Make your clients nail-happy with simple and easy techniques for repairing broken or chipped nails
You may be an excellent manicurist giving your clients the best and the latest manicures from your kit. But if your arsenal does not have a few ways to fix broken, cracked or flat nails, then your mastery as a nail technician is lacking. StyleSpeak brings some easy and quick fixes for nail emergencies that can give you that missing competitive edge.
Peek into a nail technician’s magic box
Fixing broken, chipped or cracked nails is an art that every nail technician should master. The manicurist’s kit should be well equipped with tools and products to fix all kinds of nails, from broken to split and damaged. Here are a few must-haves in your magic box:
- Nail glue or brush-on resin – It is a super thick glue that dries up very fast once applied.
- Silk wraps or adhesive fiberglass – These are adhesive tapes used to patch the nail up.
- Glue dry – Nail glue dries up pretty fast, within 5-10 minutes, but a glue dry hastens the process further, taking only 5 seconds.
- Files – As a nail technician, you might already have a wide variety of files, but you need to have files of different grits, including 180, 240, 400 for nail repairing. These will allow you to file down the cracks and splits super-fast.
- Nail block buffer – This helps in buffing the applied wrap till it is smooth and ready for a coat of polish.
Nail Repairing Techniques
Now that you have amped up your nail box with all these tools, you can take on any type of nail repairing. Here are a few tricks of the trade for seamless fixes that can turn a broken nail into a beautiful one.
- Natural Nail Repair
For those clients whose natural nails are chipped or broken, it is first necessary to assess the damage. If the damage is close to the free edge, it is best to file down the other nails to the same length. Once you know what the damage is, buff the nail using a nail file so that the nail is roughened up. This helps to stick the fibreglass and silk patch better. Spray the nail with rubbing alcohol to remove all the nail dust caused due to the filing.
Now apply a piece of silk wrap or fiberglass over the cracked part of the nail without touching the skin. Many of the wraps have adhesive to ensure the repair is accurate. Soak the piece of fiberglass or silk wrap with nail glue and dry it quickly with a nail dry. Once the nail is dry, use a block buffer to smoothen out the repaired area but don’t over buff as it will wear off the fiberglass patch. Lastly, beautify the new nail with a topcoat.
- Gel Nail Repair
If you find your client rushing back to you after having done a beautiful gel nail manicure, fret not! It is the easiest to fix a tear on the edge of gel nails. All you have to do is file the top layer of the last gel fill close to the tear. Be careful not to file the natural nail. Now prime the nail, apply a small amount of clear gel along the tear, and finish it off with a topcoat of gel polish.
- Acrylic Nail Repair
Most of you might be surprised to hear that acrylic nails can be fixed. Yes, it is absolutely possible to repair these beautifully manicured nails. In fact, repairs are much easier than soaking off the nail and doing the entire process. They can also save the client’s natural nail. - If the nail crack is low with the natural nail also affected. Just gently peel off the acrylic. Thereafter, clean the crack with disinfectant and then apply a thin layer of acrylic over it.
- If the acrylic is cracked, but the natural nail is intact, it is best to take off the acrylic around the crack. File the remaining part of the nail. Now ready the exposed nail, fill in the area and cut the nail to the point of the crack. Place a foam below it and extend it again. This requires skill and patience.
- If the acrylic nail is broken or cracked below the free edge of the nail and has affected the natural nail also, remove the product. Apply a new nail altogether.
Important: If there are any signs of nail infection or bleeding, do not repair the nail and instead suggest medical treatment.
Having a broken or chipped nail after a luxurious and expensive manicure can be any client’s nightmare. But with these easy-to-do nail repairing techniques, you can fix any nail within no time and have nail-happy clients!
