NAIL MYTH: ‘You need to take a break from nail enhancements to allow your nails to breathe’
FALSE!
A notion persists in the nail industry regarding nails needing to breathe, you’ve heard your friends say it, you’ve probably said it yourself! But the truth is nails don’t breathe! They are hard dead cells which grow out from your finger to protect your finger tips.
“One hundred percent of the oxygen needed by the nail matrix to create a new nail plate comes from the bloodstream, and zero percent comes from the outside world,” says Doug Schoon, scientist, researcher, and nail-industry educator. “Nothing is gained by removing artificial nail enhancements or coatings for a few months before reapplying them,” he explains.
So why do your nails feel dry or brittle after having nails on?
This is down to a number of things including incorrect application or removal. In most cases its purely down the moisture levels of the nails. When we put any type of coating on the nails (from clear polish to a full set of gel/acrylic) the moisture and oils our body produces that naturally pass from the nail bed to the nail plate pass at a slower rate. This decreases the moisture level by 10-15%. This is why we are constantly reminding our clients to use Solar Oil which contains vitamins such as Vitamin E to keep the nail hydrated underneath.