Hi La(c)queristas fam,
Looking for a HEAVY and serious ridge filler for deep, DEEP horizontal lines. I've had a habit tic deformity since I was a child and there's no hope yet. Please recommend me a thick self-leveling solution. I have ordered the Seche gel effect too coat but is there something better?
FYI: this is from abusing my cuticles.
by bingobongo2000
11 Comments
Complete product list: nail polish remover
KBshimmers ridge filler is quite thick so hopefully that one can help 🙏
Assuming you can’t significantly file those ridges down because this is a health issue and you’d wear down the nail plate too much, nothing will fill them perfectly that isn’t acrylic or gels (aka a salon trip).
If you try to load up on standard ridge-fill lacquers, they won’t cure properly because of being laid on too thick in one sitting or will be an onerous multi-day process of application, drying, and curing (all polishes need 12-24 hours to truly cure or “set”) to make the nails truly smooth.
Hello! A couple weeks ago someone asked about ridge filler and I gave a [brief overview of the dozen or so I have tried](https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/comments/1ok8seu/comment/nmbuopg/?context=3). I have some very ridged nails, although mine are vertical, not horizontal – but I would think most ridge fillers would work the same way for either direction.
Since I made that post I’ve also tried the Barielle Hydrating ridge filler, which does not work as well as the ones I mentioned as my favorites, but does have the advantage of drying faster than the others.
To sum up my previous comment, my favorites are Glisten & Glow ridge filler, Cuticula Mic Drop, and LynB Designs B-Smooth. G&G and Cuticula both contain Polyvinyl Butyral, which can cause peeling of the nails in some people. I’ve never had trouble with it, but I have switched to LynB since hers doesn’t contain it, just to be safe. However, in terms of absolute effectiveness, G&G works best on my nails, and I do think that of my three faves, Cuticula dries the fastest.
As for the most important part – it’s gonna take more than one coat. There aren’t any ridge fillers on the market that can fill deep ridges like you & I have in a single coat. I’ll be honest: most of the time I do three coats of ridge filler, especially when doing a finish that’s going to show imperfections like a magnetic in a jelly base. But sometimes I just don’t have that much time to wait around for my ridge filler to dry, which is why I think I’m going to keep Barielle in rotation. It dries significantly faster, and if I have a more forgiving polish finish (say something with glitter, or a thick crème) I can probably get away with two coats of ridge filler.
I guess what I’m saying is that there’s not necessarily one holy grail, and it’s useful to have different products for different uses.
I love Vibrant Scents Double Bond for deep horizontal ridges I get from time to time. It has PVB so if you have issues with nails peeling it might not be the best choice.
This one by Sally Hansen is pretty thick, and you can find it at CVS if you’re looking for something today. It dries kind of matte though, so it doesn’t look good without polish over it. No PVB in it. https://www.cvs.com/shop/sally-hansen-repair-rescue-insta-smooth-ridge-filler-nail-treatment-prodid-474606
I think you’re on the right track because I was going to suggest something like seche vive (which is what you ordered I think). I can really pile on seche vive and it self-levels and dries hard and smooth regardless of the thickness of the coat. maybe even try doing a thick coat and holding the nail upside down while it dries!
Glisten and glow glitter grabber is technically more of a top coat but I think it might work well for this purpose
I have this same issue and I use static nails. Not perfect, but does help.
Just piping in to say my nails started looking like this when I was first diagnosed with hypothyroidism – before I started on Synthroid. Just checking in with you OP that you might want to make sure your thyroid is ok and if you already know the reason for this, no worries! Not trying to pry, just leaving this comment here in case it’s helpful. 🙏🏽
Well shit, I have this and never knew what it was called. Thank you, and I mean that truly. Always weird to find out that one of your quirks has a wikipedia page! I’ve got four ways that I deal with it, none of which are perfect but work well enough. I mean, I used to attack my nails until the nail plate looked like a damn rollercoaster, but these days they’re only slightly humped. Progress!
1. KBShimmer’s ridge filler does a pretty good job, though I’ll still choose polishes that help camouflage it more (flakies and packed holos are ideal). The ridge filler, three coats of polish, and a top coat generally hide things well enough. And I push my polish *right* to the base of the nail to get the gap between polish and cuticle as small as possible so I can’t get a fingernail in there for a bit.
2. Zoya’s Pixie Dust textured polishes are great as they hide the ridges and the roughness of the polish gives my fingers something else to fiddle with.
3. Fidget ring. Along the same lines as the Pixie Dust – if my thumb and index finger have something else to do, it’s harder for them to go cuticle pillaging.
4. I’ve also had some luck gluing a jewel or charm to the base of the nails (over polish). Can’t touch the cuticles if you can’t get to them. This is probably the least reliable method I’ve tried so far, but I’m still trying to figure out the process.
Good luck and I’m sorry you’re going through this, I know it’s maddening.