Sometimes you can split/ tear or weaken nails at a really annoying time. The day you have a party/ event/ date/ night on the town planned and you want awesome nails - not little stubs! Fear not, instead of filing them all down (or just the one, which looks even worse) you can do a quick little repair job with a tea bag...
1. I somehow managed to snag my nail on a razor in the shower :/ Time for a patch up job! Remove all nail polish, wash your hands and file your nails into shape.
2. Rip a bit of tea bag off so that it fits over the tear or weak part of the nail. Ripping is better than cutting - the torn edges give the nail polish something more to soak into.
3. Apply a base coat or nail hardener and gently press the ripped tea bag paper over the tear. You can use an orange stick or your finger.
4. I then like to apply a top coat, just to smooth the paper over a little before finishing my mani. You can file off or cut away any loose bits of paper.
5. Then paint your nails! I settled on a sponge gradient nail with crackle over the top, to hide the slightly bumpy texture!
And there you have it - one fixed nail! However, this *is* only a quick fix, I wouldn't recommend it for huge tears, but it's fine for something smaller. Sometimes it's best just to bite the bullet and cut your nails when they are torn or weak, so I'll leave that decision up to you...
What do you think? Have you fixed your nails with a tea bag before?
Thank you soo much
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna try that!
XOXO
IT *
That is a great tip!! My nails seem to be splitting alot at the moment and i'm always having to file them down :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I wouldn't have thought of using a tea bag. I have seen repair kits at the drug store, but this is much cheaper.
ReplyDeleteOooh I'm getting the fear just looking at that first pic, I hate doing that with the razor its happened a few times with me.
ReplyDeletereally good fix though :) xx
I've done this with tissue paper before, but I think tea bags will work better. Thanks for the great post!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great tip! Next time my nail chips I'll definitely give this a go!
ReplyDeleteWhen I tried this it didn't work but that might be because I cut the teabag. I'll definitely try ripping it next time. I always get the most annoying splits - usually always my thumbnails when they start growing to a decent length and they always, always split half way down. I wonder if the teabag can save them? Fingers crossed! xx
ReplyDeleteTHANKYOU. I could have done with this a week ago - I had lovely long talons for the first time in ages and I...well, alright, my fault for not googling this but I have stubbies now.
ReplyDeleteA very useful tip, thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteOh wow this Is such a Great Tip!! I have Broken Nails All the Time! I have to try this! Thanks for the tip x
ReplyDeletewow... to think it was just a teabag away... lol.. thanks so much for this post.. now i dont have to hide my nails next time something like this happens ^_^
ReplyDeleteI used to use teabags, but on longer nails they never provided sufficient support. Using actual silk wraps or just pieces from an plain silk handkerchief from the craft store was a revelation for me.
ReplyDeleteYou area genius. I have awfully weak nails and they always chip. However does covering them with the paper make them more prone to go yellow?
ReplyDeleteLove J.
Nice to know someone else does that with the razor in the shower, not sure how I do it but it is annoying! x
ReplyDeleteI've also had a razor attack my nails in the shower, how on earth does it happen?!
ReplyDeleteI'll try the tea bag tip should it ever happen again.
I will be certain not to call this fix 'tea-bagging' though, I'm sure that's an entirely different thing altogether...
@ InesT, I hope it works out for you :)
ReplyDelete@ Henessy, hope this might save you from having stubby nails!
@ Susan, you can use 'silk wraps', which I think you can buy, which are stronger. Tea bags are for little breaks, anything major and silks are a better option!
@ Lori, it goes through me when I do this! You could see the red of flesh through the nail *cringes* So far so good, though!
@ Cait, I think tea bags are a but stronger. Hope this works out for you!
@ Kelly, hope it works for you :)
@ Kimberley, yes, with cut tea bags, the polish doesn't really have much to soak into, so they'll just peel off. They wont last for ages, but should last at least a week this way. It shouldn't make nails yellow, especially if there is an opaque polish covering the entire nail.
@ Robyn, haha, well at least you'll be prepared next time!
@ Charlotte, no problem!
@ PinkSweetSz, so do I! This should at least help a little!
@ Brownsmoke, haha, nope, just add some tea bag, layer on some polish and nobody will know :P
@ CucumPear, yes, tea bags are just for minor repairs/ strengthening snags like mine. For talons, silk wraps are always the best option.
@ J, nope, you effectively have two barriers. The polish which actually sticks the paper down and the opaque polish over the top which protects the nail from sunlight.
@ Enigma, it's awful, isn't it! 'The fear' goes through me every time I do it -_-
@ traceyalderson, I've no idea! I really wish I knew because I do it quite often :/ Haha, no, you really don't want to call this tea-bagging, I had to stop myself the whole way through the post!
I do this all the time :) its brill!!
ReplyDeleteeee that looks painful! loved your tutorial. this is totally saved in my google reader to refer to it and practise xx
ReplyDelete