How to fix a ripped nail

As the title suggests... I broke a nail! Well it started to break and so I thought I may as well take this opportunity to show you what you can do if this happens to you. My nail started to rip quite far down so I wasn't so happy to just snip it off...

First off I'd just like to say that I learnt this fix-it method from a great video on youtube. There are heaps of other tutorial videos for fixing a broken nail all over the place.

What you'll need is...

• a teabag
• scissors
• rubbing alcohol/acetone
• some nail glue
• glad wrap (plastic wrap)
• a buffer

         

Please excuse my slightly stained nails - who would have thought I would be showing you my naked nails so soon!
For this method, first you need to empty the tea out of the teabag and cut a strip that's about the width of the nail that needs fixing.

       

Cut one end of the strip into a rounded shape to fit the shape of your cuticle

       

Give your nail a wipe with some rubbing alcohol (or acetone) to get rid of any oil or residue. Paint on some nail glue - it's best to use a glue with a brush because it's just a little easier to spread and control. I found this glue at a chemist. I cant remember the price of it but it wasn't expensive. Make sure that you have plenty of glue on the part of the nail that's ripped.

   

Quickly stick the teabag onto the nail and make sure it's covering the tear in the nail well. Be careful that you don't stick the teabag too close to the cuticle area or you will be able to see it peeking out from your nail polish. Grab some Glad wrap and smooth the teabag out on the nail. Try to get rid of any bubbles or ridges while using the Glad wrap then dispose of it. Paint one more layer of glue on top of the teabag and leave it to dry.

Once the glue is completely dry, cut the excess length off as close to the nail as possible making sure you don't cut the nail. Then, using the roughest side of a buffer, buff the edge of the nail so that it gives a smooth end. Also buff the surface of the nail so that it is nice and smooth too. Be careful when buffing the nail surface as you don't want to weaken the teabag too much, especially around the rip.

       

Paint your base coat on and then paint your nails as usual and you'd never know that anything's different :) I know that there are methods out there that mean just putting a strip over the area that is ripped but I find that you can see it under polish. This teabag fix will last for a few changes of polish - up to a week to 10 days maybe. Just make sure when you're changing your nail polish that you use acetone-free remover. If you notice that the rip is starting to come apart then you'll just need to change the teabag sooner. To remove the teabag, use the tinfoil technique that I mentioned at the bottom of this post with an acetone based remover, then repeat this whole method again until the rip has grown right out :)

Hope this has helped!