Srs though: it’s more or less only relevant if you’re trying for long natural nails. Water is bad for that, as the nail soaks it up and swells from it. Since your nails are made of layers of keratin, this can make them delaminate (peel) because they might swell up unevenly. Think of a book that’s been soaked and dried. The chlorine in pool water is additionally quite drying, exacerbating the damage. I don’t really know why, but this is much worse if there’s a significant white bit of nail.
Nail polish can protect nails from it. Otherwise, nail oil can, too, as it saturates the nail without delaminating it.
What happened to me:
So basically two of the keratin layers from my nails lifted from the tip down to like a quarter of the way into the pink part. Then continued peeling beyond half way into the pink bit. Usually, I wear polish to protect my nails from the chlorine water, but if peeling has already started, the polish can take a piece of the top layer of the nail with it as it peels off. So, a break from polish, only minimal designs like this.
I got my nails done by a salon for graduation and once I took them off I have marks where they sanded them down and now they’re cracking to hell as they grow out again 😭😭
Ugh yeah I’ve heard that so many times! It you ever get your nails done again ask them to buff as little as possible! Also, your best bet rn is to use nail oil as often as you remember, especially before and after they’re in water (showering, doing dishes, swimming) and file off any jaggedy bits at the front.
Ad hoc theory for why it’s worse for long nails is that the white bit that’s some millimetres away from the finger tip is less likely to be saturated with natural skin sebum.
How does one get chlorine water damage?
Srs though: it’s more or less only relevant if you’re trying for long natural nails. Water is bad for that, as the nail soaks it up and swells from it. Since your nails are made of layers of keratin, this can make them delaminate (peel) because they might swell up unevenly. Think of a book that’s been soaked and dried. The chlorine in pool water is additionally quite drying, exacerbating the damage. I don’t really know why, but this is much worse if there’s a significant white bit of nail.
Nail polish can protect nails from it. Otherwise, nail oil can, too, as it saturates the nail without delaminating it.
What happened to me:
So basically two of the keratin layers from my nails lifted from the tip down to like a quarter of the way into the pink part. Then continued peeling beyond half way into the pink bit. Usually, I wear polish to protect my nails from the chlorine water, but if peeling has already started, the polish can take a piece of the top layer of the nail with it as it peels off. So, a break from polish, only minimal designs like this.
I got my nails done by a salon for graduation and once I took them off I have marks where they sanded them down and now they’re cracking to hell as they grow out again 😭😭
Ugh yeah I’ve heard that so many times! It you ever get your nails done again ask them to buff as little as possible! Also, your best bet rn is to use nail oil as often as you remember, especially before and after they’re in water (showering, doing dishes, swimming) and file off any jaggedy bits at the front.
Ad hoc theory for why it’s worse for long nails is that the white bit that’s some millimetres away from the finger tip is less likely to be saturated with natural skin sebum.
Swimming in chlorine water a bunch