Need Help Following Salon Disaster!

[LoriCrosby]

 

I’m so upset with myself over this. I’ve always had long and strong natural nails. My job is very hands-on; I’m a truck driver and a master dog trainer (it’s beyond obedience and I mainly do search and rescue). I kept getting cracks so I went to a random salon to get acrylics put over them thinking it would preserve them. Not my brightest moment. 

When I went back to have them removed it was terribly painful and she used another loose nail to pry them off. Following that, I left and didn’t return. My nails were mangled and missing layers, had cracks down the center, and were peeling. 

It’s been over a YEAR. The nails that suffered the most damage continue to break and aren’t as strong anymore. It’s like there’s a permanent crack in the center of them. 

I’ve tried everything. I take collagen and peptides daily, I even researched it first and bought the brand that was best rated (Live Conscious). I got some cuticle oils and other things that claimed to help but didn’t. 

Any product recommendations would be greatly appreciated! I’m including a picture of my nails with an old bad polish job on them. The middle finger is the worst because it peels and the index is second worst with the split in the center; same deal on the other hand. 😭🤧

PS: If you can recommend a nice minty green polish, I’d be forever grateful. I didn’t want to be annoying and make two posts. 

Thank you so much! 🫶🏼

[RGbrown]

@LoriCrosby 

Ugh, I hate it when supposed professionals don't do their job properly 🤬 I am so sorry that you've been dealing with the aftershocks of a hack job on your nails.

I'm going to direct you to another post in case you haven't seen it; I've got a longer spiel there about basic nail care, and there are other great posts in it as well with more info/tips etc. The highlights are: jojoba oil, avoid water, and more jojoba oil 😅

https://community.sephora.com/t5/Nailed-It/Nail-and-Hand-Care/td-p/6516938

Nails take 4-6 months to grow from cuticle to tip, so you've got some time to go before they get back to healthy, but I truly think that if you go nuts with oiling and do your best to be gentler on your nails during that time, they'll be better than ever before too terribly long.

Supplements...I know there are lots of schools of thought on them, but if you aren't deficient to begin with, they just aren't going to do much (if anything) for you. I'd recommend some blood work from your doc before going down that road blindly. 

[JoSometimes]

Oh no @LoriCrosby! That definitely sucks… I’m sorry you had a horrible experience with the nail tech. I’m surprised they used another nail to pry it off. It sounds like the acetone did fully breakdown the last manicure but they forced their way through anyway…

Is there any pain or discharge coming from the cracked nails? Or unusual growth aside from the crack? I’m wondering if maybe there’s an underlying issue preventing the nail from growing back properly. Have you spoken with a doctor about it?

As for minty green, I was at a nail supply shop a few days ago. OPI has a huge range of colours and should have a minty green. I think Essie also has one if you’d rather try to search through drugstore options. 

[LoriCrosby]

So sorry it took me this long to reply. They need to fix the Sephora app so bad. I finally realized I can only reply if I log out and back in and reply fast. 😂 

First, I’ve had strong fast growing nails my whole life and didn’t have issues until this salon disaster. I didn’t go to the doctor. I’m self-employed and would be homeless if I paid the $780 a month they want for insurance. Lol. 

I did buy some base coat stuff here yesterday when the lavender Nars blush dropped ( NARS Afterglow Liquid Blush Wanderlust ) . Was that the day before? I haven’t slept. The 15th, it shipped that’s what matters

I also got myself some cuticle oil AND found minty polish plus some greens/blues from Flip - my new addiction. I saved over $300 and went absolutely wild on the /kit•sch/ clearance plus saved another 40% on top. So I thought it was ok to buy fancy polish for myself. 

there’s no pain or discharge but there was pain for ~3 months following the incident. My friend who’s one of those famous nail artists said they used something illegal but I’ve since then forgotten what it even was. I didn’t know that existed. 

I got the #NAILS INC. NAILKALE - Illuminator Illuminator 

Here’s the stuff I got from Flip in pics! 

 Nail stuff 

 
do you have any recommendations on products I should try/buy? Thanks so much! 🙏 

[JoSometimes]

@LoriCrosby Yeah, the app is a pain. I stopped using it and switched to just logging in through my web browser. I am still fairly new to the manicure world, so I’m gonna have to refer you to @RGbrown‘s knowledge above. I did notice you’ve got a few Nails Inc. products. I have their superfoods base coat and it’s been helpful so far underneath the rest of my polish. I really hope you’re able to find relief soon.