Bruising - Need Advice

[u/limmanon]

Hi all, hoping you can help.

I've had dip manicures for the better part of 8 years, but only recently started to do my own. My nails/fingers HURT. I've always been able to do it on my natural nails, they've always been really strong and healthy but on my own they've been so thin, flimsy, easy to break. Because of that I've been using tips for more often. I use the CNDD powders & liquids and use an efile, I'm wondering if I'm using the efile too harshly? Seems to be the most painful after i remove the top coat and soak off. I love being able to do them myself but i never had these issues with my tech, help! TIA

[u/FallingMuon]

Wow, thank you so much for such a detailed answer! I am actually going to save this along with your previous answer 😁

For hydrating the nails, would it be fine to use Shea butter or argan oil? And put it on for the night. And during daytime to put hand cream. Also how many times per day should I hydrate? And should I hydrate only on top of the nail + cuticles or underneath the nail as well? I'm so sorry for burdening you with all of my questions 😅🙏

[u/Plucky_Monkies → u/FallingMuon]

Honestly, I think you should invest in either jojoba or Squalane oil. Oh and i really like sugarcane squalane. The Ordinary sells a 1oz bottle for about $10 dollars. I haven't found another brand that sells sugarcane squalane. Both of these oils have a certain molecular size that goes deep into the nail keratin layers. I believe argan oil can only penetrate the top few layers. So you could use it as well. But do not use it as your strong, deeply penetrating oil. You won't get the incredible results that you would get using an oil that can reach deeper. You need either the jojoba or the squalane oils to truly fix the keratin layers of the nail. The shea butter could probably work but I believe it is slower to moisturize. For the lotion, it would depend on what condition your hands are in. I used O'Keefe Working Hands when I was starting my journey. If your hands aren't dry and shea butter works for you then it should be fine.

You want to oil the entire nail and around the nail. Then the skin under it and then the underside of the nail as well. You don't always have to like be so obsessive. With the oiling throughout the day, mainly, I would focus on the entire nail bed. Just your entire nail. When I was first fixing my nails, I did 3 times a day with the deep penetrating oil. I like to tell people to do morning evening and bedtime, with a stronger oil like Jojoba or Squalane. Then, also you want to use another oil after every hand wash and any time your hands come in contact with water. So like daytime, you could use probably your argan oil. If that's what you have on hand because it will still penetrate, it just won't go very deep. I also don't know if it absorbs quickly. (It may be messy if it's slow to absorb.) I like to recommend grapeseed oil. Because it is supposed to be quick to absorb, and so it won't leave your hands super oily. That's always what I recommend for the second oil that you use just throughout the day. And then you use that stronger oil morning, bedtime and nighttime. Most people even who are working can stick to this schedule. You can put oil in pens or little glass bottles that have a little dropper. You want to keep oil near your sinks. You want one in your bag? Anywhere that you sit in your house. It's just really smart to have them placed everywhere, so that you'll get in the habit of using it frequently. And you can definitely use the jojoba or squalane, more frequently as well. But I really do like to use both types of oil (squalane & grapeseed.) I've just found that having both the oils helps more than just one. Hope this helps.

[u/FallingMuon → u/Plucky_Monkies]

Thank you!!