Have you ever been pissed off by a broken nail? Especially you’re carefully trying to grow them out. Split nails not only ruin your perfect nail design, but also lead to infection if it breaks from the nail bed and causes bleeding. In this case, you need to seek help from a doctor. If it breaks from the free edge, you can repair it by yourself at home.
How to fix a broken nail at home?
Here are 5 efficient ways suggested by professional manicurists.
- FILE OR CUT DOWN YOUR NAILS
The simplest and permanent way to fix a broken nail is to file down to the level of the break and wait another 2 weeks to let it grow out. The average growth rate of your nails is around 3.47mm per month.
- USE NAIL GLUE TO MEND IT
Trim all the 10 nails down and start again? That can be extremely frustrating since you’ve tried to grow them out for a long time. Mend the broken one with nail glue can be a perfect choice.
Lightly buff the broken part and apply a thin layer of nail glue to hold the nail together. Wait for the glue dried, then cover the whole nail with 1 or 2 coats of clear polish will make it strong.
This method works well for a small breakage. If your nail breaks seriously, use the following 3 methods.
- APPLY FALSE NAIL TIPS
Apply a false nail tip to your split nail can help you keep the desirable length and it’s a good way to make your nail strong. Apply some color gel polish over it can easily make the breakage disappear.
- APPLY POLYGEL TO STRENGTHEN IT
Gel polish and polygel are not only to make your nails looks pretty, but also used to strengthen your nails and protect them. You can make a polygel overlay to mend your split nail or you can cut if off and make a nail extension with it to match the length of other fingers.
Polygel will be harder than a false nail tip, which means better protection. You can choose either method that you are familiar with.
- USE TEA BAG TO FIX IT
Fix nail with tea bags? It may sounds a little bit ridiculous, however, this method is definitely the most popular broken-nail hack on the Internet. While many manicurists stated that this is a wise choice of nail repair at home.
Cut a small piece of the tea bag that fits the entire nail. Apply some nail glue or a clear nail polish on your nail, and put the tea bag fragment over the glue or polish when it is still wet. Then apply another layer of glue or polish after the first layer dried.
The only disadvantage of this method is that you need to add more layers every 2-3 days to make sure the tea bag stays strong and durable before your natural nail grows out.
Tips:
In order to prevent infecting, don’t forget to disinfect your split nail with alcohol and wait until it drys before applying any type of adhesive to it.
How to prevent a future breakage?
The best cure for a broken nail is prevention. There are 3 tips for you to prevent breakage in your daily life.
- KEEP YOUR NAILS SHORT AND IN ROUNDED SHAPE
No matter your nails are strong or weak, long nails are always easier to break than shorter nails. Therefore, keep your nails short is a basic way to prevent breakage.
Moreover, the shape of your nails is another key factor leads to nail breakage. Square nails have more tendency than round nails to catch on things and break. So choose round or oval shape if your nails are thin and weak.
- USE CUTICLE OIL AND HAND CREAM TO MAKE YOUR NAILS STAY MOISTURIZED
Just like the skin, staying moisturized is also important to cuticles and nails. Use some cuticle oil and hand cream daily can help your nail beds keep hydrated and healthy. The healthier your nails, the fewer chances they get split.
- GIVE YOUR NAILS A BREAK EVERY MONTH FROM GEL POLISH, POLYGEL AND OTHER NAIL ART PRODUCTS
A clear base of gel polish or hard gel can strengthen your nails. However, continuously manicure with gel polish, polygel or acrylic can cause damage to your natural nails more or less. Because the file process will take off a layer of your natural nails. Thus, give your nails a break every month to recover or grow out is necessary to stay healthy.
Follow the 5 efficient ways above to repair your broken nails easily at home. And take a good care of your nails to make it strong.
Get more nail care tips from this blog: How to Take Care of Your Nails at Home? 10 Tips for Healthy & Strong Nails
