Fiberglass is a composite material of glass fibers in resin; used in nail wrap applications to brace natural nails or artificial tips.

Wraps are thin pieces of material (usually silk or fiberglass) that are adhered to nails to help increase their strength and durability. Wraps make great supports for thin or very weak nails, and they can quickly make a difference on clients concerned about breaking or chipping their fragile nails.

Backscratchers educator Christine Vargas of Visalia Calif., explains how she uses wraps and offers some advice on how to introduce them to clients. “A lot of new techs are unsure whether they should use fiberglass or silk. I always ask the client first how tough she is on her nails. Is she breaking her nails often? Or only once in a while?

If she says she breaks her nails frequently, then I’ll go straight to a fi berglass wrap because they offer more strength — about double that of silk wraps. But if she says she only breaks or chips a nail every once in a while, then I’ll start her off with silk wraps and take it from there. If she needs more reinforcement we can switch to fiberglass.