Ways to Fix a Broken Nail

So we've all had some pretty bad nail breaks before... and if you love to do your nails, that can feel pretty disastrous sometimes. One option is to just cut your nail down at or past the break. However, sometimes the break is a little too far down, or maybe you just can't bare to part with your wonderful nails...
Well, there are still options!
My nails break quite a bit. With the research that I do at school, I have to wear gloves a lot. Sure, they protect my hands, but wearing gloves for a long period of time can really take a toll on your nails... I've been using a fortifying base coat (nailTek II) and that does help but I still get breaks once in a while. So I've been looking at some products to help me seal these breaks in order to be able to grow them out!

This is Claudia Stevens Brush On Miracle nail fix- available at Sally's for about $3. All I have to say about this product is do not waste your money. All it is a relatively thick topcoat. An old bottle of Seche Vite would work better in my opinion.
What you have to do with this product is apply 2 thin coats. It can apparently be used a strengthener but I used it to seal some peeling nails.
After I applied this, my break was smooth. I put some polish over it and called it a day. An hour or so later, I noticed that my broken nail was once again poking up. So I took my polish off and reapplied the Miracle Nail Fix. Again, it didn't last more than an hour.
Final verdict- it's hard to believe in anything called "miracle". I would only use this as a last resort.

Next we have SuperNail nail bandages. Available at Sally's as well for $4.99.

The box comes with 3 sticker sheets and a small buffer. Each sheet has 2 large, 4 medium, and 4 small (2 thin and 2 wide) stickers.
these things are super easy to work with. Just find the right size sticker, buff off any sharp edge, and put it on.

For this break, I used a small wide sticker.

You can really see the sticker up close, but back up a few inches and it becomes nearly invisible. The packaging says that this lasts for days. I would say maybe 2 days. After the end of the first day, I started to notice the sides of the sticker coming up. I just took out my manicure scissors and cut the lifted part off. You could probably keep this on for a bit more with this method, but you will have to remove it to change your polish. It will not dissolve in acetone remover. You have to use a new sticker every time you change your nails.

Final verdict- I would definitely use these again, especially if I am out or on vacation and break a nail. They are a temporary fix, but a pretty good one. It keeps the broken part from getting stuck in my hair in the shower or my clothes which keeps it from breaking further.

Then we have Orly Nail Rescue Kit. I didn't take a picture before throwing out the box but follow this link to see what it looks like. This kit is also available at Sally's, this time for $7.99

This kit offers a stronger repair then the ones previously mentioned but it does require upkeep.
The kit comes with a bottle of brush-on glue, a little pot of acrylic powder, and a small buffer. You apply the glue over and around your break, then quickly dip your nail into the acrylic. This will set almost instantly. When you take your nail out, it will be covered in powder, so just brush away the excess and you will be left with a little blob of acrylic where you applied the glue. Using the provided buffer (or your own if you prefer), smooth down the blob.
If you use the one they provide, it will stay slightly gritty so you will want to cover it with an extra layer of base coat. I use my own buffer to really smooth it down. I like to use the buffers that make your nails shiny. You guys know what I'm talking about? It's usually grey and really soft and makes your nails really shine without topcoat. Anyhow, I use that to really make the blob smooth and this keeps it from absorbing my nail polish.

Final verdict- If you have the time, this kit is really worth it. You will have to sand off the blob and reapply a new one every once in a while because the break might actually break through this thin acrylic. For around $8, you will get a lot of use out of this kit. It can also fix any deep dents you have in your nails.
This is my go-to nail fix for the moment.

Lastly I have for you the full acrylic fix. I got this done at a salon for $4. Alternatively, you can get your own acrylic kit and do it yourself at home!

I had this done on my trip to Florida. My poor thumb nail broke on both sides! and one side was much too low for me to think about cutting it down. Since I was not at home and did not have my handy Orly Nail Fix kit, I found a nearby salon who could do it for me :) She buffed down my nail a bit and applied a relatively thin coat of acrylic over my entire nail.

"Relatively" thin coat...

It was a really quick process and I think it was very much worth the price. This thing lasted for 2 weeks! plenty of time for my break to grow out reasonably. The only downside with this fix is the removal. If you are just going to yank off the acrylic, then you shouldn't even bother putting it on. That will damage your nail and cause more breaks for you in the future. You have to soak this thing in pure acetone and slowly buff the acrylic away. Look on YouTube for some really great videos on how to do this or go to the salon to have them take it off for you.

Final verdict- this is great for really bad nail breaks. It lasts a long time and requires no up keep :D
it is however, a pain in the butt to take off. This is something I would do again if I am out of town for a long time and suffer a pretty bad break. I wouldn't do this for smaller breaks, or if I had easy access to my Orly Nail Fix.

So that's it. There are other At-Home nail fix remedies but I have not tried anything else at the moment. If I ever come across a true miracle nail fix, Ill be sure to let you guys know.

How do you fix your nails?

Until next time ^_^