Can I just say: I love my nails being done. Being done, getting done, staying nice and shiny, click-clacking on things that would annoy most but no, not me, I love it. Until recently, I had loved it for about three constant years. After community college, that year off had me trying and doing things I never did. Before acrylics month after month, I had always primped and polished my own nails and they always looked wonderful until I got sick of the chipping, the constant repainting, and not being able to grow them at all (not ever longer than my own fingertips, anyway).
A few days ago, I was reaching for a door knob and one way or another, a long, pretty acrylic nail, my now swollen middle right finger, got wedged into the lock somehow and broke completely in half horizontally and took the length of my natural nail with it. I cursed, stomped around, and cursed some more but now I had bigger problems. I had to take off my others because I knew immediately no salon - rightfully so - would do work on a swollen (and now bleeding) nail. No, way.
After hours with nail clippers, tweezers, acetone, and shot or two of hard liquor, I finally got all of my acrylics off. I did this all while adding up my investment and I was staring at an ugly pile of bright pink acrylic shards that totaled to about $75 - not including tip. Horrified, I took to the internet. After blogs telling me about nail rehab, I decided to do it myself.
I clipped my nails down to the shortest they'd go without hurting (this middle one is just gone, I've got half of a nail there and the rest is just red and swollen, yuck). And then buffed them all to a nice texture. Now, they're paper thin and I can almost hear them crying. I immediately went out to get straight Vitamin E oil (in the vitamin isle, not the diluted stuff) and Biotin, or some places call it H.S.N. or Hair, Skin, and Nails vitamins. This should do it and get them looking healthy again. I'll update with picture later if so. But this is a starting point. Vitamins three times a day, oiling in the morning and at night, and keeping them short and smooth should do the trick for now.
