Just living your daily life is enough to wreak havoc on your fingernails. You can easily damage a manicure on cabinet drawers, car doors, and even just by shampooing your hair. Since you cannot wear work gloves throughout each day, you need to know some tricks for helping your nails look their best. One such method is keeping nail repair gel on hand for emergency use as you break or tear a fingernail. Being prepared is half the battle.
Keeping your nails filed as they grow can certainly help prevent breaks. But this is not foolproof. So below, we examine nail breaks, repair gel, and how using this gel compares to other nail repair methods.
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Why Do Nails Break?
Nails generally break when weakness and external forces combine. This weakness usually starts with repeated wetting and drying, such as from frequent handwashing. Winter is the most common time for breaking and tearing nails due to low humidity and dry weather of the season.
Nails also break or tear because of the harsh chemicals to which we expose them daily. These chemicals can cause micro-cracks that weaken the nail surface. Whenever using detergents or cleaning fluids, you should wear rubber gloves. Gloves are essential when cleaning the house or scrubbing dishes, too. Another type of chemical product that damages nails is nail polish remover.
Nail trauma also causes damage like cracking, peeling, and breaking. Applying false nails, nail polish, or acrylics is one of the most damaging activities for fingernails. You should never pick at nail polish or peel it away, as this causes damage and weakens nails, too.
The American Osteopathic College of Dermatology reports that internal factors like vitamin deficiencies or health problems rarely cause dry, splitting, or brittle nails. More frequent causes are external forces like those explained above, as well as general wear and tear.
Is Nail Repair Gel effective for Torn Nails?
If you crack or tear a nail, you can turn to some everyday household items to hold the nail together for a short period. Some people use adhesive bandages, double-sided tape, or fashion tape for a quick fix. These hold the nail in place, as long as you do not expose it to a more external force. You also have to keep the tape or bandage dry. Obviously, that is not practical beyond a few hours of wear.
Nail repair gel instantly repairs a nail crack or tear. It adds a layer of clear protection for the nail crack. A good gel also boosts the speed of nail recovery and prevents additional injury while fighting bacteria. This gel is different than tape or a bandage, which forms a breeding ground for bacterial infection while making use of the damaged finger more difficult.
Can I use Repair Gel with my Nail Polish?
Most nail gels used to repair torn or cracked nails work fine with nail polish and other nail decoration. You simply apply the repair gel and ensure it is thoroughly dry before applying nail polish or other decoration. Also, ensure you fully cover cracks with the repair gel before moving onto the rest of your manicure process.
Does Repair Gel work Better than Silk Wraps?
When a manicurist applies a silk nail wrap, they trim the wrap to custom fit your nail crack. This trimming takes time and effort while costing more than a repair gel. You can apply repair gel whenever and wherever you need it, as opposed to having to go to a salon or take the time to apply a silk wrap, yourself. You can fix any size crack in your nail, using one layer for slight damage or multiple layers for more extensive cracks. With a repair gel, you only need to ensure the gel dries entirely and fully covers the break before going on with your day.
Benefits of Nail Crack Repair Gel
Repair gel for nails instantly and flawlessly fixes nail cracks or breaks. Other benefits of this gel include:
- Strengthens nails
- Provides a clear protective layer
- Encourages faster recovery
- Prevents further injury
- Prevents bacterial infections
- Easy to apply
- Requires no special skills or tools
- Lasts long, for up to 45 days
- Does not harm nails
- Works well under nail polish
Keep a bottle of repair gel on hand to repair nail damage as it happens and on-the-go, wherever you are!