Today we will fix a broken nail with paper tape. Also called micropore tape (affiliate link, yo.) We will do this because that lone bellow you hear in the distance? That ‘GODDAMNIT’? That’s just me, with a broken nail.
I’ve looked up how to fix broken nails, but most of the stuff I’ve seen calls for cutting up a tea bag, and that’s just a horrible waste of tea. A few weeks ago one of my nails broke way down near the quick, and there would have been no non-painful way of just cutting it and letting it grow back out.
I had a thought. I knew there was a roll of paper medical tape in the medicine cabinet, and lo and behold, it does the trick. It’s not the sturdiest, but it will keep your nail from tearing any further until it’s grown out enough to cut.
Paper tape is nice and thin. All you have to do is roll it out a bit…
…and cut off a tiny square. Stick the square onto the broken part of the nail.
Polish over it, and that’s it. Now this is the quickest fix. It’s very noticeable up close, but from a distance it’s not.
If you have more time, the best way to patch the nail is:
-Remove all the polish from the nail and put the tape on.
-Cover the tape with a coat of clear polish. The tape is rough-textured, and the clear polish helps smooth it out a bit.
-When the clear polish dries you can let it be if you’re not going to paint your nails. If you do want to paint them go ahead and polish as usual. The tape will be slightly more camouflaged, but still noticeable up close.
But hey, it’s better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, amiright? I had to keep a patch on that nail for about 2 weeks until it grew out enough to cut it. The patches stayed put without any issues and I removed them whenever I switched polish colors. They come right off with nail polish remover and a little scraping with a thumbnail.
Go forth and polish.
Black Spruce Hound 