The best product by far I have found is Sally Hansen "Hard as Nails Advanced with Nylon and Retinol". I found far better than "Hard as Nails". Been using for a month and extremely happy, after many months of trying different products.

I've tried the instant nails and the nail forms that are also supplied. The preformed nails sound nice, but I didn't like using them. I didn't cover the whole nail, just the final third or so and I found managing the seam or transition a bit too much. The nail strip works well, but it seemed fussy to apply and place evenly with proper coverage. I think I used them about 2 or 3 times each. No doubt extended use would make a person more adept. I've used the silk material alone for repairs and it's fine on its own.

At this point I use Onymyrrh, which I've found to be great. And I also use the Sally H, but not all the time, essentially when I know I'm more apt to damage my nails (as in travelling) or when I get a rare split or chip starting.

I always wonder about nail "breathing" and additives with these coating products so I try to keep down my usage, but that's an essentially idiosyncratic concern and the experience of many people over many years seems to suggest that there are no negative effects.

byron wrote:I've tried the instant nails and the nail forms that are also supplied ...

Thanks for explaining your experience with the product. I started this thread more than a year ago when I was having problems with my nails breaking and wondering whether "Instant Nails" would be a reasonable solution. I never did try the product, primarily due to concerns about the issues you mentioned. It seems like the nails would be very difficult to apply with one hand. They might be easy to apply to someone else like nail technicians do with acrylic nails, but applying them with one hand seems challenging. I also was concerned about feathering the back edges so they would look decent and not catch on strings during rasgueados. Your experience confirms that those concerns were valid.

thedirtymexican wrote:The best product by far I have found is ...

Welcome to the group. It appears from your blog URL that you may be in Australia. Is that true? Why don't you tell us something about yourself over in the Por Favor, Preséntese forum?

-Bob

thedirtymexican wrote:The best product by far I have found is Sally Hansen "Hard as Nails Advanced with Nylon and Retinol". I found far better than "Hard as Nails". Been using for a month and extremely happy, after many months of trying different products.

I think a major problem with nail care recommendations is that the characteristics of human nails vary a lot from person to person. Sally Hansen's "Hard as Nails Advanced with Nylon and Retinol" didn't work for me.

Fernandez

This is true, I found that many product recommendations do not work for everyone. I just put it out there as it worked for me, and hopefully someone else.

I also put an intro thread por-favor-presentese-f18/hello-from-melbourne-australia-t703.html

Yes, the feathering was a big problem. On one nail I feathered too radically and "smoothed" into the nail, leaving a slight dip that took a long time to grow back, and also causing the nail edge to be extra thin through the period when the dip reached the nail edge.

I'm sure that you're right that having someone else do the task would improve the result.


byron

Did you use their motorized rotary file or an ordinary flat nail file to feather the back edges? It seems like it would be easy to accidentally gouge into your natural nails using a motorized rotary file "left-handed" (or "right-handed" if someone is "left-handed"). I have lost interest in their products, but if someone is going to use almost any type of artificial nails it seems better to pay an experienced nail technician to apply them. Not only do they have the benefit of experience, but the ability to work using two hands.

-Bob

Another problem is that my nails grow out enough in three weeks that the gaps between the acrylic and my cuticles start catching on strings when I play rasgueados.

I have thin nails that break or peel easily. I tried having a thin acrylic layer placed on the nail, rather than a full acrylic nail, but within two days it was clear it would not work. If I ran my hand through my hair, my hair would catch on the nails, and the acrylic began peeling off here and there within a couple days.

Now I keep them filed smooth and rounded and use "Nailtiques Formula 2" regularly. So far, so good.

Mary

Bob, I missed your earlier question on using the tool. No, I just used a fine, flexible board. I'd be wary of a motor tool as well-- in either hand.

Mary, my nails are a touch thin as well. Although, I have to say that they seem to have thickened and strengthened in the 3 years I've been using Onymhhr. But I find that adding crazy glue with that dust, or adding strips, or even adding a coating ends up being a lot of work keeping the surface smooth.

Someone mentioned here that they apply two heavy coats when they apply something, and I think that sounds right. Anything less probably breaks up too easily. I think that's been my problem--under coating. My goal is to keep the nails natural with no splits or breaks and I seem to be almost there.

Hey there
I haven't read all the posts so somebody may have already recommended this way but I will say it anyway. My teacher taught me this when I was in spain and he claimed that he had observed Paco de Lucia doing this very quickly during a concert after breaking a nail!I usually only do this with my thumb but have done it with other nails.
1. Cut several rectangular sections of tissue paper. (approx 1/3 length of the nail, and width greater than nail)
2. Seperate the tissue so that only one very thin layer is present.
3. Using superglue (loctite is the onlly one I have found to work effectivly) spread glue over the second 1/3 of the finger (the middle)
4. place the tissue on and let it dry for about 5 seconds.
5. apply glue half way over this and onto part of the open nail - add another piece of tissue.
6. keep repeating this until so that the tissue eventually continues past your nail.
7. when you have the tissue/fake nail a bit longer than you actually want apply a final piece of tissue (bigger than others) across the whole nail.
8. Sand down to prefered size ect. smooth it on top ect.
Anyway I have been using that for the last year and found it the best thing I've ever tried. It should look kind of like scales as your doing it so that each layer is partially covering the last.
Hope this proves useful!