Nail Care, the Case for Natural Nails

[mlroseplant]

19 hours ago, Cali said:

You can take the acrylic off yourself.  It just takes time.  You will need foil, acetone base remove and cotton (I use the cotton that comes with some medicine).  Cut the foil so you can wrap it completely around your finger/toe. Soak the cotton in the remove, place it on the nail. I use twister for this. Then wrap the nail in foil.  Wait 10-15 minutes and unwrap. The acrylic should start to lift. Get a pusher and push it, trying to get it to lift. Then re-wrap with more/fresh remover on cotton. Repeat this process and it will come off.  I did one nail this way already.  Its not hard just time consuming.  I have another acrylic nail I'm hoping will last because it "glues" the half-nails together.

 

Hey @Logjam, I've got about 5 gallons of acetone out in the garage (courtesy of the nail shop) if you want some! Shipping might be a problem, though. Seriously, it's probably not a bad idea to try it yourself, because one thing that nail shops don't give you is a lot of time, unless you're at a high-end place where you're paying a boatload of money.

[Logjam]

On 5/28/2020 at 5:13 AM, mlroseplant said:

Hey @Logjam, I've got about 5 gallons of acetone out in the garage (courtesy of the nail shop) if you want some! Shipping might be a problem, though. Seriously, it's probably not a bad idea to try it yourself, because one thing that nail shops don't give you is a lot of time, unless you're at a high-end place where you're paying a boatload of money.

I also have some acetone, a smaller amount. And Cali, thanks for the suggestion about using acetone.

But, as I noted, I got to the point that I couldn’t stand myself any longer and booked an appointment at one of the generic nail shops, actually in just about one hour. If the tech there doesn’t want to mess with the nubbin, I’ll just have it painted and live with that until I get in to see the tech at the new place. Yep, I generally patronize those salons.

3 hours ago, Logjam said:

I also have some acetone, a smaller amount. And Cali, thanks for the suggestion about using acetone.

But, as I noted, I got to the point that I couldn’t stand myself any longer and booked an appointment at one of the generic nail shops, actually in just about one hour. If the tech there doesn’t want to mess with the nubbin, I’ll just have it painted and live with that until I get in to see the tech at the new place. Yep, I generally patronize those salons.

Well, an update. Just back from my mani/pedi. The very nice lady at the generic place deftly used her little “Drexel Tool” like instrument to remove the leftovers of the broken off artificial toenail, and equally skillfully constructed me a new one with the magic stuff they use. As I’ve mentioned before, I like color on my toes,so I’m now sporting “Frostbite”, a slightly metallic blue, on my toes. Got clear gel on my hands, that seems to work quite well protecting my fingernails from the abuse I manage to inflict. So I’m a happy camper!

Edited May 29, 2020 by Logjam

[bluejay]

Logjam, I get the clear gel on my fingers but get acrylic on my toes. My nail teck takes the clear gel off the same way with a Dremel tool with with a small wheel. Not the way Cali described with the acetone wrap of cotton and foil. She did that at first but says that takes too long, so she uses the tool. It would be nice to get in my salon for a mani/pedi but we're still weeks away from them re-opening here in New York State. Just have to keep doing my own till then.

Happy Heeling,

bluejay

[mlroseplant]

@Logjam, I'm glad you got your problem resolved. I know there are manifold reasons why some of y'all have artificial nails, but all this talk about acetone, Dremel tools, &c. is making me never, ever want to mess with any of it. Thankfully, my natural nails are acceptable, though not exactly beautiful.

[Cali]

When they only use a Dremel to take the gel off they also take a layer of nail and your nails get thinner. My nail tech would take a few layers of gel off with a Dremel then wrap my fingers to remove the the rest of the gel.  My nail artist was going to change me to another method where she used the Dremel to remove the color, but not the hard clear coat underneath. 

They are saying at we may not have nail salons back until the end of August. Unfortunately my nail artist has decided to move back to her hometown, 4 hours away, so I will need to find a new artist.

[Logjam]

13 hours ago, Cali said:

When they only use a Dremel to take the gel off they also take a layer of nail and your nails get thinner. My nail tech would take a few layers of gel off with a Dremel then wrap my fingers to remove the the rest of the gel.  My nail artist was going to change me to another method where she used the Dremel to remove the color, but not the hard clear coat underneath. 

They are saying at we may not have nail salons back until the end of August. Unfortunately my nail artist has decided to move back to her hometown, 4 hours away, so I will need to find a new artist.

In the past, after a couple of months, the artificial nail would loosen on its own, and either fall off, or at worst, lift off with just a bit of gentle prying by the tech. But whatever the last tech did, the nubbin was not coming off. And, I was pretty desperate for foot care in general, not just nail care.

i was in the process of finding and trying a new tech when the shutdown occurred, and since I had not heard back from the new tech, I went for the backup generic nail shop. Hopefully, the next time I need that nail replaced, I’ll be established with a new tech who will use a less destructive method of removal.

[mlroseplant]

7 hours ago, Logjam said:

In the past, after a couple of months, the artificial nail would loosen on its own, and either fall off, or at worst, lift off with just a bit of gentle prying by the tech. But whatever the last tech did, the nubbin was not coming off. And, I was pretty desperate for foot care in general, not just nail care.

i was in the process of finding and trying a new tech when the shutdown occurred, and since I had not heard back from the new tech, I went for the backup generic nail shop. Hopefully, the next time I need that nail replaced, I’ll be established with a new tech who will use a less destructive method of removal.

Ain't none of my business, of course, but the one thing I don't quite understand is why you have an artificial toenail in the first place. Do you have damage to your natural nail in the same way that Cali has damage to a couple of his fingernails?

[Logjam]

2 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

Ain't none of my business, of course, but the one thing I don't quite understand is why you have an artificial toenail in the first place. Do you have damage to your natural nail in the same way that Cali has damage to a couple of his fingernails?

Fair question, no worries. I had a long-running issue with ingrown nails on both big toes. The podiatrist who dealt with the issue told me that I would loose the toenail on that foot, and sure enough... Incidentally, that same podiatrist, a middle-aged woman, offered the notion that men were getting color on nails, particularly feet. I was already getting manis and pedis (nail issues sort of run in the family) and on my next visit I asked her, she replied enthusiastically, and my “new fashion” was off and running.

Edited May 31, 2020 by Logjam

[RonC]

On 5/30/2020 at 9:06 AM, mlroseplant said:

@Logjam, I'm glad you got your problem resolved. I know there are manifold reasons why some of y'all have artificial nails, but all this talk about acetone, Dremel tools, &c. is making me never, ever want to mess with any of it. Thankfully, my natural nails are acceptable, though not exactly beautiful.

I'm with you sir!  I could see typical nail polish removed with a simple wipe off with polish remover such as my wife does.  But once you get into tools and chemical wraps you lose me...

Of course for me, toe wise, I could not do any kind of polish as I contracted that damn nail fungus crap about 25 years ago.  

Edited May 31, 2020 by RonC

[Cali]

48 minutes ago, RonC said:

I'm with you sir!  I could see typical nail polish removed with a simple wipe off with polish remover such as my wife does.  But once you get into tools and chemical wraps you lose me...

Of course for me, toe wise, I could not do any kind of polish as I contracted that damn nail fungus crap about 25 years ago.  

I just did a 8 week laser program on a few nails that killed my fungus, I'm just waiting for the nails to grow out. I couldn't take the smell of the tea tree method and didn't want to take a drug internally either. 

Gel nail polish is stronger than the regular nail polish and will last for weeks. Regular nail polish chips too frequently and needs to be fixed or changed more frequently. I work with my hands and they are always on display, so using regular nail polish would be very time consuming; beside there is already a gel polish layer over my acrylics as part of the acrylic process.

Edited May 31, 2020 by Cali

[RonC]

Hope the laser treatment works for you.  I've read a lot about it and it seems like it's still not foolproof.  And the continued aftercare sounds tedious as well.  I was going to try the laser treatments before my other health issues popped up.  Now it seems kind of senseless for me.

[Pumped]

On 5/30/2020 at 9:17 AM, Cali said:

When they only use a Dremel to take the gel off they also take a layer of nail and your nails get thinner. My nail tech would take a few layers of gel off with a Dremel then wrap my fingers to remove the the rest of the gel.  My nail artist was going to change me to another method where she used the Dremel to remove the color, but not the hard clear coat underneath. 

They are saying at we may not have nail salons back until the end of August. Unfortunately my nail artist has decided to move back to her hometown, 4 hours away, so I will need to find a new artist.

It might be time to learn how to do your own nails.

[mlroseplant]

@Logjam, thank you for answering my question. Now that you say that, my present recollection has been refreshed (as they say in legal circles), and I went back to the "Infirmary" section to reread your post explaining your circumstances. I think no one answered your question back then not because no one cared, but because we just didn't know. I for one still know hardly anything about the ins and outs of artificial nails, much less using them to improve actual deformities.

@RonC and @Cali, I have gotten lazy about doing the Vicks VapoRub and tea tree oil thing, and my fungus has come back somewhat on one little toenail (out of 3 that were infected). I think that if you're going to go that route, you just have to keep doing it for the rest of your life. I guess it's like brushing your teeth! Another thing I have discovered about the tea tree oil, which I don't mind the smell of so much (I have much more trouble with Lavender), is that after extended periods of use, it stains your nails yellow, which is exactly one of the things that makes the fungus objectionable in the first place! It is easy enough to remove, but does require a light abrasive. You can't simply scrub it off in the shower. I think I'm going to drop the tea tree oil and go with the straight Vicks, and see how that goes. That is what my podiatrist recommended anyhow, although he did say that the tea tree oil couldn't hurt, and might help, but there have been no studies on it, unlike the Vicks. Luckily for me, I don't own any sandals which show that toenail anyhow.

[Cali]

@mlroseplant I hoping I wont have to use this portable laser treatment forever.  Maybe once a week just to be sure.  The laser worked thru polish as well. Most of those other treatments kill the fungus but not the spores and those can take weeks to emerge then re-infect.  That's why you have to do a "program of treatments" to kill the spores as the emerge.  For me this has been 3 times a day for the first two weeks, once a day since.  I saw significant difference after the first week.  Now I'm just waiting for my nails to grow out.

It can spread from one nail to another, from you to your partner, so its something to look after. It also has been associated with diabetes.  If all your toes get infected then you can say goodbye to open toed sandals in the summer. I know I can't, I have too many open toe heels I love to wear.

11 hours ago, Pumped said:

It might be time to learn how to do your own nails.

I can do a decent job and would show some of my work, but someone here complains. But doing it myself is very slow since my hand contains non-OEM parts and can be painful if used too much. So I have to do it in parts over days.

[RonC]

Yeah.  What it all boils down to is, hope like heck you don't get the fungus!  

[mlroseplant]

21 hours ago, Cali said:

 

.  .  . since my hand contains non-OEM parts .  .  .

HA! Never heard it put quite that way before.

[Cali]

 

1 hour ago, mlroseplant said:

HA! Never heard it put quite that way before.

It's because you don't have a body that contains many pieces of titanium, polypropylene, nylon, teflon, .....My hand was experimental surgery, one of the first of it's kind in the world when it was done. It was after the first experimental surgery failed, at that time only 2 of the 28 surgeries of that version failed. The damage was too bad to begin with.

[mlroseplant]

3 hours ago, Cali said:

 

It's because you don't have a body that contains many pieces of titanium, polypropylene, nylon, teflon, .....My hand was experimental surgery, one of the first of it's kind in the world when it was done. It was after the first experimental surgery failed, at that time only 2 of the 28 surgeries of that version failed. The damage was too bad to begin with.

Just to be clear, I was aware that you had an injury in the past, the exact details of which I of course don’t know. However, the humorous way in which you referred to it gave me a bit of a chuckle. 

[Cali]

An Injury? Oh I wish that was the case, I'm missing bits and pieces all over the place.

[mlroseplant]

13 hours ago, Cali said:

An Injury? Oh I wish that was the case, I'm missing bits and pieces all over the place.

Were you the kid that jumped off the garage roof with an umbrella as a parachute?

[Cali]

Jumping is not the problem, its landing on a surface that can handle it. Only got hurt twice by jumping, but never from the roof, two story house. It's more sports, like sliding into third and getting your cleat caught in the netting they put in sod, or back packing 10 miles in the Sierra wilderness and the rock ledge you are hiking across decides to give way. I stopped ski jumping after I caught a friends head between my legs.  I not a couch potato.

Edited June 3, 2020 by Cali

[mlroseplant]

21 hours ago, Cali said:

Jumping is not the problem, its landing on a surface that can handle it. Only got hurt twice by jumping, but never from the roof, two story house. It's more sports, like sliding into third and getting your cleat caught in the netting they put in sod, or back packing 10 miles in the Sierra wilderness and the rock ledge you are hiking across decides to give way. I stopped ski jumping after I caught a friends head between my legs.  I not a couch potato.

This reminds me of a song from the late, great Jim Croce. Hope the humor is received in the manner it was intended:

 

[mlroseplant]

I have been forced to chop down my nails again. I am planning on making an organ video, hopefully today, and the nails were interfering with my ability to play that instrument. I have sometimes pondered that if I were a woman, and it were socially acceptable for me to have long nails, would I?

[Pumped]

Milrose, I know how you feel. I love messing around with fake nails and did so last Saturday. I like them long and ridiculous. Too bad I wear them for just a few hours, perhaps over night, then back to my "man" hands. My wife told me to leave them on, but i had some things to do and they definitely get in the way. Woman that wear them long, how do they do it? I can type on a key board, zip my pants and button a shirt, but Sunday AM my wife asked me to peal an orange and I held it in my hands and there was no way!

[mlroseplant]

22 hours ago, Pumped said:

Milrose, I know how you feel. I love messing around with fake nails and did so last Saturday. I like them long and ridiculous. Too bad I wear them for just a few hours, perhaps over night, then back to my "man" hands. My wife told me to leave them on, but i had some things to do and they definitely get in the way. Woman that wear them long, how do they do it? I can type on a key board, zip my pants and button a shirt, but Sunday AM my wife asked me to peal an orange and I held it in my hands and there was no way!

I think part of it is much like trying to walk in a pair of 5 inch heels if you've never worn heels before. Applying very long fake nails suddenly when you're used to short nails is going to cause you problems. However, if you were to grow your natural nails long (hence the title of this thread), you would get used to doing things little by little, and could perhaps eventually peel an orange with no problem! I understand that in your situation, it simply isn't possible, and if you want to have fun with fake nails occasionally, go right ahead.

The longest I've had all ten of my natural nails is 4 mm, and I usually keep them at about 2 or 3. I am curious, just exactly how long is "ridiculous?" I assume that your artificial nails are not acrylics or anything like that, being as you only have them on for a short time.

On edit: I scrolled back through the thread and discovered that you have already answered these questions, so, uh, never mind, I guess! "Ridiculous" appears to be in the 12 - 15 mm range, which is pretty doggoned long for these days (in most circles), but certainly not "ridiculous" in my book.

[Logjam]

3 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

I think part of it is much like trying to walk in a pair of 5 inch heels if you've never worn heels before. Applying very long fake nails suddenly when you're used to short nails is going to cause you problems. However, if you were to grow your natural nails long (hence the title of this thread), you would get used to doing things little by little, and could perhaps eventually peel an orange with no problem! I understand that in your situation, it simply isn't possible, and if you want to have fun with fake nails occasionally, go right ahead.

The longest I've had all ten of my natural nails is 4 mm, and I usually keep them at about 2 or 3. I am curious, just exactly how long is "ridiculous?" I assume that your artificial nails are not acrylics or anything like that, being as you only have them on for a short time.

On edit: I scrolled back through the thread and discovered that you have already answered these questions, so, uh, never mind, I guess! "Ridiculous" appears to be in the 12 - 15 mm range, which is pretty doggoned long for these days (in most circles), but certainly not "ridiculous" in my book.

When God made me, he apparently chose to not install the manual dexterity option, and there does not seem to be an aftermarket retrofit. Long nails would only aggravate things, so I’m not inclined to try.

Logjam

Edited July 21, 2020 by Logjam

[Pumped]

I have glue on nails that are 3/4 inch or 20mm past my fingertips.  Sure, not as long as some you might occasionally see, but longer than most.

[Cali]

On 7/21/2020 at 7:09 AM, Logjam said:

When God made me, he apparently chose to not install the manual dexterity option, and there does not seem to be an aftermarket retrofit. Long nails would only aggravate things, so I’m not inclined to try.

Logjam

I have the aftermarket retrofit, and I like my nails long (part of the retrofit so I can lift things with my fingers)...5mm pass my finger tips.  After a while you learn how negotiate life with longer nails.

[Pumped]

5mm isn't long, try 20mm past your fingertips!

One thing I have noticed with extremely long glue on nails is the extra stress they put on my nail bed. I can feel the nails flexing my natural nails and nail bed. Just another sensation I have never felt before. Nothing damaging, but i have been careful. I assume the glue will fail before damage occurs. 

[Cali]

5 mm may not be long, but in two weeks they grow out a bit more. I wear my nails in public. I had some acrylic nails before the pandemic hit and my manicurist was going to switch how she did my other nails to make them stronger.  Since the pandemic hit, the shop she was at decided to move to a new location and she decided to move back home up north. 

I've only done my finger nails 2-3 times since then because I have been very busy and my toes about 6 times.