Whether you’re brand new to FlexiNail or have been using it for years – many of you have questions about the use of nail polish and your natural nails.

First, let’s be honest and upfront and say that for many YEARS we at FlexiNail have always tried to discourage nail polish / color use. It was harsh on the nails and the process of taking the color off damaged the nails and went against all the good that FlexiNail achieved. That said, we know that once you have your nails back in great shape with FlexiNail, most of you want to be able to use color – at least once in a while. It took a very long time but technology has improved significantly and we are now able to introduce a new line of nail polish called MicroPore that is able to work with FlexiNail.

MicroPore has significant improvements over regular polish including the use of a non-occlusive, more permeable (porous) film former. Your natural nails contain oils (helped by FlexiNail) as well as moisture. Traditional polish acts as a barrier while MicroPore polish allows this moisture and oil to flow both ways through the “pores” of the polish. FlexiNail fingernail conditioner can and should be applied directly on top of MicroPore polish – it won’t be as effective as application to bare nails but is a huge improvement that allows the use of nail color.

Let’s get some bad news out of the way.

We always try to encourage NEW FlexiNail users to go without polish at the start. It is so much easier to maintain nice nails down the road if you start by getting them in great shape before starting to apply color or polish. The longer you go at the start without polish, the faster and easier it will to get your nails into great shape.

Painting your nails (even with MicroPore) is not good for your nails and nail color does contain chemicals. The process of taking the polish off is also hard on the nails. Just like eating food that may not be good for us but tastes amazing – we know it is something we all do and using FlexiNail over MicroPore polish won’t be nearly as effective as application to bare nails but is a huge improvement over only being able to polish your nails occasionally.

So while we are trying to provide the best products we can for painting your nails there is still a lot YOU can do to minimize negative affects on your nails. Each of you also has a unique set of factors and environmental factors that affects your nail care (your weather, how often you use sanitizer, health issues (ie thyroid), swimming, doing dishes, frequency of nail polish use, etc) so please take the guideline below and adjust your routine to your personal set of circumstances. Increase the amount of “break” time between nail color changes if you need to adapt to your own situation. As a very general rule of thumb try not to use polish all the time. Still take a week break without polish between color changes until you are certain your nails can handle more.

USAGE GUIDELINES:

• You may notice that when you get a manicure that they may wipe your nails with alcohol before applying the color. This is to strip out the natural oils in the nail so that the color sticks to the nail better. Who would pay for an expensive manicure if oils trying to get out through the color caused the paint to chip and peel right away? When they strip out the oils out first it is damaging the nail’s natural integrity and reversing any benefits of applying FlexiNail. Excessive hand sanitizer use can cause similar issues. Please apply MicroPore color to nails that you have not stripped the oil from. This does NOT mean that you should apply MicroPore color right after using FlexiNail as this goes too far the other way. Pick a time to apply MicroPore when you haven’t used FlexiNail for a couple of hours or longer. Then apply FlexiNail on top of the painted nail after it is dry if you wish.


• Do NOT use an acetone based nail color remover. The acetone not only strips the paint from your nails but also strips all the oil from the nail as well. The FlexiNail Soy based nail polish remover is much less harsh than acetone and still does a great job of taking the color off your nails.


• Make changes to your nail routine SLOWLY. Yes, MicroPore color is much better than traditional polish and our Soy based nail polish remover is much less harsh than acetone – BUT your nails still need a break once in a while. Take breaks between color changes where you go days or longer between MicroPore color changes. Make new changes SLOWLY. See how your nails respond after many weeks of the same routine and then decide if decreasing the amount of break time between color changes is right. We suggest a week long break between color changes at the start.


• When using MicroPore, it is even more important to apply FlexiNail fingernail conditioner once or twice a day to the painted nail. On break days between color changes be sure to continue to apply FlexiNail (as it is significantly more effective on bare nails).


• Use the FlexiNail cuticle conditioner product to keep your cuticles soft and in great shape. Anytime you notice any dryness to cuticles, make a thin application as it goes a long way in your overall nail care routine.