One
of the most frustrating things that can happen to long natural nails is to
crack one way down low into the nail bed. Ouch! What do you do? It’s too low to
just cut it off and it hurts! Fortunately there is an easy way to repair a
cracked nail at home. Here’s how.
What you will need:
Hand soap
Nail glue
A tea bag, fiberglass strip or tissue paper (gift wrap tissue paper, not a
facial or toilet tissue paper)
Sharp scissors (embroidery scissors are best)
Nail file
3 way nail buffer
A plastic sandwich bag (the thinnest, cheapest bags work best. Not a zippered
bag, the cheap fold over bags)
Glue drying spray or brush on activator (optional)
Step 1: Wash and dry your hands thoroughly. if
you have nail polish on your cracked nail, remove the nail polish first and
then wash and dry your hands. Your nails must be clean and free of all oils and
lotions before you begin or your patch will not last
Step
2: Use the 3 way nail buffer to remove the shine from the surface of the
cracked nail.
Step
3: Apply a dab of nail glue to the crack and then carefully and very gently
wiggle the nail so that the glue flows into the crack. Wiggle the nail 1 or 2
times, and then hold the nail firmly in place for 1 minute allowing the glue to
dry.
Step
4: Apply a thin coat of glue to the nail covering the crack and the surrounding
area, about 1/8 inches on either side of the crack.
Step
5: While the glue is still wet place your patch material over the crack. Your patch
material should be pre-cut into a strip that will cover the entire crack but not
all of the glued area. You want the base glue to come out further than the
patch material.
The
best patch material is a fiberglass strip purchased from a beauty supply store.
The second best patch material is a tea bag. Cut the tea bag open and remove
all the tea. Cut a strip of fabric the desired length and width. The cheapest
patch material is a piece of tissue paper. Use white tissue paper and you will
need at least 2 strips cut to size. The first strip should be a little smaller
than the second strip.
Press
your patch material into the glue using the plastic sandwich bag. Placing the
sandwich bag over the patch and pressing the patch material firmly down on the
nail. The plastic will not stick to the glue but will allow you to firmly press
all the edges of the patch material to the nail. Remove the plastic sandwich
bag. If you are repairing more than one nail, use a clean section of the
plastic bag for each patch. Dried glue on the plastic bag will stick to your
patch glue if you attempt to reuse the same spot on the sandwich bag.
If
you are using tissue paper to patch the crack, apply a second coat of glue and
tissue paper and let dry.
Step
6: Apply another coat of glue and let dry or spray with a glue dryer or
activator if you have one.
Step
7: File and shape the nail, smoothing the edges if any of the patch has left a
rough edge. Lightly buff the surface with the 3 way buffer to finish.
When
you want to remove the patch, wrap a cotton ball soaked in acetone with foil
around the nail for 5 minutes. The patch will slide off.
If
you want the patch to last for several weeks, quickly wipe polish off with
polish remover, do not soak the patch with polish remover. Buff the patch with
a 3 way buffer and apply additional nail glue. Allow glue to dry before
reapplying polish.
If
you take care of your glue patch it will last until you remove it.
The
following is a video that shows how to use a purchased nail repair kit. I
included the link because the technique is well demonstrated even though some
of the products used are different than what I recommended.
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