I've just started to have Fiberglass nails (Make:Backscratchers) after years of having acrylic and love the Fiberglass! What a difference!Soooo much nicer, look more natural and although thinner I've had no problem with durability.
   What I'm wondering is.... certainly compared to acrylic they look very easy to do yourself as there is no filing and need for paint brush and steady hand??

Anyone 'in the know' able to tell me if I buy a kit (professional one) is it easy to do at home??
And if so any recommended products??

Thanks :-)

dont know anything about false nails but was recently thinking of having some after my nails have suffered badly with decorating our house.

whats the difference between the types and is the cost the same?

To be honest Lorripop I would say unless you really have to (my nails are very weak) I would avoid having over lays/ false nails etc as it can damage your own nail.
    If you've always previously had nice nails but they've just taken a bit of a battering I'd say you'd be better off having a good professional pampering manicure. <- A good one gives amazing results.
    But if you do decide you want a quicker fix for appearance then these are my personal experiences (Hopefully some one who works in this area will come along with better info)
Acrylic:
I have tried Acrylic nails and had this method for ooooh past 10 years now! Price varies on where you are in the world and the quality of the work and the chemicals used.
   Personally I would avoid the Chinese nail bars because they use electric drills (for speed of getting through customers) and I lost count of the tiny cuts I got and burns to my nail bed!! cheap is not always cheerful I learnt my lesson and avoided these places. they also use a type of acrylic that is used by dentists and is not really meant for nail salons (it's dust isn't good for you..hence you see them wearing masks) and whilst the nails are super strong the acrylic is very thick and this gives the most unnatural appearance of all the salon types out there.
   I found generically I was paying about £25 for a full set ( I have the white plastic false tips for a permanent 'French Manicure' look) and £15 every 2/3 weeks to fill in where the nail had grown)
   I eventually found a salon where they didn't use electric drills, used the proper products (not the banned ones) and applied only a thin layer of acrylic. It takes quite some time (about an hour and a half) and the smell is awful and your hands smell for some time after.

Gel:
Is much the same as acrylic in application and filing and price, thinner and more flexible that acrylic. once applied you have to sit with your hands under a ultraviolet light to activate/set the gel. The Gel is a powder like the acrylic so its applied to the nail with a brush. I think Gel looks better than Acrylic but I found it hard to find a good salon that did Gels.

Fiberglass:
I've just switched to this method and wouldn't go back! It is one of the more expensive options. I'm  now paying £40 for a full set and around £25 for in-fills.
    They are thinner so less durable than the Acrylic but I haven't really noticed much difference. I've had mine on 2 weeks now and they look just as good as when they were first done (The acrylics would start to lift at the edges and look quite tatty by week 2 even though I'd use a nail oil regularly as instructed)
    The fiberglass is applied in strips of tape with an activator applied and they just seem to melt on... there is no need to file them for ages and ages like the acrylic, they are just buffed and thats you done. And there is not the strong lingering chemically smell that you get with acrylic and gel.

You can also get silk warps... I haven't tried these. Be interested to hear anyone's experience of these!
Hope this helps?? :-)

Similar topic but can anyone suggest anything? I treated myself to false nails 3 years ago for daughters graduation (so the photo of me standing with my hand on her shoulder would look good, forgot that I was 3 stone overweight at the time!!! :)) anyway had them on for about a year and ever since the condition of my nails has been really bad, been 2 years with them off. Some are ridged and two just are flaky and split (sounds gross I know!) I need something to treat them with to get them back to a reasonable condition so I can grow them naturally.
Have tried almond oil and nail hardener.
Ever since I warn people against the after effects of having these done!!
Any suggestions?

OPI nail hardener is good you can get it from QVC at a good price. found this so that you know what your looking for.http://www.nailsandthings.co.uk/treatment_products.php

I can also recommend zoom nail food eat and drink I used this  a few years ago after being in hospital and my nails were affected because I was so ill it really works but you do have to apply it every day. It is also ideal for nail biters as it strenghtens the nail making it too difficult to nibble.(I bought it for my niece who was a nail chewer and it worked) http://nailcareclub.com/acatalog/nailsgrow.htm

Roni

I didn't realise that about Chinese nail bars! I was bought gel or acrylics fir my birthday last year, from a Chinese ran place. I went for acrylics seeing as they're stronger (?). Oddly enough, they use the electric filey things (cut me last time I had them infilled), and yes they use the powder. Having never had even a manicure let alone acrylics, I just assumed that was the universal way to do it! I need them infilled actually, maybe a whole new set (barely any tips left), so think I'll go somewhere else! Firbreglass sound great, but too expensive for me. My nails grow really quickly, need them doing every 4, sometimes 3 weeks. I was tempted to soak them off, but my natural nails are soft and weak...

munkeemojo
honestly they wont be soft and weak if you use the above product zoom

I'm going to get some I think, and actually use it. I've bought allsorts in the past but never stuck to it. I'd love to have good natural nails-these acrylics are starting to lift at the edge and look crap.

Thank you Starryeyes, will try the products and see how I go. Am off for 2 weeks sunshine (snow permitting!)so hopefully my nails will grow and I'll be less tempted to nibble. They are so soft now just tapping them does it!

Personally i prefer the zoom nail eat and drink to the opi ..having tried both but they both work .. you have to keep using it until they are as long as you want them to be.
You coat the nail every day until you get a build up  then  remove it with a non acetone nail varnish remover  and start again (you can still use nail varnish ) once they are the right length you just use it occasionally to keep them healthy.

By the way..OPI its the nail envy you would need