I’ve recently switched from structure gel to acrylic with a lacquer top due to developing a gel allergy. It’s been a long and miserable journey. Every time I go to the salon it’s a huge ordeal that I ask for regular polish and I have to defend myself. Last time the woman sat across from me with her arms crossed and kept telling me it was going to chip. She even brought over the manager to try and convince me to get gel. They looked at me like they didn’t believe I had an allergy even though I had the bumps to prove it. Because of this I don’t even want to go back to the salon, but don’t want to lose my long strong nails.
I’m hesitant to step away from any sort of overlay because I’m rough on my hands and love the length. But I don’t want to dread my appointment once a month.
I’ve also been using nail toppers from Ilnp (this is velveteen over top of the salon’s black lacquer). And I don’t know if they just don’t believe they’re not gel because they’re cat eye?
I see everyone in this subreddit with long beautiful nails but can’t figure out how they get that way. Are they natural? Or does anyone else do extensions or acrylic overlay at home or in salon?
by Platform_croc
17 Comments
Product list: inlp velveteen
A good cuticle oil will help keep your nails healthy. Also, I use a nail strengthening polish called Rocket Fuel. It works great! I know some other women use other strengthening products. I will say, I slammed my nail off a doorway the other day and said, “yup. That nail is a goner for sure” because of how bad it hurt. The nail didn’t break at all! I was shocked! I don’t know if this information will help you or not. Hope it does!
There are many subscribers who have long natural nails, but I know there are some who use gel extensions/acrylics/etc.
If you can’t find a different salon, maybe you can do your own overlays at home? Lisa from Cosmetic Sanctuary had a really great post on how she does her own at home: https://www.cosmeticsanctuary.com/my-experience-using-kiara-sky-gelly-tips-for-the-first-time/amp/
For context here is a photo of my nails when they are the ideal lenght for me. These are my natural nails polished with regular air dry polish. I do my nails 1-3 times a week, they don’t really chip I just get bored of the current look. My nails are always painted. It took me about a year to be able to even grow free edge from my nail, since my nails are naturally very bendy and got broken very easily. It’ll most likely take time for your nails to heal after having done gel etc. for a long time. But here is my routine, I do this every time I polish my nails.
-clean them with nail polish remover (100% acetone is better but I don’t have access to that.)
-add nail oil, i use just 100% jojoba oil that I have put in an empty essie nail oil bottle.
-file if necessary, its important to have a good very fine file. I have Holo Taco’s glass nail file. A good file helps a lot with ends splitting
-Push cuticles back every time with a wooden orange stick (while nails are oiled up).
-clean off the oil with nail polish remover
-add a base coat (usually Essies here to stay base coat or to the rescue basecoat)
-2-3 coats of color
-top coat, (Essies Gel setter for me.)
Then I also add nail oil at least every night before bed to the underside of my nails and cuticles. I try to do this during the day also.
Polish on the photo is Holo Taco’s Brick wall.
https://preview.redd.it/1un2zf4ihpuf1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6ebfc10c01f9b92d4d7a3b0c860d026507e16913
Maybe one solution would be having the salon do your base, and then just painting them yourself at home afterwards? Not ideal when you’re treating yourself to a mani in the first place, but I imagine it would help with the salon’s judgement/allergy ignorance.
I do my own dip powder (which is just a different application of acrylic) at home and top it with regular polish. It never chips, so they’re wrong there (polish chips on my natural nails in 2 days usually, so the acrylic surface really helps for retention). Idk if putty/gel acrylic has a non gel top coat, but dip powders do.
SimplyNailogical has a great how-to YouTube video on caring for natural nails. I’d start there, along with the advice others have already given you.
I’ll also reiterate: nail oil is key. You want jojoba oil on unpainted nails for at least a week. Apply it, let it absorb, and reapply frequently until it starts feeling oily. My guess based on your pictures is it’ll take at least 1-3 days to hydrate your nails well. Most people’s nails/cuticles are severely dehydrated.
You need to find a different salon. There is definitely a trend in salons to push for gel for everyone, but you can find ones that don’t follow this. Those ones still have a wall of regular air-dry polish (mainly OPI) along the walls.
You’ve got some good advice from others about routine if you stop with the overlays. I would add in that a daily collagen supplement can make a world of difference to your natural nails. It takes about three months of daily intake before you really see the results, but you will have stronger nails that will allow you to grow them out and have a nice free edge.
I think you should just try growing out your nails. You’ll adjust to using them properly and live by the mantra your nails are jewels not tools
I’ve done plenty of jobs and things where I could destroy my nails but as long as you keep up with regular polish changes and using good base and top coats, you’ll learn to shape your nails. You’re wasting a lot of money going to a salon and acrylics are so bad for your nails. You’ll likely have to go short for a while as you grow out the damage. But buying polish is so much cheaper than going to a salon
Either start doing them yourself or find a better salon, you should try and find someone with a private studio who ONLY works on natural nails, or they only use products like builder gel or apres x. People who do acrylic will not have your best interest for nail health in mind imo. It will be more expensive going to this type of tech, but they’ll be the only ones to listen and make your nails strong
I also have a gel allergy and for many years got fake nails (dip powder, and during the pandemic did my own gel x nails). A lot of the long nails you’ll see in this sub are natural. I also didn’t believe it was possible to keep them long but after using regular polish for a couple of years it got easier over time as my nails got stronger.
Here’s some of my tips 🙂
– good cuticle oil – I really like the burts bees cuticle balm! Keeping your nails moisturized helps them to bend and not be as brittle, so they won’t break as easily!
– keeping on top of nail care – I find if I don’t trim/file my nails frequently and stay on top of painting them, they break more easily. The nail polish protects them and keeping them at a manageable length also helps keep them strong and comfortable.
– good top coat – I love Essie gel setter, it’s thick and makes my nails look fake! I feel like it gets me close to that gel look. I’ve also had literal salons think I was lying about having used regular polish when I used that top coat and had charms encapsulated in there lol!
It’s not going to be as strong as acrylics, but I use ASP “Artificial In a flash” basecoat and it makes my natural nails HARD (for natural nails!) They grow beautifully and haven’t broken since I’ve started wearing that base coat and my nails used to break all the time lol
I use collagen protein and biotin supplements to grow my natural nails, and they are strong. I take them in the form of sugarbear gummy vitamins. It helps my hair, skin, joints and nails. I know everyone has nail product recommendations, but I thought I would mention the vitamin route as another option.
I was having a hard time keeping my nails long as i work with my hands and have lots of hobbies and crafts that can be rough on my hands. A friend reccomended ion nails nail strengthener/hardener and I haven’t had issues since! My holy grail is this combo- nail hardener, essie strong start base coat, color of choice and sally hansen quick dry top coat in the red bottle. Healthy natural nails is possible. And without the 3rd degree judgment from the salon! Gee whiz! That encounter alone would stop me from ever going back! How a business would treat a paying customer like that is beyond me…
https://preview.redd.it/9cwe8szpkquf1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=417c3c2d2e94c285ac0d9d77e23cb4c6d5ebe4c9
These are my natural nail lengths from August to October. I’ve grown them out by applying a few coats of nude dip powder. I then paint over them with any nail polish I want! If I just leave my nails bare without dip powder, my nails are too brittle and will break at this length. So my nails aren’t strong on their own but I don’t think they’ll ever get there due to genetics. The only way I can keep my nails longer is with dip powder protecting them, otherwise I have to keep them short and apply longer fake tips. This method I do isn’t perfect but it works for me!
I also have an allergy, I’ve used press-on nails for 3 or 4 years now. Usually clear ones which I paint and decorate with regular polish. They last me 4-14 days. Regular nail polish does not chip on press on nails.
They are trying to talk you into gel because it makes them more money and they can send you out the door sooner. I always take in my own polish and they never argue with me over it.
Nail oil like everyone here is saying but also maybe a hair and nail vitamin if you want to give that a try. I’m on a daily women’s vitamin with biotin and have found that the strength of my nails has increased by a lot since I started taking them at the start of the year. The other thing is to file down your nails with a glass file as opposed to an emery board.
One of the ways i’ve justified my expensive Indie polish addiction is by doing my own nails. It truly isn’t that hard. From the look, i’m assuming you have tips on. You may have a transition period because they ate my natural nails alive. But I gave them up all together, for a variety of reasons. Back then there was a great nail strengthening base that had fibers in it. I have no clue.If the product is still on the market or not, but that really helped mine regain their natural strength. Now I just use a ridge filler as my nails have ridges, and I like a nice, smooth palette.
Anyway food for thought. For me, it’s been a great way to justify the expensive pretty polishes I love so much. Unlike everything, the more you do it, the better you get at it. Personally, I think my collection is a gazillion times prettier than any i’ve seen in a salon. Last time I had my nails done ( was given a gift certificate) it was nice having someone reshape them a little bit to my instructions. But I had a really hard time.Choosing a color, since all of them were so incredibly boring.In comparison to my prettys!!