Believe it or not this post will be about nails, if you hadn't already guessed. As you all know I'm getting quite obsessed about painting my nails at the moment, not only because of all the lovely nail polishes I've recently got but also because of the condition of my nails.
I used to have gel nails on constantly and although they don't damage your nails as much as acrylic nails, they do pretty much ruin them, when one flies off it removes a few layers of your nails & it bloody hurts. So when you have them on for prolonged periods breakages are inevitable & so your nails under the artificial coat of gel are not in good condition, I can always tell which nails I've had fly off previously when my nails are under the gel lamp & the heat from the UV light gets unbelievable painful on the nails which are more damaged than others. It seriously feels like your nails are on fire! Any one else experience this?
Once the process was finished I looked down at the sorry looking things & promised them I would get them re-gelled on my next day off! ... Then I got fired! So getting gels nails wasn't the smartest thing to do when I had no income, as they are expensive to maintain. So I looked into nail strengtheners and I stumbled across two which are amazing!
Mavala Scientifique Nail Hardener

This is a very strange product first of all because it is a blue liquid, most nail treatments I've used (& there's been a few) are in the form of a nail polish that sits on your nail. Perhaps the fact that this liquid is absorbed into the nail is the reason it is so effective at making the nail harder & stronger.
According to Mavala the tip of the nail is the most fragile and unprotected and therefore breaks easily; the hardener therefore is supposed to stop soft, flaking or splitting nails & quickly harden them allowing them to become healthily and strong.
Initially I couldn't see this doing anything to my nails mainly because the damage from my gels was still apparent however now that the damage has grown out I have seen an amazing difference and not just because of the lack of damage from the gels.
So now I have very strong nails that aren't prone to peeling so I worship this product & can't recommend it enough. I bought it from Fragrance Direct but when I checked it's not available anymore, you can get it from Look Fantastic for £10.70 for 5mls or Boots for £5.50 for 2mls, 2mls sounds like nothing but it will last you ages a good 6 months to a year even, 2mls is the size I've got & you can hardly see I've used it.

This consists of two polishes, although not a treatment as such it does help in conjunction with the hardener as it helps protect the nail using nylon fibres. It is designed to give resistance to the nail protecting them from damage so that they can grow strong & healthily.
This is a great product for when you're first starting out growing & strengthening your nails as it adds layers to the nail which make them stronger, I continue to use it because its a bit of insurance so my nails are extra strong just in case!
The rest of my nail care consists of cuticle creams or oils, my favourites being Burt's Bees Lemon Cuticle Creme and CND Solar oil (hate the smell but it does it's job). I think hand cream is essential in nail care & my favorite is Clarins Hand & Nail Treatment Cream and then finally nail polish, which you all know I love from my very frequent NOTD posts and of course a good top coat to prevent chipping & add shine, I will discuss my favorite nail polishes & top coats in a post soon so look out for that.
I have never ever worn false nails or anything like that.
ReplyDeleteBut my bare nails see the light of day maybe once a month! So inbetween polishes I always make sure I buff them and file them.
I like the idea of the shield strengther so they are really not likely to break.
Really interesting post.
Fee x
I seriously need to get some of this stuff, Ive still got 3 false ones on one hand and now 3 on the other, it was only 2 :( Once they get past a certain length they just break and it breaks my heart along with it, as I cant paint them with a few ugly ones down to my knuckles haha.
ReplyDeleteI need to sort it out badly, order some of this stuff and let it get to work. You know the Nail Hardener though, do you have to wait till your nails have a little bit of a tip to use it? because when I take these few falsies off, Im going to have to cut my few remianing natural ones down to match the nails underneath the false ones, and they will literally have no tip.
xxx
I want that two step thingy. Do you have a recommendation for a topcoat that isnt seche vite? am getting fed up of it going gloopy after 3 weeks :(
ReplyDeleteIt's actually not the acrylic or gel that "ruins" your nails. You probably went to a technician that over-filed your nails and that is what causes the damage, not the product. Not all techs practice nails that way.
ReplyDeleteJessie Burkhardt
Director of Marketing & Communications for NSI
www.nsinails.com
i am heading out tomorrow to get some of this stuff.
ReplyDeleteAs a thumb sucker, nail biter and acrylic fan my nails are on a losing battle!
Since taking my nails off last saturday i havnt as of yet bitten them but they are still so soft, I hope your right (which im sure you are;)) and this is the miracle ive been wishing for :)
xx
Hi Nicola,
ReplyDeleteI too LOVE this product and have been using it for many years. I've just done a review on it myslef (with some other nails strengthening products too) and I wanted to let you know that I've included a link to your review - hope that's ok with you!
You can see it here > http://wp.me/p20ufC-2P
Great review btw! x