Preventing Chipped Polish - ACRYLIC NAILS

Why do most women have problems with their polish chipping? Wouldn't it be nice to wear a bright red polish if you want and have it last 7-10 days instead of 2-3 days? There are several reasons that polish chips or peels.
Let's take a look at application first.
Peeling is usually because there is too much oil on the natural nail between the nail itself and the base coat of polish. It is very important to clean the natural nail of any and all oils, creams and lotions, paying special attention to the tip and cuticle area. This is a very important step if you want your polish to stay. Polish itself, should also be kept out of the cuticle area. Applying a base coat (because it is more flexible and adheres better to the natural nail), two coats of the color polish and then a good topcoat (which adds shine and protects the color from wear) is important. When applying the base coat and the top coat, it is always a good idea to apply the polish around the tip of the nail where you file the nail.

The polish itself...
It is always a good idea to use fresh polish and not polish that is too old or thinned out improperly. This type of polish will usually breakdown quicker than a fresher polish.

To keep your polish fresher, longer, keep the neck of the bottle and the inside cap free of polish as this allows air into the bottle and thus thickens it more quickly.
Water

Stay out of water for long periods of time 24 hours after having your nails done. The first 4-6 hours are the most critical. The reason is that your nails are made of the same types of cells as your skin, they have just dried out and flattened out as they grow out from your cuticle area.

Also, your skin swells as it absorbs the water that you are in. It doesn't take too long for this to happen. So if your skin swells when it is in water, so do your nails. If your polish has not fully set (which it takes a full 24 hours to completely set) and you are in water long enough for your nails to start swelling, your polish is going to swell with it.

When your nails contract again, your polish won't. You have increased your risk of your polish chipping just by taking a quick swim in the pool, or soak in a hot tub.

Maintenance
Yes, I said maintenance. We can't apply polish to our nails and expect it to just magically stay there without any wear and tear. If your polish can chip by having your nails swell while the polish is drying, imagine that your polish has completely dried. Polish is plastic and while it is slightly flexible, it is not invulnerable. Your nails, through wear, are continually expanding and contracting when it is in water. Eventually, the polish will disengage from the nail where it keeps expanding and contracting. Like water under a shingle. So all you have to touch is a towel and the polish chips off where it loosened. The trick is to keep applying polish down the nail and around the tip of the nail (where you would file) starting the day after your manicure.It really isn't difficult to maintain your polish if you follow the above procedures.

Alicia Lyons has beena licensed cosmetologist and began doing nails in 1982. She's seen every trend in the nail industry come and go. She has seen the origin of acrylic and gel nails, French manicures and discount nail salons. In April 2008, she was listed as one of Sedona, Arizona's top six spa therapists by Sedona Monthly magazine.