The nail experiment

I believe there are things you can do for yourself and in your life to be and feel healthy.
When we look good we feel good, right? When we feel taken care of we feel good, too.
To help me with my stresses in life (and because I also deserve pampering) I regularly get massages and manicures and pedicures.
About every two to three weeks I hit Galaxy Nail Salon for a mani/pedi and the best arm and leg massages I have ever had at a nail salon.
I have super thin, weak nails. Last year I decided to try gel (shellac) manicure.
My nails looked so pretty. The polish lasted two to three weeks with no chipping. And I felt a little fancy.
One of my friends mentioned that the gel could dry out your nails. Which I had noticed. At some point I decided to give my nails a break. I had the gel removed (which is partially filed off and then soaked in acetone). I had my last gel manicure removed in September.
My nails are still peeling and look terrible. Yup, six months later …
From the American Academy of Dermatology it states: Do not wear artificial nails to cover up nail problems as they may make them worse. Artificial nails are not recommended for people who are prone to fungal infections or have brittle nails. For people with healthy nails, artificial nails can be fine as long as they are not worn continuously.
Ugh, well, I now know that gel is not for me no matter how pretty it looks.
From a BirchBox blog: Gel manicures can also leave your nails extremely soft, thin, and peeling …
Yup, soft, thin and peeling … that pretty much describes the condition of my nails right now.
Beauty and Style says you should avoid nail polish remover. Don’t use nail polish remover more than once or twice a month, if possible. And never use a nail polish remover that contains acetone, which can dry and damage nails. … And, a clear coat of nail polish may also help protect nails.
These two recommendations by Beauty and Style go with what I was told yesterday by the woman giving me my manicure and pedicure. She told me that I should use my Nail Tek II (Intensive Therapy for soft, peeling nails) every day for seven days. So by Day 7 I will have seven coats on my nails. After the first week I will remove the polish and let my nails “rest” and not wear polish for seven days. Then I start over …
She said if I follow this my nails will get healthy again and stronger. So I am going to give it a try. Doesn’t seem unreasonable. The only part that I don’t like is I can’t wear color right now (which hides the ugly dry, peeling nails) and the week I have to go without polish will be quite unattractive.
I hope to keep this up through the end of April. I will report back on my nails then.