A crackle nail polish look is extremely attractive and gives an illusion of a cracked surface. However, when natural chipping and peeling occurs, that is especially disheartening. Indeed, it spoils the entire nail look, even if the chip appears in one nail alone. So, you would have to re-do the whole look again, and for those who like elaborate designs, this is a hassle.
While it is normal to have polish cracking or peeling from the surface occasionally, it is actually avoidable altogether. Certainly, you must take care of your nail health first to reduce such possibilities. Not to mention, you would have to reconsider some application steps too, all in an effort to ensure a long-lasting manicure.
Ways To Avoid Chipping And Peeling Of Crackle Nail Polish
Surely, there are particular steps you need to keep in mind to prevent cracks or peels in the nails. Even though the style of crackle nail polish mimics this, real cracks would ruin the appearance. So, you should carefully follow the preventive steps. Five of the most important ones are discussed here and you need to follow them carefully.
- Basecoat and topcoat
Without a doubt, when you are applying the nail polish, you have to think about the coatings. Simply applying the color onto your nails is not enough. Hence, always remember to apply the base coat first. To avoid the situation of peel-off nail base, put the top coat last. You need to add a nourishing coat on the base to ensure healthier nails and long-lasting polish.
You would not have to deal with too much staining either and even the polish application would occur smoothly. Indeed, this is an unavoidable step for the sake of avoiding chips on the nails.
Of course, give equal importance to the topcoat as it would seal the crackle nail polish inside. And to make sure that no cracks occur on top, replicate this step once every few days.
Another point to mention here is the amount of time you should spend between each coat application. Indeed, 5-10 minutes of waiting is enough for each coat to dry and reduce the possibility of bubbles appearing.
- Avoid watery nail polishes
One of the characteristics of nails, in general, is that they are porous in nature. So, when under the water, they can absorb the liquid quickly. Consequently, after you apply the hydrated solution of nail colors on your nails, your nails would expand and then shrink. As a result, the polish would start chipping since they cannot extend or contract alongside the nails.
So, you should opt for the polishes with waterless solutions. While water is important to hydrate the cuticles, you do not always need to use water-centric nail polishes. After you are done with the manicure, you can take care of your cuticle health later.
- Buffing the nails
For the correct application of color and to prevent peel off nail color from occurring, buff the nails. Indeed, having a smooth surface is very important for the perfect manicure. In case you miss this step, the natural oils that are present in the nails would start growing in quantity. Then, this residue would form uneven surfaces, and that would increase the chances of cracking polishes.
So, buff the surface well, and then remember to use a nail polish remover to remove the excess residue. Make sure to do this step before applying color. As a result of this action, any of the unneeded ridges would disappear. As for the tool, you can use a regular sponge-like buffing block to smoothen the surface. Plus, if any of the skin from the sides starts peeling off after drying, you can use this for them too.
- Cuticle care
When you are trying to create a crackle nail polish, do take care of the cuticles first. Indeed, using cuticle oil for this is highly useful to moisturize and exfoliate the nail beds. Accordingly, the dead cells would not remain in this area any longer. And your cuticle’s skin would rest away from the nail plate as well.
For the right process exfoliation, begin massaging the oil into the cuticles and then lightly push the skin backward.
Moreover, while trying out the look of a crackle nail polish, many people mistakenly put color on the cuticle region too. It is important to note that this is something you should avoid. Indeed, the purpose of the topcoat is to cover the polish and prevent scuffs or chips from appearing.
In case it does touch the cuticle region, you would have to peel the polish manually. And that may include the entire polished part or half of it. Therefore, you need to ensure that you keep the polish on the nails alone.
When you are at a nail salon, make sure that the professionals are following this step well. In case of any accidental application, you can remove the extra portion carefully. But for the best result of your manicure, it is better to avoid this situation entirely.
- Correct nail polish quantity
If you are trying the crackle nail polish trend, applying the polish correctly is very important. But often, you may see that the color does not stay for long. Plus, the chipping on the surface continues to appear.
In such a case, you should make sure that the amount of nail polish you are using is accurate. Indeed, putting too thick a layer would make the surface unstable. And thus, such nail polish keeps peeling off. In such a situation, it is important to try applying the polish in thin coats. In fact, put it on twice down the sides and the middle in a thin layer. Then, wait a while to let the color dry.
If you wait longer for the coats to dry, they would do so perfectly and even last longer. In case you have used a thicker coating of polish already, use a nail paint remover to fix the mistakes.
To summarize, using the correct application process and using the right products would prevent any chipping or peeling polish. Follow them carefully for the perfect manicure, whatever design you choose.