What's the best way to mend a broken nail so I can paint over it? Do those nail glues really work? I can't just cut the broken bit off and file it otherwise it would be really short :(

good luck with that... i've never had any luck... best thing i do is file it all down and start again

having said that - i've been doing this for a couple of years now on a nail i have that is split and once it grows out past the nailbed it always breaks off.. i think the damage has been done and it'll never be the same again...

Ok, seen this in practice, people wanting a nail repaired but in my experience does not last long, certainly not until the nail grows out!

Manicare make a nail repair kit that contains silk stick on fabric, a buffer, cuticle stick and nail glue. You are supposed to file down the surface of the nail a bit first (including tear) to give silk and glue something to adhere to. The silk is cut to size to fit just over the split and under the nail if possible. Glue is then dropped on top of silk, pressed in place with cuticle stick and left to dry. Any bumps can then be filed down. Idealy you would need to paint the nail so as to not see silk.

Even with a professional glue and powder I used to use, these results are not permanent. Unless it's a special night out and you can be bothered, otherwise bite the bullet, trim and neaten up the other nails to be more in proportion.

good luck with that... i've never had any luck... best thing i do is file it all down and start again

having said that - i've been doing this for a couple of years now on a nail i have that is split and once it grows out past the nailbed it always breaks off.. i think the damage has been done and it'll never be the same again...

nattieb, how are you filing that nail? Can have a bearing on the strength of its length.

Ok, seen this in practice, people wanting a nail repaired but in my experience does not last long, certainly not until the nail grows out!

Manicare make a nail repair kit that contains silk stick on fabric, a buffer, cuticle stick and nail glue. You are supposed to file down the surface of the nail a bit first (including tear) to give silk and glue something to adhere to. The silk is cut to size to fit just over the split and under the nail if possible. Glue is then dropped on top of silk, pressed in place with cuticle stick and left to dry. Any bumps can then be filed down. Idealy you would need to paint the nail so as to not see silk.

Even with a professional glue and powder I used to use, these results are not permanent. Unless it's a special night out and you can be bothered, otherwise bite the bullet, trim and neaten up the other nails to be more in proportion.

Bought the manicare nail repair kit last night, did the whole biz, painted over it (NOT a smooth surface, paint job is very dull on that nail), it lasted the night and is still fine today, but I don't know how long it'll last for.....I really need to keep this nail intact for at least another week, because it's just TOO short (it's the length that people have when their nails are really bitten down) and I don't want to make all my other nails super-short to be in proportion. We'll see how it goes in any case!

Good luck ozkat! Yeah, terrible length, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!:waving:

nattieb, how are you filing that nail? Can have a bearing on the strength of its length.

Hi Luisa

How do you mean how am I filing it?

I try to file the same way on each nail - not back and forth - but I sometimes do get a little bit slack on this :redcheeks:

The thing is you can see the line all the way down the nail bed, it's all good until it grows past the nail bed, then it catches and breaks quite easily.

I think I've learned to just put up with it I've had it for that long now....

I think most of us know not to see-saw when filing, but do be careful when filing along the sides of the nail that grows beyond your fingers. By filing this side bit as well the top can weaken the nails. Trying to draw a mental picture of it, hope you understand!

Thanks Luisa... yep I got the picture :glee:

I just snagged the nail in question last night so it's time to chop them all down again - I'm lucky that my nails grow pretty quick and rather long (thanks mum! :p ) but this one is soooo annoying. :saber:

I'll try and cut them down and be super careful when filing it...

My bloody stupid nails are all breaking off at the moment, I don't know what the deal is! I take a hair, skin and nails supplement and I use a strengthening product, and I always take care of my hands and nails. Now they're out to betray me. The nails on my right hand are so short it looks like a MAN'S hand. I can't even look at it!

Yeah, it's unfortunate but sometimes they all just go! Broke four of them with the bookstall at the fete last weekend - not happy Jan!:explode:

know what you mean!

my annoying nail split again so had to trim that right back and today both of my thumbs have caught on my top! so am thinking the clippers will be pulled out tonight and i'll cut them all down short and start again... guess i'm lucky that my nails have always grown very quickly (thanks mum! :hearts: )