Nail polish is ALWAYS CHIPPING!!!

[GirlyDork]

I've been growing my nails out without biting them for over a month now. I'm doing this so I'm able to paint my nails without them looking unprofessional and childish, AND I'd really like to break the habit of biting my nails (if I haven't already). My nails have now grown out to reach the very tips of my actual fingers.

Now a problem that I'm facing is nail polish chipping. (Not just little flakes here and there, but huge, dried chunks of flexible nail polish! A whole finger of nail polish my even peel off at times!) Even when my nails were painted in the salon, they didn't stay chip-free for more than 24 hours.

Some brands are chipping less on me than others, but even the best ones don't take long to peel off.

I'm also not good at leaving a chipped nail alone, but I don't exactly pick at nails that haven't chipped like crazy yet.

If this helps, the top coat I use is from Seche Vite. I don't own a base coat yet, but I want one. Maybe that's my problem, but base coat was used on my nails in the salon, so IDK!

If someone could help me with this, I'd be eternally grateful!!!

 

[gildedangel]

Base coats are very helpful in keeping nail polish on and not chipping. Another thing that you could try is to run over your nails with nail polish remover right before you apply nail polish, it gets rid of the oils that could be preventing your nail polish from sticking to your nail. Also, don't use your nails as tools and wear gloves when you do the dishes or garden. HTH!

 

[NutMeg]

You can also use vinegar to get rid of excess oils before painting your nails, it's less drying than using remover. The biggest tip I have is to avoid getting your nails wet as much as possible. Obviously you have to wash your hands and hair, etc, but avoid water on your nails as much as possible. I absolutely hate wearing gloves to do housework and wash dishes, but since I've started doing it my polish peels less. A good base coat is essential as well. Lastly, when you are applying polish paint it on in several thin coats instead of one thick one. If you do it that way it tends to peel less.

HTH!

 

[GirlyDork]

I'll try everything out, thanks! Gahh, I need a base coat. And hopefully when Mom and I go to Costco tomorrow, there will be an insane package of gloves or something xD

 

[kaylabella]

I have this problem too, even with a base coat (seche clear). But I have found that if I keep my nails round and slightly shorter than the tips of my fingers, the polish lasts longer. I know you want your nails to grow out, but the longer they are, the easier they chip and peel, and shorter nails can still look sophisticated as long as they are well shaped. Hopefully that helped a bit.

 

[NutMeg]

Oh, two more things I thought of. Try not to use your nails to pick at things. The more stress you put on the ends of your nails the more likely it is that you will start a chip, and then it will catch and peel off. Also, Seche Vite is meant to be applied on wet polish. If you are allowing your polish to dry and then applying the Seche Vite the polish is a lot more likely to chip. I usually finish the actual nail polish on the pinky finger of my right hand, and immediately start apply the Seche Vite to the thumb of my left hand.

 

[kittykit]

I always use OPI Natural Nail Strengthener as a base coat. It keeps my nails strong and my polish lasts longer.

 

[CaveB]

The current combo I have been using, that has not chipped on me at all, just minimal tip wear (which I usually don't have one color on for more than a few days, 5 or 6 max...to ADD with colors) is swipe with remover, currently Zoya's, wash my hands and dry well, good coat of OPI Chip Skip, Essie Millionails, OPI Base Coat on top (just the normal pink tinted one), nail polish (always in thin coats... better to have 3 or 4 thin coats than one thick coat), then Seche Vite. One thing I have noticed about Seche is once it starts to thicken up it does not work as well at all... I always have Seche Restore on hand just in case, tip pull and bubbles are just not very pretty! Base coats are very important...and clean, dry nails...also, like everyone else said...minimal water, never soaking, and never use your nails as tools if you want them to grow! My nails have also become much more cooperative since I keep polish on 24/7, they would never grow, and any polish would peel until I kept them painted, now they behave just fine. Just had to snap them into shape! Ha ha ha! Good luck!

E.T.A> Always wrap the tips of your nails with the color and top coat (I typically just wrap everything slightly.) You don't have to paint the underside of your entire nail, but just pull the color around slightly and it really helps peeling and chips! :0)

 

[BEA2LS]

in my experience if the color is applied in thin coats, it will chip much less. i also like to wait until the coats dry except for the final coat, i apply top coat when the last coat is a bit sticky.

 

[ktforthewin]

buying a good cuticle remover and removing cuticles weekly is a great way to prevent chipping. if you are putting on polish without removing or pushing back cuticles, the dead skin cells between the nail plate and polish can cause the polish to lift. this is more for people who have peeling at the cuticle, but is a good tip for anyone who paints their nails a lot.
when people talk about removing cuticles, they mean removing the "sticky cuticle", which is the thin layer of dead skin cells on the actual nail bed around the lunula- the milky colored crescent shaped part of the nail below what we consider the cuticle (best seen on thumbs).
i suggest soaking your fingers in warm soapy water for 5-10 minutes, then apply a cuticle softener/remover (follow directions on the bottle) to soften them and push them back, which should take this "sticky cuticle" off. make sure all of that thin layer of dead skin cells is off the nail plate. then let your hands dry, remove all traces of oil with alcohol or acetone, and apply a good base coat. i like cnd's sticky base coat.
you can also try using a primer, but i suggest a non-acid primer or protein bond primer, as acid primers can cause a burning sensation to occur. the primer should be applied before the base coat, and can help adhere the base coat even more than a base coat alone.

 

[Rinstar]

I would say it's due to oils on your nails. Try the vinegar, or a quick swipe of rubbing alcohol.