How to Polish a Peeling Nail

To get polish to stay on peeling nails, Karen Hodges, a nail tech at Salon Key West in Key West, Fla., says she’s had good luck using a layer of brush-on resin as a base coat. “Brush it on thinly, activate if needed, and lightly buff with a sponge board buffer (or a broken-in-white block buffer). Be careful not to apply the resin too thick or it will chip and peel if the nail bends,” she cautions. After that, simply apply two coats of color and top coat. The manicure lasts 10 days to two weeks, says Hodges, and the nails are given a little bit of extra strength,’ Have your client use a good cuticle oil every day to keep the nail from drying out to keep the enhancement flexible,” she says.