Removed your Acrylic Nails? How to Care for Your Now Weaker Nails
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Posted: Wednesday, September 03, 2008
by Overallbeauty
Overall Beauty
Have you been wearing acrylic nails for a while and have decided it’s time to go back to your natural nails? We have all removed our acrylic nails for a variety of reasons, some do it for the cost, others because they want to give their natural nails a breather or just because they want to have their own natural nails again..
After you have decided to get your acrylic nails removed, there are two different techniques that can be used. You nail tech will help you with the removal process. It should take about 30 minutes to do so. The first technique that could be used it soaking off your acrylic nails in an ace-tone based mixture. The second technique would be your nail tech would use a electric drill. This technique your sculptured nail is gradually sanded off down to almost to your natural nail. A fine buffer is used to smooth the surface. The thin layer of remaining acrylic can protect your natural nail as it growing out. Your nail tech may use one or other or a combination of both techniques depending on what she feels is best for your nails.
Your nails are going to be really weak and may be hard for you to deal with the first few weeks as they are growing back out. As your nails are growing out they are going to be a bit paper thin they may split or peel as they are growing out. This is natural for your nails to do so, so expect it. Getting a manicure once a week may help you deal with your weaken nails. You can also rub into the base of your nails at night olive oil, or cuticle oil to help strengthens the base. It also helps simulate growth.
Understand that your nails grow about 1/8 of a inch a month and even though it doesn't seem like much it really shows after a month or so how your nails are growing back out. Your nails grow faster in the summer time and at different periods in your life so if they seem to be growing faster than 1/8 inch a month be happy for it.
You may want to use a nail strengthener as well. This nail care product helps prevent more splitting by strengthening the base of your nails. There are some products that you apply before you apply your base coat and others that you apply everyday whether or not you are wearing nail polish. Be sure to read the ingredients of your nail strengthener and avoid any that may contain formaldehyde which is very drying and may make your nails even more brittle. Be careful as formaldehyde may be listed as toluene, toluene sulphonamide or toluenesulphonic acid.
While your nails are growing out, you want to wear light colored nail polish. The reason for this is because your nails are weak, they may chipped at the ends and dark nail polish doesn't look good chipped. Light nail polish hides any chips you may receive. Also make sure that any nail polish remover you may use when changing your nail polish color is ace-tone free.
Also always carry a emery board with you at all times. Your paper thin nails can still split and tear and get catch on things. It's best to keep your nails super short but they can still get straggly edges and may cause you to want to bite them and that is not a habit you want to start up now! Having a emery board with you at all times you can smooth out any edges that are rough.
Apply hand cream as often as you can and rub it into the cuticles around your nails to help keep them soften. The hand cream will help boost the moisture levels in your nails and help them from being too dry. Also apply cuticle oil at night and when giving your self a manicure as a way to help condition the cuticle area and keep your cuticle soft. The last thing you want while waiting out your natural nails growing out is hangnails as well. Those tiny tears in your cuticles will drive you nuts, so keep your cuticles soft.
I hope this helps with dealing with your weaken nails after you have removed your acrylics. Taking care of your nails and they will grow back out as beautiful as they were before you had acrylics.
Kim Snyder owner of overallbeauty.com Offering you all types of nail care products you can use right now to create the prettiest nails ever! "Hard On" Nail Strengthener by BB Couture, Cuticle Oil by BB Couture, manicure/pedicure gift sets, Paradise Potions and so much more!
Visit us today for all your nail care needs!
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Top-level comments on this article: (7 total)This was by the far the best nail advice I've ever read! I am going to keep going back to the nailtech that removed my acrylic nails because she did it just as this article said. I feel that both the author and the nail tech know what is best for nails. I'm looking forward to growing out my nails nice and healthy!
The article was very helpful -- however, it was extremely difficult to read because of the NUMEROUS misspelled and misused words. You might want to have someone else proofread before you publish.Well I find her information quite helpful. Actually, her information that she has kindly posted answered ALL of my questions. That I have been googling for quite some time now. Not everyone has perfect grammar, or can spell perfectly, And I put my life on it you don't either.Wow, you mean there are people on the internet who don't speak English as their first language? That's crazy talk! Everyone on the internet is American and speak perfect English, and have a firm grasp of all our slang and all the intricacies of the language, right?
I hope you've gotten a little more world wise in the 2 years, 186 days since you posted this idiotic blurb.
This article was spot on. Great job. One of the best articles I have read. (And yes, you may want someone to proofread your article before you publish. Read the first sentence out loud-it doesn't make sense.). One thing you eluded too was about nails growing faster in the summer. That is correct. I'd also recommend that if a woman was thinking about removing her acrylics, that she do it in the summer, when her natural nails will grow faster.I had mine removed after some 18 plus years. I had tried it before however they were so weak that I decided to put them back on after months of growing them out. I had hangnails and couldn't stand it. This time was different. The nail tech recommended removing most of the acrylic and left a thin layer. He filed it down so it was smooth. I came in every two weeks for manicures so he could keep my cuticles nice and get rid of any hangnails before they became a problem. I switched to light polish and keep them shorter than when I had acrylics. In seven weeks, my nails were half way grown out and I got the rest of the acrylic removed at the salon by soaking it off (Never let them pull them off or pry them off.). I have always taken great care of my nails so it's no different now that I am going back to my natural nails. In between my salon manicures, I do my own manicure so essentially I have a manicure a week. I also put coconut oil on my cuticles and hands and sleep in cotton gloves a few times a week. It keeps my hands soft and keeps the cuticles looking nice. I am looking forward to having my natural, beautiful nails again. I just hope I can find a to coat so my polish won't chip. That's the reason I went to acrylics in the first place!
Great Tips!!! I had an issue with weak nails and it took a long time to get them healthy. I do nalis and I care for nails for women that have had them removed. I have done all types of nails from hollywood acrylic nails to gel nails!!!
What a great article! I just got my acrylic nails off and my nails feel terrible and so thin. I wondered weather it was a good idea to put nail polish on them again since they have been covered up for so long but if this doesn't damage my nails then i am going to try it!
I will also try and find nail strengthening product to put on my nails!
Thanks for your advice!
Angeli Yuson
I dont usually leave comments on articles online, but i cant begin to describe how informative this has been! I love the fact that you list a number of different techniques, depending on what is most suitable for the individual. 5/5 definitely!! Thank you for an interesting and helpful article!
This is brilliant advice, I have acrylics at the moment and now I can't wait for my "beautiful" natural nails to come out again :) Thank you!
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