Sephora

Stores & Services
Find a Sephora

Happening at Sephora

View all

Services

From makeovers to personalized skincare consultations

Free Classes

Get inspired, play with products & learn new skills

cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
Post in Nailed It
|

Another insecure lady asking all of you beautiful people for advice. Broken, short, paper thin nails &layers peel and I’ve tried so much

Asking advice from all of you beautiful people. I have severe anxiety and when I go get a good set of nails etc I don’t touch them I admire them (instead of fidgeting with them)  and it makes me feel pretty. BUT haven’t had my nails done in 8 months because they are just brittle, thin, and a tiny layer on the nail will peel and then I have to cut them and I’m so sad!! i feel like I’m ugly I hide them in my sweatshirt pocket. I’ve tried so much and I want the confidence of longer normal nails to get done like so many others it always made me feel good and now it reminds me every time I look down or type or pick up something. I didn’t know it would effect me like this. it’s summer and I want them longer and stronger fast before I start doing them or a salon so that’s why I’m asking for help! Nothing I’ve tried is working! Pls tell me someone has tried something that worked or If they have had a similar problem! Thanks anyway babes Xx abi 

 

Healthy nails Show Me Your Nails 2.0 Spring Savings Event 2021 Shopping Advice Thread: What’s in Your Basket? 

Re: Another insecure lady asking all of you beautiful people for advice. Broken, short, paper thin nails &layers peel and I’ve tried

@abitofabi I totally agree with @RGbrown 's recommendation below about cuticle oil. 

 

The biggest nail savior I have found is Dior Abricot - It is a cuticle cream, but I slather it on my entire nails and leave it on overnight. It is pricey and hard to find - I buy it direct from Dior's site and their site is not user friendly.  The second best thing is Burt's Bees Lemon Cuticle Butter.  

 

I typically use a cuticle oil first and then slather on either Dior or Burt's Bees.

 

Good Luck!!!

Re: Another insecure lady asking all of you beautiful people for advice. Broken, short, paper thin nails &layers peel and I’ve tried

When I first took off my fakies, I used one of OPI nail strengtheners, especially OPI Nail Envy. It's not quite a nail polish, it's more like a glaze, but applied daily it protects the nails from further damage and it nurishes from underneath. Also, it wouldn't hurt to heel your nails from within.  I take a pretty good Hair, Skin & Nails vitamin, with collegen, tons of Biotin, (which, will not only help your nails grow faster but it will help harden them) since your nails are done material you can only really work on the nail that's coming from the cuticle, so you need to work on them from within with vitamins and supplements if you can.  Oh, I use Natrol brand Hair, Skin and Nail.  Good-luck!

Re: Another insecure lady asking all of you beautiful people for advice. Broken, short, paper thin nails &layers peel and I’ve tried

@abitofabi 

Two words: cuticle oil!

 

Nails are dead material, and while they do get a bit of moisture from the nail bed underneath, if your nails are brittle and peeling, they are likely too dry. 

 

I used to have a hard time getting my nails to grow as well, as they continually peeled and stayed so thin that they broke just from looking at them funny. And strengtheners didn't help either; in many cases, they can make your nails too brittle, leading to further breakage.

 

Cuticle oil can make a HUGE difference though; well moisturized nails are bendy and flexible, and are able to withstand more stress than dried out, brittle, peeling nails.

 

The caveat is that cuticle oil isn't an overnight fix; as I said before, nails are dead material, which means you can't repair any current damage. What it will do though is slow down any current peeling, to help keep it from spreading further, and your new growth will be in much better shape once it gets to your fingertips.

 

From what I've read, jojoba oil is the only oil that can penetrate the nail itself, and will make the biggest difference in the health of your nails. A blend is great for the surrounding skin, as the other oils provide other benefits there, but make sure that whatever you pick up has jojoba high on the ingredients list for maximum impact. Apply daily, as often as you can remember...aim for at least twice a day, but if you can apply more often, absolutely go for it! Rub it into the nail itself and the skin around it, and don't forget the underside of the tip if you have any length at all.

 

A few other tips:

🔹Water is the devil, for your nails at least. It works its way in between the layers, swelling them up and accelerating the peeling, and weakening them in general. If you can avoid it, do so whenever possible, and wear dish gloves for work/chores whenever you can't skip the h2o. Apply that cuticle oil asap after washing hands or otherwise getting them wet!

🔹Nail clippers can cause small fractures and splits, leading to more peeling. Files are a better way to take length off, and glass files in particular are said to be the gentlest version, helping to seal the layers together. 

🔹Keep them painted! Even if you aren't feeling up to color yet, a simple base coat + top coat can help provide a couple of extra layers of protection.

🔹Be mindful of what you do with your nails. This was one I had to work on a bit; I'm a klutz and broke them all the time by doing stupid things like bumping the doorframe or grabbing at something without paying close attention and hitting my hand on something I didn't realize was there. Use a knuckle to open a cabinet or the microwave instead of your fingertip, grab a spoon to open a soda can, use a box cutter to open a package instead of trying to pick off the tape with a nail, and so on and so forth. 

 

I was trying to keep this short and sweet, but failed miserably 😋 In any case, I *highly* recommend hopping over to YouTube and watching a video by SimplyNailogical titled "how to grow long nails fast"...my post is basically a synopsis of at least some of her info, but she goes into more detail, and probably has more tips that I've forgotten to mention. Watching that video was a turning point for me, and ditching the strengtheners and taking up a cuticle oil habit really turned my nails around! 💖

Re: Another insecure lady asking all of you beautiful people for advice. Broken, short, paper thin nails &layers peel and I’ve tried

@RGbrown I'm really hard on my nails, too!  The two things that are the roughest on my nails are typing and hand sanitizer 😞

Re: Another insecure lady asking all of you beautiful people for advice. Broken, short, paper thin nails &layers peel and I’ve tried

@RGbrown Do you have any recs for a good glass nail file?

 

While double-checking the ingredients in my CND Solar Oil (which I haven't used in ages!) I saw they now have a pen version.  Maybe this will help me apply it more often.  

Re: Another insecure lady asking all of you beautiful people for advice. Broken, short, paper thin nails &layers peel and I’ve tried

@greeneyedgirl107 

Mont Bleu and Germanikure are the top two brands I hear recommended most often; they are both reputable brands that have been making quality files for years. Personally, I've got the Nail Tek one from Ulta and have been happy with it.

 

I *love* having my oil in a pen; while I've got a dropper bottle and a brush bottle and a rollerball hanging around as well, the pens are by far my fave!

Re: Another insecure lady asking all of you beautiful people for advice. Broken, short, paper thin nails &layers peel and I’ve tried

@RGbrown Thanks for the recs!  I will likely start with the Nail Tek since it's at Ulta 🙂  I will keep the others on my radar.

Re: Another insecure lady asking all of you beautiful people for advice. Broken, short, paper thin nails &layers peel and I’ve tried

@greeneyedgirl107 

That's exactly why I got that one too 😅 Ulta didn't have OPI's when I bought mine, but they do now and it seems to have good reviews as well!

Re: Another insecure lady asking all of you beautiful people for advice. Broken, short, paper thin nails &layers peel and I’ve tried

@abitofabi  I know exactly how you feel. I took a job where I was not allowed any nail enhancements at all and it was really hard for me. My nails are always so brittle and short. I ended up trying the dior cuticle cream and it has done wonders on my nails. I actually have to cut them to shorten them.  I suggest trying any cuticle cream or oil I do it before bed. I keep it on my nightstand 

Re: Another insecure lady asking all of you beautiful people for advice. Broken, short, paper thin nails &layers peel and I’ve tried

@abitofabi  Have you tried the Nailtiques or Nail Tek Strengtheners? I don't think they are intended for long term use, but it helps get my nails back in shape if my nails are particularly weak and peeling. I think I usually use Nailtiques 2 Plus.

Conversation Stats
  • 10 replies
  • 3734 views
  • 29 Hearts Given
  • 7 Contributors
testing