Nail tips for the nail under the set

Most problems with press-on nails are really problems with the nail underneath, or with the ten minutes just before the glue went on. These are the tips we use ourselves, sorted by when you need them.

If you want the whole method from measuring to removal in one place, that is the main guide to press-on nails. This page is about the nail, not about the set.

Before you put a set on

• Measure and write it down. The width of every nail in millimetres, both hands. You will use the same numbers for the rest of the year and never have to guess again.
• Cut your nails short. A press-on that lies flat against the whole plate lasts far longer than one resting on a long free edge.
• Push the cuticle, never cut it. Use a wooden stick on damp skin after a shower. The cuticle is the seal between your nail and everything else, and a cut edge turns into a sore edge quickly.
• Skip the hand cream that morning. Oil on the plate is the most common reason glue fails to take.
• Wipe with surgical spirit and wait until it is fully dry. Ten seconds with a cotton pad, then half a minute of touching nothing.
• Look at every nail first. If one is sore, loose or discoloured, skip that finger. One bare nail is not a problem.

We never sand the surface of the natural nail to help the glue grip. It works once and costs you months of thin nail afterwards.

While the set is on

• Gloves for washing up and cleaning. Hot water over time lifts more sets than anything else, and it dries out the skin around the nail at the same time.
• Do not use your nails as tools. Use a knuckle on a drinks can and scissors on parcel tape.
• Oil on the skin, not into the edge. Cuticle oil around the base keeps the skin soft. Oil that finds its way under the edge of the press-on loosens the glue, so stay on the skin while the set is on.
• Fix a lifting corner straight away. Wash, dry thoroughly under the edge, add a tiny drop of glue, press and hold for half a minute. Leave it a day and water has already got in.
• If the same nail lifts a third time, take it off. The size is wrong, and more glue does not solve a sizing problem.

After the set comes off

The nail is drier than usual straight after removal. It can feel slightly rough and look matte. That settles on its own within a few days, provided you give it those days.

• Cuticle oil daily for a week. Work it around the cuticle and across the whole plate. This is the single item on this page with the most visible effect.
• Hand cream afterwards. The oil sinks in, the cream keeps the moisture there.
• Leave your nails bare for a couple of days. Not because the nail needs to breathe, but because a loose corner or a white patch is only visible on a bare plate.
• Trim rough edges, never tear them. A small snag left hanging turns into a long split.
• Base coat if you like it. It protects a little and hides the dullness, but it is not something the nail needs.

When something is not right

The nail is white, rough and thin after a set

Either a solvent got onto it, or the set was pulled off. A nail does not repair itself, it grows out, and a fingernail takes months to replace itself completely. Oil daily, keep them short in the meantime, and no new sets until the rough part has grown past the fingertip.

There is glue left on the nail

Put your hand back in warm soapy water for another ten minutes and push the residue off with a wooden stick. Never scrape with metal, and never file the glue down. If it is still there, do another round in the water rather than pressing harder.

The skin around the nail is dry and tight

Oil and cream, and a break from sets until it feels normal again. If there are splits beside the nail, keep them clean and let them heal before you glue anything over the area.

The nail hurts, is swollen, or has changed colour

Yellow, green or dark discolouration, swelling, throbbing, or a nail that has come away from the nail bed is not something to fix at home, and nothing should be glued over it. Speak to a doctor or a pharmacist. We cannot diagnose anything from here, and we are not going to try.

More short answers live under questions and answers, and new tests go up on the blog as we finish working through the sets.