DIY-How To Fix A Broken Nail!

Hi dolls.  Here is the post and pictures that I promised for you...How to fix a broken nail!  Keep in mind that this is just how I do it, and feel free to modify it or change it to fit your needs.  

First off, I have to apologize for the quality of some of the pictures-I have to work quickly for this process, and some of the pictures I took ended up blurry as I didn't really have the luxury of time.  You get the idea though, but feel free to post a comment or question for me if you don't understand my process.

First, here are the tools that I use:

Nail Glue & Nail Filler powder

I purchased both of these products at Sally Beauty Supply.  The Nail filler powder was by the nail acrylic powder stuff-and Orly makes one too but my Sally's didn't carry it. 

The nail filler powder has a shake/sift top, and is transparent.  It feels like grains of really fine sand, and gets pretty much everywhere, so work over a table or place a paper towel down on your work space.

Orange Stick

This is an old orange stick that I also purchased from Sally Beauty. You can use anything that you have on hand though.  I use this to pat on the powder onto the nail.

Nail Buffers & Nail File

I use two different kinds of nail buffers, one has a bigger, rougher grit than the other one.   I also use a nail file to file down any rough edges on the nail that may appear.  These were also all purchased from Sally Beauty.

So here is the nail that I tore (again).  Ouch.  I did repair this once before, so it has some leftover product.  The point is, you can do this as many times as you need to and for fresh tears.

What I do first is remove any polish that I am wearing with nail polish remover and make sure that it is clean.  

Then, I take some of the nail glue and put some in between the tear to seal it.  Let it dry.  I like brush on nail glue better for this purpose.

Then, I dab on some more nail glue right on top of the tear.  Working quickly, shake some nail filler powder on top.

Then, take the orange stick and move the powder around so that it is concentrated right over the tear in your nail.  Pat it down with the orange stick so that the powder forms a lump on your nail.

The nail glue absorbs the nail filler powder quickly, and it becomes dry within a minute or so.  If you feel that you need more reinforcement, just dab some more nail glue onto the nail and repeat the process.

Then, take the rougher grit nail buffer and start buffing down the nail powder you just laid down.  It is important to work back and forth and concentrate on the powder area.  What you want is for the powder to be flush with your nail bed, or as close to possible to it.  If you don't have a rougher grit nail buffer, using a regular nail file will work too, just be careful to not get too close to your skin or you risk cuts and scrapes.

Once you have most of it worked down, take your other buffing block and buff and shine the rest of the nail.

Here is what mine looks like after buffing:

Then, you can apply a smoothing base coat or two on top of the nail.

You can see where I repaired it, but with a few coats of polish, you will be hardly able to tell.

What I like to do is repeat this process to the underside of the nail too, for extra reinforcement.  (I just don't file/buff underneath the nail.)

Here is what my nails look like after I repaired the broken nail on my middle finger.

This is what I have been doing to my nails to save them from the chopping block.  I also have a tear on my pointer finger, in the same area, that I did the same process to.  But you can hardly tell, right?  This has literally been my life savor.  

Let me know what you think about this process.  Is it too tedious?  I know that there are other methods out there, but this is what works for me.  Again, leave me a comment or question down below if you have any!

Love,