Repairing a broken nail

So, I would imagine this is something that plagues us all - a broken nail. That's what this post is about - repairing the break. This is a trick I learned back in my days training to be a nail tech and it's proved its usefulness again and again.

This week I kept my manicure simple; just polish, no art. If you don't already know, my mom duties including being a Cub Scout Den Leader for my son's pack. This week we did bike safety and I brought the mini's bike to our meeting. Somehow during the load and unload of his bike I managed to rip my nail almost half-way off. My son thought I was crazy to be upset about it (!!!) but instead of cutting it off, I decided to repair it.

Broken thumb nail (black spot is some glitter I missed)

The first task was to take the polish off my nail. As you can see, there's a tiny black glitter left, but it managed to get into the break and I didn't want to damage the nail any more by digging it out, so I left it there.

I use cotton cosmetic pads (from Ulta) to remove my polish, so I tore a tiny piece off the top layer off to give me a faux-wrap.

Cotton pulled from a cosmetic pad

Then, using nail glue, the kind that comes with acrylic nail kits (Superglue works, too), I glued the cotton down to my nail, making sure to cover the break completely.

Patch in place

 After the cotton had dried completely I added another layer over my entire nail. This step is option and for cosmetic purposes only. If you end the cotton application here, your nail will have a very pronounced bump where the patch is. NOTE: It's important to not just apply glue to the nail, but to apply it over the cotton once its adhered. This will form a barrier like an acrylic nail that will protect the fibers of cotton from being filed down in the next step.

After letting the whole nail dry completely, I trimmed off the excess cotton from around the edges of my nail and buffed it with a filing block.

Finished patch

As you can see, I covered my entire nail and then buffed it smooth. It won't look good naked, but once covered with polish only a very close inspection will show the patch.

Repaired and polished

And finally, the completed manicure! I got a mini polish from Sally Beauty Supply. It's their Sally Girl brand but the girl at the counter said they don't sell it in full sized bottles and I couldn't find a name on it anywhere.

Although I love the color, the pale blue and tiny black glitters, the formula was very inconsistent. It was thick, but didn't cover well and I had to let one drop dry completely before applying the next coat or it would streak badly. I used Orly Bonder Rubberized Base Coat and Seche Vite as a top coat over 3 layers of polish.

What do you for a broken nail? Do you clip it off or try to repair it?