How To Fix A Broken Nail With Gel Polish On

Ugh! I hate it when I break a nail. Especially if I have a gel manicure and all my other nails look perfect. Just how to fix a broken nail with gel polish on? If you’ve had this problem, read on to find out how to save that expensive manicure even if you’ve broken a nail.

These methods are useful to tide you over until you can get back to your nail salon. The methods vary depending on how bad the break is, and what you want to do with your other nails.

The key with repairing a broken nail with gel polish is to always keep matching polish around your house. If you’re doing your own nails, this shouldn’t be a problem. Or you could opt to have your broken nail polished in a different color, or perhaps some sparkly metallic polish to act as an accent nail instead.

This post doesn’t cover all the ins and outs of doing a perfect gel manicure, just how to do the repair work on a broken nail with gel polish on.

This post may contain affiliate links. My full disclosure policy is sort of boring, but you can find it here.

How to Fix a Broken Nail With Gel Polish On With a Tea Bag

If your gel painted nail has broken and is still partially attached, use this method. Brush-on nail glue works best for this so it’s a good idea to keep some on hand for the emergency repair.

1. Clean the whole area well with rubbing alcohol to remove any oils from your skin.
2. If you can remove the polish without further damaging your nail, go ahead and do that.
3. Using nail glue, put a very small dab on the edge of the break.
4. Quickly position the nail back into its original position.
5. Hold carefully for a few seconds to avoid gluing your fingers together.
6. Next, find a teabag and cut a small square about the same size as the break or crack.
7. Using superglue, add a layer of superglue over the repair about the same size as the tea bag piece.
8. While the glue is still set, gently position the tea bag material over the crack.
9. Once dry, add another layer of nail glue.
10. Buff and smooth out the area and repolish the nail.

This is the same method you’d use if you have ready made silk wraps for nails on hand like these:

How To Fix a Gel Nail That’s Broken Completely Off

There are a couple of ways to fix a broken nail with gel polish that’s completely broken off. The easiest and best option will depend on where the break is and how drastically different your other nails are.

Option 1: Smooth the Edge of the Broken Nail & Trim Others to Match

If the break isn’t super dramatic, you may just want to file it down and trim all your other nails to match. Sometimes this happens to me and I just decide it’s time to go a bit shorter.

This option is definitely NOT popular. It’s basically cleaning up the break and trimming and filing down your other nails so they are approximately the same length.

Once you trim and file, you can remove the polish on your damaged nail if necessary and repolish to match your manicure.

Option 2: Glue and Repair your Broken Nail with Powder

Want to try keeping the length after your breaking incident? Give this a try. These kind of repairs don’t usually last long, but if you’re careful, you’ll extend your manicure long enough to make it to the salon. If you want to be able to repair your nails this way, you’re going to need to keep a DIY nail repair kit on hand like this one:

This kit is great because it has pretty much everything you need for many different types of nail repairs, whether you’re wearing gel polish, have a dip manicure or acrylics.

1. Clean the whole area well with rubbing alcohol to remove any oils from your skin.
2. If you can remove the polish without further damaging your nail, go ahead and do that.
3. Using nail glue, put a very small dab on the edge of the break.
4. Quickly position the nail back into its original position.
5. Hold carefully for a few seconds to avoid gluing your fingers together.
6. Gently buff the surface to smooth the repair out.
7. Brush the special glue over the entire nail.
8. Dip nail into the powder. Shake off the excess.
9. Repeat the dip process if desired.
10. File and buff your nail into the desired shape.
11. Polish as desired. Metallic polish can be nice for repairs because it isn’t totally smooth.

How to “Fix” a Nail by Using Press On or Glue on Nails

So this really isn’t a way to fix the nail, but if you have an event to go to and you just don’t have time to hassle with repairing your nail, why not try one of these easy press on or glue on nails?

Press on nails have come a long way baby! They come in all sorts of cute colors, lengths and styles. Why not just cover up your broken nail with a glue on or press on nail? You could even choose an accent color. People will never know you had a nail emergency.

How to Avoid Nail Breaks in the First Place

Hopefully, these tips have helped you make a temporary repair of your gel manicure.

To minimize breakage in the future there are several things you can do to keep your nails nourished and healthy:

• Always wear gloves if you’re working in water or with chemicals.
• Moisturize your hands, including your cuticles every chance you get.
• Keeping your nails polished helps them stay strong.
• Use a special cuticle oil at night before bed to keep your cuticles and nails well moisturized.

The Takeaway: Repairing a Broken Gel Nail isn’t Ideal, but it is Doable

Pretty much everyone who’s ever had a gel manicure has experienced a broken nail. As frustrating as it is, it’s good to know that if you have superglue, tea bags and extra polish on hand, you can usually fix a broken nail with gel polish on at home to tide you over until you can get in for a professional manicure.