Acrylic nails

I have the most awfully soft, thin, brittle nails you can imagine so having long, beautiful false nails made me feel very glam. However, where my nails are very poor, when the nail underneath grew, if I caught my false nail on something it bent the natural nail backwards which caused great pain and damage. Now my natural nails are awful, hard to clean and even softer.
If you have false nails, it is best to leave periods of time when you have bare nails. It is the same if you use nail varnish. Your nails need to breathe to keep healthy.

They ruin your real nails. Have them removed. You will be stuck forever wearing them. Even acrylic nail varnish damages the nails

The problem is there are three different types of nail enhancement - acrylic, gel and polygel. Acrylic are the most damaging, gel slightly less so and relative newcomer polygel least damaging. The other major factor is the nail technician/salon - and some of them are horrendous.
It took me a while to take the plunge. I used to have my nails manicured once a week with traditional nail polish, but I could only have them really short and they often split and chipped. Then the salon I used introduced acrylics, but they looked so false and the fashion for weird nail art didn't really appeal. Next I found a salon where they introduced gel nails - the gel was painted straight on to your natural nails to strengthen them, I could grow mine a little longer and I only had to go once a fortnight! Now I have polygel, again painted straight on to my natural nail, it's very light and now that I've retired I can have them longer . Just had my first pedicure of the summer at the salon - I do them myself in the winter - and feel like I'm walking on air!

My nails were ruined too, just from a salon acrylic gel polish. I'd never have it done again. The problem is when you want to paint your own nails for a special occasion, it's difficult to find one in the shops now that isn't gel.

Hello icanhandthemback!
I use a nail and cuticle oil made by OPI. Before I go to bed I put a tiny drop on each cuticle and gently massage it in, then put on hand cream - my daughters bought me a tube of L'Occitane for Christmas as a treat. I use Vaseline Intensive Care Aloe Soothe Body Lotion after every shower - it's not very expensive so I can afford to be generous .

You’ll never be able to show your own nails again ? they will be destroyed.

Had semipermanent varnish a few times for special occasions - but always let them grow out and have a rest.

I noticed that the beautician does not wear gel or acrylics herself, and as we get on well- I asked her why. She said that they are a huge source of poisoning the body and that it is very very unhealthy to wear them all the time because of the chemicals used that penetrate through the nail and nailbed. She refuses to soak the vernish off due to the strong chemicals, and very very carefully and gently, patiently, files it off. I asked her why she agreed to do it - and her reply was 'clients want it- and it is best I do it, using the best products and with the greatest care' than someone else in it just for the money. She encourages all clients to have a rest and let the nail breathe for a few weeks twice a year.

I had acrylic nails for about 5 years (previously badly bitten). I decided to have gel instead and yes they were thin and fragile but I persevered with the gel and I have love nails now.

I have very brittle nails that break easily but since I ve retired I ve been having gel nails done every few weeks which seems to have strengthened my nails quite a bit. I go to a reputable nail bar and the girls are great and always soak off my previous colour and massage my fingers with oil afterwards. I think it pays to go to a reputable place that takes care of its customers

I have always had long strong nails. I once tried acrylic some years ago when I had been decorating & broken a few- when they were taken off my nails were like tissue paper & took a long time to grow back.
I now have my own nails but I have SNS ( Supreme Nail System I think it stands for) on them & I have had it for more than 2 years- I get it done every 4-6 weeks. When they soak it off my own nails look OK- maybe a bit thinner than normal but fine.It never chips or cracks & they have love;y colours plus a good range of glitter polishes- which are my favourite. It's my indulgence!

I had to take my nails off to have an operation,it took me almost three years to get them back to normal,not to mention the cost.

I use gel nail polish....my granddaughter loves my nails, but I've got to be very careful when I carry and change my little grandbaby's nappy.

Hi - Try RescueRXx - It still takes ages for your nails to show improvement, but I do think it really helps

Try RescueRXx - its about the best thing I have used - but it does still take ages to show any improvement

Sorry managed to post the same info twice

I would never have acrylic nails after reading all of the nightmare stories.
My natural nails are grow well but are soft, flakey and split. I treated myself to a shellac polish manicure which looked great until the polish grew out and had to be removed by soaking in acetone so I didn't bother again, although it did seem to make my nails feel harder.
Trawling the web I found a product called Gellux recovery+basecoat. It needs an ultraviolet light source to cure it (I already had one but you can get them on ebay).
What I do is remove any polish, make sure nails are perfectly dry and apply a thin coat of Gellux, cure for 2 minutes under ultra violet lamp and then wipe off the sticky residue with nail varnish remover.
I then use an ordinary nail varnish and top coat as usual. I use nail varnish remover to take off old polish - the gel coat stays put - and re-apply new colour etc. It has made my nails really strong. Could be worth a try. www.justmylook.com › Nails › Gel Polish

I use a small bottle of tea tree oil specifically for nails from Holland and Barratt and it has been helpful for my nails after gel nails as it rehydrates them and gets rid of any white lines or spots which the gel seems to cause. Then I use Nail Envy for a few days which strengthens them.

Ruined my nails, took MONTHS for them to recover (still not brilliant) and would NEVER do again

I’ve had acrylics for about 10 years now... love, love, love them. I’ll worry about the consequences when I retire in 3 years time. I have had several breaks from them, surgeries etc. On a break at the moment, usually about 3 months, yes they are fragile, but there’s worse things to worry about. I do also believe it’s about the quality of the product and workmanship. I go to a fabulous salon, the girls are very food and conscientious about their work. Will definitely have them back on for the summer. ?‍♀️?

* good

Remover with acetone is used to remove Gel nails and this can be damaging. I used a strengthener on my finger nails which caused my nails to peel and flake. I later discovered it contained Formaldehyde. I am now using completely natural products from Cienna Rose and am happy with improvements.
Still have gel toe nails in summer, but give them a rest over the winter until time for sandals again.

I've never had good nails - they break and split at the slightest thing and over the years I've had acrylics, gels and stick ons. I've gone months without having anything and tried all the strengthening remedies but nothing works for me. I have all the equipment to gel them myself but even that didn't stay on so have gone back to having acrylic. My own nails grew under them so last week they were soaked off and overlays put on which are basically acrylics without the false tips. I've been out gardening today and my nails still look perfect.

I hate fake anything. I've never understood why a woman would want those hideous, long fake nails.

I agree quizqueen there are some awful designs and I hate the long stiletto look but my friend has hers done and they just look like well manicured nails.

Remover with acetone is used to remove Gel nails and this can be damaging. I used a strengthener on my finger nails which caused my nails to peel and flake. I later discovered it contained Formaldehyde. I am now using completely natural products from Cienna Rose and am happy with improvements.
Still have gel toe nails in summer, but give them a rest over the winter until time for sandals again.