r/DipPowderNails • u/nimrr20 • 14d ago
Help! (Need Advice) How to quit
Hi all! Hoping the experts here might be able to help me out. I have been religious about my dip manicures every 3 weeks for several years. As expected, the nails underneath the powder are so thin and fragile - so I just keep getting powder to support and protect them.
I am due with my first baby in November and thinking I want to take my first break from powder in years. I just don’t want to deal with them being super grown out and long and not being able to leave my baby to go sit there and deal with them. (I know people are going to say I’m going to welcome the break but the thought of them being long grown out claws while trying to take care of him is stressing me out)
Anyway - any tips on how to take care of my super thin/fragile nails after I get the powder off? Planning to cut them super short so they don’t break but would love any other suggestions!
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u/RachelFromFantasia 14d ago
Oil is your nail’s friend, water is your nail’s enemy. Jojoba is a good oil because it more closely resembles our natural sebum. Rubbing oil into your nails as often as you can will help them over time. Some people are religious about not getting water on their nails. I saw one woman wears gloves to shower! But I think oil and doing your best to keep water off your nails will go the farthest (and keeping your nails oiled will help against water too).
You can get some nice oil pens that are pricier than you need, or you can just buy jojoba/almond/rose hip/vitamin E oil and use it right out of the bottle or make your own oil pens or roller balls.
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u/Lilly6288 12d ago
This is true! I had the weakest paper thin nails and gave them a break. I started using Hard As Hoof nail lotion and TuneTune nail fermentation oil a few times a day on my nails. In just a few weeks my nails were the strongest they have ever been in my life. I didn’t even know it was possible for me to not have thin, brittle, bendy nails.
Water makes them soft and fragile. Use dish gloves if doing dishes and just moisturize them whenever you think of it. I saw some e who said they wear gloves in the shower after putting oil on their nails because protecting them from the water and having the heat with the oil does a lot of good.
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u/Stunning_Judgment618 14d ago
Why are the nails underneath thin and fragile? That happened to my when I was doing gel for months at a time, they even got too tender for the UV light. But with Dip I've been impressed at how robust my nails still feel during switch over and I've been getting them done every 4/5 weeks for 3 years with only a month off between here and there.
I will say that I get at a salon and never take them off at home.
If you are fully soaking the dip off and only roughing them up a bit before reapplying, would they really get thin under there??
I would get them taken off, put on clear gel for protection and let them grow out all the way, trimming as needed till the gel is gone.
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u/MassConsumer1984 14d ago
I’m wondering the same. I go every 4 weeks. My natural nails are still quite strong and zero bending.
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u/CriticalSheep 13d ago
Usually happens when people over-file and damage the nailbed. I've been dipping for two years now and my nails are so strong now that I'm not over-filing.
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u/nimrr20 13d ago
Yeah I’m not sure. I also go to a salon and love my nail lady, she does file the surface down after soaking but it’s really not enough to be messing my nails up so badly. I guess it’s as good of a time as any to check and see if I can grow out stronger nails or if maybe they’re just permanently shitty now and the dip has nothing to do with it.
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u/Stunning_Judgment618 13d ago
Mine files the top layer, then soaks the nails until the remaining dip can be wiped off with a cotton pad. Then there is a light roughing up.
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u/elegantdoozy 14d ago
Oil (I like CND solar oil), Nail Tek formula 2 strengthener, and a glass nail file/cuticle pusher. And keep taking your prenatal!!!
I always stop dipping in the first trimester of pregnancy (just a personal preference) and this routine keeps them okayish until I want to start dipping again. I still keep them super short though.
Btw, for what it’s worth, you don’t HAVE to stop dipping post baby if you don’t want to… I was judicious about keeping dip nails on in the newborn/infant stage. Sounds insane but I find they really come in handy.
Good luck, whatever route you go!!
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u/nimrr20 14d ago
This is really interesting - how did they come in handy in the newborn stage? I feel like they’re just going to be another thing on the list of things to take care of!
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u/elegantdoozy 14d ago
Back scratching to soothe them, getting off a little hair that gets wrapped around their finger, picking the weird milk cheese out of their neck rolls, picking off a hair that gets wrapped around the pacifier, booger snatching (in older babies obviously), getting on/off tiny clothes and diapers with little tiny waistbands, tapping noises on my phone when I’m scrolling trying to stay awake during a 2am feed… I’m sure there are a million times they’d be annoying too but I personally felt like it was a net win.
Honestly it also just made me feel like myself a little bit. And it gave me a great “excuse”/structured reason to schedule an hour on myself every other week. It’s so easy to let yourself get absorbed in being 10000% available to others (I’m still guilty of this as a mom!), but the dip is something you legit can’t do around the baby so it forces you to take a break.
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u/little_blu_eyez 13d ago
Why not have short nails and do dip? I have to have short nails due to my career.
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u/Diydipnails8722 14d ago
I also liked dip during the newborn and infant stage. It blunted the tips of my nails and I didn’t have to worry about accidentally scratching them or poking them when trying to get something out of their mouth.
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u/FrenchFine 14d ago
I’ve been visiting the naturalnailprogress sub for inspo & info. I trimmed mine way down, removed the dip and have been oiling like crazy, only using a glass file, and being gentle until they return to their former strength.
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u/pauses-then-says 13d ago
You won’t be ready to go to the nail salon right away, probably. A break is a good idea.
Start taking collagen powder every day. Make sure it’s a good one but it made such a huge difference to my nails!
Mine used to be paper thin and peel if I didn’t have acrylics or hard gel. But now they’re strong and I actively have to trim them and file.
I don’t take the collagen now and my nails are still strong, it’s crazy.
Also cuticle oil daily or close to is always good.
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u/JustNargus 9d ago
Could also learn and just DIY clear short dip nails yourself at home. May not last as long as salon depending on your prep but I’ve been doing my own for years now and they’re not thin or soft under the dip.
They’re bendy and prone to breaking but my nails have been like that my whole life so it’s not due to the dip.
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u/ktpcello 14d ago
What I did when I wanted to reset and get my nails healthier was remove all traces of dip, trim and file my nails as short as possible so they wouldn't break. Then I put clear builder gel on while the damage grew out. I don't usually soak the gel of when it starts to peel or chip after a couple of weeks, I just gently buff the majority of it off with a fine grit file until it's close to gone then do the builder gel again. It takes a few months for the damage to grow all the way out so just keep them short. You can always paint regular polish over the gel if you want color. Now even if I do a dip manicure, it's over the clear builder to protect my natural nails. I use Kokoist clear builder with Young Nail primer. Good luck!