How to Keep Nail Polish on Real Fingernails

Allow each layer to dry to ensure proper adhesion.

Nail polish is one way to dress up the tips of your fingers and toes to coordinate them with whatever look you want to present. Sometimes, nail polish can be frustrating though as, if done improperly, it can chip and peel leaving your nails looking tattered. Getting nail polish to stay on real nails requires a few more steps than just spreading color over nails.

Things You'll Need

• Cotton balls
• Nail polish remover
• Nail trimmer
• Nail file
• Nail buffer
• Clear base coat
• Nail polish
• Cotton swabs
• Clear top coat

Instructions

1. Remove any existing polish thoroughly with cotton balls and nail polish remover. Any color left on nails can cause new color to chip and fade so it is essential to start with freshly cleaned nails.

2. Trim nails to your liking and file them, filing in one direction as opposed to pressing the file down on nail edges and sweeping it back and forth. Sweeping back and forth can leave splits at the ends of nails that can contribute to chipping, but going in one direction leaves a smooth edge.

3. Buff the tops of your nails all over with a fine nail buffer. This will remove oils and assist color in adhering better to nails. Wash and dry hands thoroughly when done.

4. Apply a clear base coat to nails by dipping the brush in coat and sweeping a thin layer from the base to the tips of nails. Allow 10 minutes to thoroughly dry.

5. Dip your nail brush into color and then wipe it gently on the rim of the bottle to remove excess. Sweep the brush down the center of the nail from the base to the tip, then sweep it down each side. If you get any polish on your skin, wipe off with a cotton swab. You can also wait until it dries then later wash hands to peel away polish on skin.

6. Let this first coat dry for 10 minutes, then paint on another thin coat of polish and wait an additional 20 minutes to give both layers sufficient time to dry. Paint on a thin top coat over color as you did with color and wait another 10 minutes before using your hands or walking if you painted your toes.

Tips & Warnings

• Paint on a thin layer of top coat every 48 hours to maintain nails and prevent chipping. For existing chips, apply a very small amount of polish to the chip, allow to dry for 10 minutes, then apply top coat and allow to dry another 10 minutes.

References

• Salon Web: Nail Tip and Care Questions