Do nail enhancements damage your natural nails?
We’ve either heard it or we have said it ourselves at one point or another. Acrylic ruined my nails, shellac made my nails weak or my nails are broken and sore. I hear this from new clients all the time.
Unfortunately majority of stories people share of nail salons are usually about the damage their nails take. So here we are, asking the million dollar question, do nail enhancements damage your natural nails?
Well, the answer is yes and no.
Confused? Bear with me and we will break it down together.
As a nail technician I have serviced hundreds of women and I always get the same line _______ ruined my nails. Whether it was acrylic or shellac they all say that is was the culprit but what if it wasn’t?
There are multiple reasons why your nails could end up damaged after a nail service and not all of them have to do with the product itself. So lets get into the reasons why.
One of the main damages I see is thin and weak nails. Did you know that its not caused by the polish or any enhancement. When performing most (if not all) nail services, technicians have to lightly buff the nail plate to remove the shine so the product will stick to the nail. This is usually done with an efile (the drill looking equipment) on a very low setting. The thin and weak nails that you experience is most likely due to the technician over-filing the nail plate. So the damage your dealing with isn’t the products fault its technician error.
Second is the thin and broken nails that fold like paper from improperly removed nails. Clients removing and ripping their own nails off without realising their ripping layers of the nail plate with it, creates weak and thin nails. (PS your tech can tell if your nails have been forcibly removed) So another link to damage that isn’t caused by the nail enhancement, its incorrect removal.
There are other human errors that can result in damaged nails including
Improper efile use - causing rings of fire (very painful)
Improper removal (I’ve heard of horror stories of people having their enhancement removed with an artificial nail tip to lift the product off and it slipping) PLEASE know this is not a safe removal and no professional technician would ever jeopardise your nails like that.
Improper application - Can lead to a whole loft of trouble for natural nails.
So we’ve talked about human errors that can damages nails. So when can nail enhancements be blamed for nail damage?
Low quality products can cause damage and lifting
MMA products in acrylics
Harsh chemicals in products
Enhancements and nail products get such a bad wrap and are the first to be blamed for damage but as a technician there are so many good quality brands out there paired with great quality technicians.
So we have our answer, do nail enhancements damage your natural nails? Yes but under certain conditions. They can when they are low quality products, hand in hand with improper technique.
When seeing a qualified, educated and quality technician who has your nail health and goals in mind, high quality products and proper application and removal you can put your mind to ease that your natural nails are in safe hands!