Beauty

[Novemberbaby]

Sorry ladies..I have't done this in awhile. I have worn acrylics for several years & am considering removing them & going au natural. What are the best products to use to build up my sorry nails. I appreciate your feedback! Thank you!

[Rachb]

Up until 3 years ago, I wore acrylic for 10 years. I had them removed and went through about a month or so to really get them in shape. Now, my nails are very strong and grow like weeds. My first suggestion is to keep your nails short, just to the tips of your fingers. per my manicurist's suggestion, I applied 2 coats of Citra formula 2 strengthener. I love polish so I did 2 coats of Citra, 2 coats of polish, and 1 coat of top coat. You can add a coat of Citra every other day. I would take my polish off every 5 days and start over. Now, years later, I still use Citra 2 (1 coat) or Rejuvacote as a base. I really intended to take the acrylic off for a few weeks to give my nails a break. But, it was years ago, and I'm still sporting my natural nails. I will say, the maintenance and cost savings are worth it!

[Rachb]

I just realized it was 4 years ago, not 3!

[lulu2]

I used Nailtiques #2 and Barielle liquid protein.  Fortunately my girl always hand filed and never used a dremel on me so my nails were not all that bad.

[Reba055]

Nailtiques. 

[Q4u]

I had one lady hand file for a long time, then I went to another salon (new city) and the new lady used a dremel and oh man....  after years of having acrylics, the dremel was the reason I stopped wearing fake nails.  It burned and she tried everything to stop the discomfort except hand filing.  I couldn't take it and had them totally taken off.

It's taken years for my nails to look better and I still (after 15 + years) have one nail that when it gets to a certain length curls over my finger~!    I've used lotions, vitamins, supplements for nails and hair, just about anything you can think of and nothing made much of a difference (for me) except taking care of them (keeping them gently filed & trimmed) and letting them get over the trauma.....  

[juperier]

@Q4u Knowing what I've learned in the past couple of years, I would have run, not walked from that manicurist before she got to the second nail. There is not reason for you to feel burning when proper procedures are being followed.

I have absolutely no idea if this is a possibility or not, but I can't help wondering if the reason you still have problems with one nail is because she damaged the matrix of that nail past the point where it could recover over time.

[Q4u]

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@juperier wrote:

@Q4u Knowing what I've learned in the past couple of years, I would have run, not walked from that manicurist before she got to the second nail. There is not reason for you to feel burning when proper procedures are being followed.

I have absolutely no idea if this is a possibility or not, but I can't help wondering if the reason you still have problems with one nail is because she damaged the matrix of that nail past the point where it could recover over time.

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Thank you, your assumption is probably true....  and I'm glad I stopped when I did but I really had no choice as I knew it shouldn't hurt/burn.  I'm able to grow them somewhat, even the "bad" nail and keep them relatively short.  I gently file, use a moisturizer and a soft buffer and don't even use a clear polish on them and I'm satisfied with them....  but I have to admit, I did LOVE the acrylics and the French manicure I used to get.....  

[SurferWife]

I wore acrylic nails for 25 years until a little over 2 years ago. I didn't go au natural though; I switched to Calgel gel nails. Calgel is much more gentle and no more drilling and rough filing! Anyhoo...after getting my acrylics removed, I would use tea tree oil on my cuticles several times a day. It didn't happen overnight, but within 6 months, my old abused nails grew out and new healthy, strong nails grew in. I still like to put oil on my cuticles at bedtime just because it's nourishing. Be patient; with tender loving care your nails will grow out healthy. Now I just have fun with Calgel!

[tedEbear]

@Q4u---I was going to suggest maybe having that one nail gelled, it might straighten it out.  It seems everyone I know that does gel thier nails actually are stronger.---tedEbear