“When I was younger, I was always obsessed with nails” quoted Serena Williams.

Just like Williams, I have always been obsessed with doing my nails. I would always try to convince my mom to buy those nail art kits so I could experiment with new designs.

It was a dream of mine to get my nails done at a real salon to get that spa experience I was witnessing in movies and on TV shows for years.

Until now, I would always go through my mom and my aunt’s nail polishes or make my mom go out to buy me bright pink polish from the closest drug store.

By the time I was in middle school, I was filing my own nails to shape them, buffing them for extra shine, applying cuticle creams/oils and learning how to apply nail polish perfectly.

I had never gotten my nails done before, so they were definitely in shape, sturdy and very sleek after I gave myself a manicure.

My nails were beautiful, strong and perfect…at least before I took my first trip to the nail salon.

I have to admit, though, treating myself to the nail salon's lovely spa experience was super relaxing. However, the relaxation did not last too long for me.

I enjoyed my beautiful red coffin shaped nails for maybe two weeks max. During the first week, I definitely felt glamorous and was absolutely in love with my nails.

The end of the second week was dreadful. DREADFUL!

At first, my natural nails underneath began to hurt. It felt like they were being ripped from the nail bed, but they actually were not.

Note that I did not hurt my nails in any way, such as accidentally bending them back, pulling the tips off or even banging something on them. Nope! This all happened by itself, and it gets worse.

At this point, I had begun to get this incredibly painful feeling within my natural nails, especially since my natural nails did end up ripping from their nail bed.

I was actually shopping at the mall when I noticed fresh blood stain the tip of my thumb. Also, yes that hurt so much... since it happened to two of my fingers.

I needed to take those tips off immediately. So I called the same nail salon and booked a tip removal appointment.

That feeling of a weight being lifted off your shoulders is exactly how my nails felt. They were finally light and able to breathe.

However, the second I looked down at my fingernails, my jaw dropped in horror.

I understand that getting tips and the removal process can damage the nails. However, I was not at all prepared for what I saw. It was flaky, torn and horribly damaged.

Of course, my technician tried to make them smooth and did shape them, but I knew at that moment I had completely lost my natural, beautiful and strong nails.

After a week of letting my nails breathe and try to grow out, I noticed them starting to peel. Nails contain several hard and tough layers.

When I got the tips removed, some of those layers came off with it, thus weakening my nails and causing them to become brittle. As they continued to grow, they would often split, and I could see the layers of my nails.

This had to be one of my worst nightmares! Which is why I could not let myself leave them be and just let them grow out; I had to get back into my routine from middle school (but a little more advanced routine now).

It was important to keep my nails nice and short until I had completely grown out my nails to be new. I am someone who absolutely loves long nails, and I prefer them over short nails, which is why this process was very irritating for me.

While I kept my nails short, I also filed them into a curve instead of making it square. In this condition, having a curved (round or squoval) shape helps prevent nails from tearing and splitting more easily.

Along with this, I applied Vitamin E oil to my nails and massaged my cuticles with it. This allows for stronger nail growth and eliminates flaky nails.

In other words, my nails would grow out in a strong layer, without any splits.

The last thing I did was apply a top coat polish. This prevented flaking, tearing, and splitting (which was already present) from becoming worse.

My first nail salon experience…didn’t it go extraordinarily well!?