How to Keep Nail Polish from Chipping & Best Non Chip Polish that Stays on Longer

What causes chipped nails? How do you keep or prevent nail polish from chipping? What is the best nail polish, colors and top coat brands that don’t chip? Read on to find out more in addition to, how to do non-chip manicure at home and safety in relation to cancer.

Why does my Nail Polish Chip in 2 Days?

Chipped nail polish is basically nail color than begins to fade off and chip from the edges of the nail towards the middle. Usually this happens after a few days or weeks depending on the formula as some formulas chip more or less than others. For example, if the formula is too thin or too thick, it will chip more easily than formulas of normal thickness.

how to keep nail polish from chipping — Pictures of chipped Nail Polish

A nail polish will chip on average after 5-10 days since its initial application. If it begins to chip faster than that e.g. in just 3 days, it means that the formula or some other reason make it chip faster than it should.

Besides the formula some other possible reasons that make a nail polish chip are:

Washing or doing housework with unprotected hands

Many women who do housework complain that their nail polish chips faster and this mainly due to using water/moisture, detergents, and other harsh elements when cleaning and washing which interfere with the nail polish pigments and make it chip faster

Broken nails due to small accidents

Even if you wreck your feet or hands even once (most people hit their feet in small accidents on a regular basis e.g. hitting the door or bed) chances are, your nails and nail polish will chip also.

No application of base and/or top coat

Base coats and top coats may look like a little extra and optional when you do a manicure or pedicure but the main reason they are used is to protect the nail from color fade off and chipping. If you don’t, your nail polish will chip much faster even if you are using a fairly strong formula, although some base coats and top coats may not help that much as they claim.

Very long Nails

Long nails that exceed 1 ½ inches in length not only are a bit hard to maintain, they will chip off faster because they are exposed to environmental elements and accidents more than nails of normal length.

How to keep Nail Polish from Chipping

To prevent your nail polish from chipping faster, you need to find the root cause and eliminate it or cause the necessary corrections. For example:

If you have noticed your nails chip faster after you wash the dishes or any other similar housework that includes using water and detergents, wear protective plastic gloves to protect both your hands from irritation and your nail polish from chipping. These are available in most supermarkets at a very low price so there is no excuse not to wear them.
Now, of course you can’t totally eliminate the likelihood of small accidents happening that may break your nails, but you can trim your nails to a normal length to minimize breaking and chipping. You can also apply a strengthening base coat on regular basis to protect them from breakage and chipping, even after a small accident like this happens.
Last but not least, make sure you apply a layer of a long lasting top coat to prolong the nail polish on your nails and delay the chipping process. Of course, a top coat won’t make your nail polish last forever, but it will extend the nail polish life a few more days or even a week before it starts to chip. In fact, some top coats as you can see from the rest of the article can make your nail polish last up to two weeks, which is pretty impressive considering the fact that most nail polishes last up to a week.

How to do a no-chip Manicure at Home + Kit

Have you ever noticed that professionally done manicures last longer? Apart from their reputable professional nail polish formulas, it’s the process and technique that makes the difference. If you want to get similar results at home here is how:

Step 1: Make sure you have a base coat, a nail polish, a top coat and LED or U.V curing lamp. The last is optional but it really helps make your nail polish last longer and speed up the whole process.

Step 2: Trim and file your nails to a normal or medium length (ideally up to ½ inch longer than your fingers) and apply a layer of base coat to the first hand of your nails. Turn on the curing lamp, place the whole hand inside and let it dry for 1-2 minutes. Repeat the same process on the other hand.

Step 3: Apply one coat of your desired nail polish (again one hand first) to your finger nails and place again your whole hand to the LED or U.V lamp for another couple of minutes. Repeat the same process with the other hand.

Note: If your nail polish doesn’t look opaque and even from the first coat, you may need to add a second or even a third layer of nail polish. Again you will use the same pattern of painting each hand and curing for two minutes and then do the same on the other hand.

Step 4: Finish off with a layer of top coat, applied on one hand at a time, cure for another minutes and repeat with the other hand. Your nail polish is now set.

Best no Chip Nail Polish Brands, Colors & Reviews

If you don’t have a base or a top coat available, some nail polishes last alone more than a week, according to online reviewers. Here are the best no chip nail polishes currently available in the market:

OPI no chip colors. Although OPI doesn’t have any long lasting specialty lines, most online beauty bloggers and testers say that some OPI colors like Pale to The Chief, Malaga Wine, Madam President, and Russian Navy last longer than other colors of their range.
Other Brands and Colors you could try are: Zoya (lasts anywhere from 7-12 days according to online bloggers and reviewers), Sally Hansen’s miracle gel line (lasts more than a week on average), Nails Inc, and Smith and Cult.

Best no chip nail polish colors opi brands — OPI

Best no Chip Top Coat

best Anti cChip Top Coat Nail Polish — Insta dri By Sally Hansen

Although there is not single best no chip top coat that visibly outperforms the rest, there are 5-6 top coats that have been consistently praised by the online beauty community for their staying power. Here are the top picks:

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat/average lasting power over nail polish 8-12 days and 4.7/5 star score
Sally Hansen Insta-Dry anti-chip top coat/makes nail polish last on average 10 days and has a 4.7/5 star score
Deborah Lippman Rock Hard. A high-end nail polish that strengthens the nails and makes them last on average 8 days.
Essie No-Chip Ahead. Another great drugstore option that makes your mani or pedi last more than a week. This also has a smooth glossy finish and prevents additional color fading.
Dior Gel Coat. A high-end product with a long lasting gel finish that typically lasts 7-12 days.

No chip Manicure Safety

Non chip nail polishes have gained a significant popularity recently. This entirely based on the idea that this type of nail varnish dries fast and last longer.
It is not the Non chip manicure that may cause cancer but the process. At the drying stage, UV light is required. It is this UV light that creates concern. There is evidence that light increase skin cancer risk. Frequent exposure, even if it is for short duration, may increase the danger for common types of skin cancer. It can also result to melanoma of the nail bed, which can be more difficult to treat.

Another concern is at the removal stage where acetone, the chemical into which the nails are soaked to remove the polish.

The ingredients of this remover make your nails dry, and can leave the nails thinner, causing them to become brittle and this eventually makes the nail bed more prone to infections and fungus.
Solution?