How to Treat a Cracked Nail

A cracked nail can be both painful and troublesome. When a nail cracks, you’re constantly worried it could catch on something and tear further. Thus, it’s crucial to address a cracked nail promptly. Treating it not only prevents further tearing, but also allows you to apply nail polish to cover up the unsightly crack.

Remove nail polish. Use a cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover to wipe off any polish on the nail. Gently swipe across the nail, ensuring to clean in between the cracks.

• Be careful not to let the cotton fibers get caught in the crack. If you're concerned that the cotton may get stuck, it’s best to wipe in the direction of the crack.

Cut the top off the tea bag. Use scissors to cut the top of the unused tea bag. The paper from the tea bag will be used to treat the cracked nail, so make sure it remains intact and discard the tea leaves in the trash.

Trim the tea bag to fit the nail. Depending on the location of the crack, you can cut the tea bag into a rectangular shape that fits perfectly over the nail, covering the crack and extending to the tip of the nail. For example, if the crack is near the tip of the nail, cut the tea bag to cover the crack and about half of the nail. If the crack is deeper, cut the tea bag longer so that it reaches the cuticle.

• Make sure the edges of the tea bag align with the edges of the nail.
• After placing the tea bag on the nail, you can leave the edge hanging over the tip of the nail; this part will be trimmed later.

Apply a clear base coat. Apply a thin layer of clear nail polish as a base coat. The clear polish acts as glue to hold the tea bag in place on the nail.

Place the tea bag on the nail. While the base coat is still wet, carefully position the rectangular piece of tea bag on the nail to cover the cracked area. Gently press the tea bag with your finger or a cuticle stick to smooth it out. This step ensures that no air bubbles are trapped beneath the surface of the tea bag. Let the nail polish dry for about 5 minutes.

Wait for the nail polish to dry. Allow the clear base coat to dry, then carefully trim off the excess tea bag hanging over the tip of the nail.

• It’s fine to leave a small portion of the tea bag at the tip, as you can file it down later once the nail hardens.

Apply an additional layer of clear nail polish. Once the tea bag is securely in place, apply another layer of clear nail polish. Be sure to extend the polish over the nail and onto the tea bag. Allow this layer to dry for around 5-10 minutes.

• At this point, the tea bag will appear almost transparent.

File away any excess tea bag paper. After the clear nail polish has dried, use a nail file to file in one direction and remove any leftover tea bag paper.

• The nail file will help smooth out any remaining paper particles along the edge of the nail.

Apply another thin layer of clear nail polish. To seal everything in place, apply a thin coat of clear nail polish. This time, make sure to cover the tip of the nail, right where the tea bag was cut off. Let this layer dry for at least 10 minutes. Avoid touching the nail after applying the tea bag and the three coats of nail polish.

• Applying polish along the tip helps prevent the tea bag from lifting or getting damaged.

Apply nail polish as usual. Once the nail is completely dry, you can apply your regular nail polish as usual. Be sure to apply a thin coat over the cracked area, as the nail already has three layers of polish and will take longer to dry completely.