with which you will restore the original appearance of the nail. If you have a special nail repair kit, use the cloth that comes with the kit. Cut a strip of fabric. It should be large enough to wrap around the nail and secure the edge under the nail plate.

Glue the material to the nail plate. Apply a small drop of superglue or special nail glue to the nail plate. Using the tip of the applicator, carefully spread the glue over the entire nail plate. Use tweezers to place the prepared material on the nail, lubricated with glue.
- If you have a nail repair kit, use the special glue that comes with the kit instead of superglue. Apply glue to the nail plate with the brush included in the kit.
- Use tweezers to smooth out any bumps or wrinkles in the material. The surface of the nail with the material glued on it should be completely smooth.
- If necessary, use small nail clippers or regular nail scissors to trim away excess material.
Wrap the material around the top of the nail plate. Hold it with tweezers so that it is located on the top of the nail, and you can glue it under the nail plate.
- If the material does not stick, apply a little more superglue or glue from a special glue kit so that the material sticks to the bottom of the nail plate.
- This extra step will give your nail more protection.
Apply another layer of glue on top of the material. Place a drop of glue onto the material covering the nail plate and spread the glue over the entire surface of the nail using the applicator tip. Try to distribute the glue so that the surface of the nail is as smooth as possible.
- You can use a special nail repair liquid instead of superglue or nail repair glue.
Trim and polish. If you have a nail file, gently buff the nail after the glue has dried. First smooth out any rough edges and then polish the nail plate.
- The file needs to be moved only in one direction, and not back and forth.
Apply top coat to your nail. Apply a layer of top coat or nail strengthener for added nail protection.

Temporary recovery

Cut a small strip of tape to the size you need. Using scissors, carefully cut a strip of tape. The length of the strip should be slightly larger than the size of the nail.
- Use nail scissors or small sewing scissors to carefully cut a strip of tape. If you are using large scissors, trim the tape with the tips of the scissors.
- Choose single-sided tape with a small layer of adhesive. You can use invisible adhesive tape, gift wrapping tape, multi-use adhesive tape, or other types of clear adhesive tape. However, do not use high adhesive tape such as duct tape.
Cover your nail with clear tape. Try to apply the tape so that the center of the tape coincides with the center of the nail break. Press the tape firmly onto your nail and hold it there for a while. Then use the tip of a healthy nail to apply tape on both sides so that it completely covers the nail.
- Check again to make sure both halves of the broken nail line up exactly. After that you can stick the tape.
- To ensure that the tape sticks firmly to the nail, press it firmly against it.
- Smooth the tape in the direction of the nail break. Never do this in reverse. Otherwise you will only make things worse.
Trim off any excess tape. If the strip of tape is too long, use nail scissors to cut off the excess.
Fix the nail as quickly as possible. Even if this method gives the desired result, it cannot be considered as a final solution to the problem. With the help of strong glue you can stick the nail.
- Be careful not to catch the tape or your nail underneath.
Carefully remove the tape. When removing the tape, do so in the direction of the nail break, not against it.

Applying nail glue
1. Wash your hands or feet. Before you begin restoring your nail, you must thoroughly wash your hands (or feet) to degrease them.
  - Wash your hands or feet with warm water and soap. Dry with a clean towel.
  - Wash and dry your hands or feet thoroughly. Thanks to this, you will not snag your nail, thereby aggravating an already difficult situation.
2. Soak your nail in warm water. If part of your nail breaks off completely and you want to reattach it, soak the tip of the broken nail in warm water until it becomes flexible again.
  - If the nail hasn't broken off completely or is flexible, skip this step.
3. Apply glue to the damaged nail. Gently squeeze the glue onto the nail. You will need literally one drop of glue. Take this bead of glue with a toothpick and apply a thin layer to one side of the broken nail.
  - If you don't have nail glue, you can use superglue. The glue that contains cyanoacrylate is very strong.
  - Do not touch the glue with your fingers.
4. Attach your nail. Using the tip of a toothpick, apply the broken piece to your nail. Press one side of the toothpicks onto your nail.
  - Be careful not to get any glue on your fingers.
  - Continue applying pressure to the nail for 1 minute. Thanks to this, the nail will stick firmly.
5. Remove any remaining glue by blotting it with a cotton swab. Before the glue dries completely, dip a cotton swab or pad in nail polish remover and wipe the nail bed with it. You need to remove excess glue from the nail.
  - You may need to rub your nail to remove the glue.
  - Check to see if you have removed any glue residue with a cotton pad soaked in nail polish remover.
6. Polish the bonding area. After the glue has dried, polish the bonding area using a nail file. Use a coarse file to polish the bonding area and make the nail smooth.
  - File the nail in one direction, not back and forth. To minimize the risk of further damage, file the nail towards the break rather than against it.
  - Do this slowly so as not to make the situation worse.
7. Apply a protective top coat when the glue is completely dry. Once the broken nail is smooth again, protect it by covering it with nail strengthener or an additional coat of polish. Wait until the nail is completely dry.
  
  Repairing a broken nail
  
  Remove the broken nail. If the nail is completely detached from the nail bed, you may need to remove it completely to heal the wound. Use nail scissors to cut off the broken part of the nail. Use tweezers to lift the broken part of the nail.
  - By removing the nail, it will be easier for you to get to the damaged area. This will reduce the risk of infection by treating most of the wound underneath the nail plate.
  - You can leave the nail and treat the affected area around it. This is more difficult to do, but still possible. The broken part of the nail will fall off on its own as the new nail grows.

Long strong nails are the dream of many girls who care about the beauty of their hands. In order to grow your nail plates to the desired length, it sometimes takes up to several weeks. But nails, due to their structure, tend to crack and break. What should you do if, after waiting for the moment when you can get the long-awaited manicure, a crack appears on your nail? The answer is simple. Use silk to repair your nails!

Silk is a soft natural fabric that is created from threads obtained by weaving fibers from the cocoon of the silkworm. The fibers are a combination of fibroin 75% and sericin 25%. The fabric, created from natural materials, is thin but very durable. Therefore, it is considered the best material for nail repair. Let’s take a closer look at how to repair a nail with silk.

In manicure, silk is used in the following cases:

cracks on the free edge of the nail;
cracks in the nail covering the nail bed;
when a piece of the free edge of a natural nail is broken off;
when an extended nail is chipped;
to strengthen brittle and thin nail plates;
as a material for nail extensions.

Nails become cracked or break if they do not receive enough nutrition or become weak from frequent extension procedures. For the purpose of repair, as well as strengthening of nails, silk is used, which acts as a protective coating for the nails and prevents further destruction of the plate.

Silk is a kind of flexible spacer between the glue and the nail. If you seal the cracks only with glue, the nail will quickly crack again, since glue is a hard but fragile material.

A nail technician can fix a broken nail in just 10-15 minutes. But this procedure is so simple that it is worth trying to do it yourself. This is especially true for those women whose nails are weak and brittle. After all, the material purchased for repairs will last for a long time.

Working with silk for nail repair can be reduced to several simple steps:

Treatment of the nail plate, in which the broken edges are smoothed out (sharpened with files).
Gluing a piece of silk to the nail at the crack site.
Grinding with nail files the junction of the edges of the fabric and the nail plate (elimination of irregularities).
Application of transparent (strengthening) or decorative varnish.

If extended nails or chipped natural nail plates are being repaired, gel polishes or acrylics are additionally used. To have a better understanding of the nail repair procedure, you can watch video tutorials on this topic.

Bioreinforcement

Restoration of fragile nails with cracks and delamination of the plate is carried out using fibroin and bio-coating based on polyurethane.

This procedure is called bioreinforcement.

The combination of these two materials gives the nails rigidity and strength, and also imitates the thickness of the natural nail plate. After bioreinforcement, you can apply a decorative coating to the nails or leave them as is.

Silk for nail repair is practically invisible, as it blends in with the natural shade of the nail plates.

Before performing bioreinforcement, the nail plates are prepared in a certain way: polished with a buffer and lubricated with a primer (degreased). Next, a biocorrector is applied to the nail, and a pre-prepared piece of silk the size of a nail plate is placed on top.

After the silk is saturated with biogel, the coating is dried in a UV lamp. Repeat with all nail plates. At the final stage, the nails are once again coated with a biocorrector and dried in a lamp. If desired, you can perform a manicure with your favorite design.

Silk nail extensions

In addition to restoring fragile or broken nails, silk is used as a material for extensions. Other fabrics can be used to create artificial nails: fiberglass, cotton and linen.

It should be noted that fabrics are soft materials and cannot by themselves create an artificial nail of the required hardness. Therefore, during the extension procedure, silk is impregnated with a special composition.

But even in this case, extended silk nails are much inferior to technologies that contain gel or acrylic. Therefore, such manicure is rare, and silk is more often used as an element to create gel or acrylic nails.

Silk for nails in sets and other materials for nail repair

Silk intended for working with nail plates can be purchased in rolls with a sticky base or in the form of blanks in the form of nail plates. It is best to purchase nail repair kits, which include all the products and tools for a complete procedure.

It is included in the kit:

soft nail file or buff;
silk for nails in a ribbon or cut to fit the nail plates;
disinfectant liquid;
glue.

A 240 grit buff or file is designed for polishing the nail plate. This procedure is necessary in order to clean out all the irregularities: chips, delaminations, roughness or sharp edges of a crack in the nail.

The disinfectant liquid will neutralize the nail plates from pathogenic microflora. An infection that has entered a nail crack may begin to actively develop after repair, so this stage is necessary.

The glue has a soft plastic structure and does not harm the nails. If glue gets on the skin during the repair process, it can be easily cleaned off with an orange stick or needle.

What can you replace silk with:

In addition to silk, two more fabrics are used to repair and strengthen nails: fiberglass and linen. Of these, preference should be given to fiber. This is an artificial moisture-resistant fabric. It is made using a special weaving technology, so it is very durable. Like silk, it is produced in rolls with an adhesive base. The principle of working with fiber is similar to silk material.
Liquid silk cosmetic for nail repair can instantly restore a damaged nail. It contains microfiber fibers that create a strong polymer network on the nail plate, protecting it from further destruction.
Nail reconstruction kits may contain powder instead of fabric. It is applied to the glue and gives it special strength and elasticity. Preparatory and final work on repairing a nail with powder is carried out in the same way as with fabrics.
You can quickly seal your nail using a paper napkin and regular polish. This option is emergency and can last no more than 1-2 days. In this case, the paper napkin acts as a cushioning, fixing material between two layers of varnish.

Silk for nails separately and in sets can be purchased in cosmetics stores or ordered on specialized websites on the Internet. In reviews of silk nail repairs, the most common brands are Bohema and Silk Linen Wrap.

Price overview:

Bohema silk, set of 12 strips - 100 rubles;
Silk Linen Wrap in a roll 3*300 cm—460 rubles.

Repairing nails with silk for gel polish: instructions for performing the procedure

If the nail is cracked not on the free edge, but in the area of the nail bed, then this is not just unpleasant, but very painful. In this case, the nail should be repaired for a longer period. To do this, in addition to nail repair, it is recommended to do a manicure with gel polish.

This coating lasts about three weeks. During this time, the nail plate will grow back, and the cracked nail can be cut off or a long-term manicure done again.

Before you start repairing your nails with silk under gel polish, you need to prepare all the necessary tools. In addition to materials and products for nail repair, you will need gel polishes, nail files, and a UV lamp.

Step-by-step instruction:

		Step 1 Remove cuticles as usual. Carefully treat the nail plates with a buff. Align the edges of the crack and remove the shiny layer. Use files to shape your nails.
		Step 2 Disinfect your nails with a special liquid to eliminate pathogenic microflora that could get into the crack.

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