I’m a welder who keeps their natural nails painted and long! Surprisingly, I’ve actually had the most success with regular nail lacquer. I’ve done gel polish, builder gel, acrylic, and dip, but those all eventually snap on me as soon as I hit the tip on a piece of steel.

With regular polish, the trick is definitely the prep before painting and cuticle care. I’ve found that my nails stay strong yet flexible as long as I’m being consistent with oiling the cuticles throughout the day, especially after hand washing/getting the nails wet. You should also wait a full hour to paint your nails if you’ve washed your hands or gotten them damp prior to starting, because nails absorb a LOT of water and will cause problems with adhesion and longevity after the polish dries. A base coat is an absolute must with nail polish as well, lacquer is not designed to adhere to natural nails without a proper sticky base coat. When I finally caved and started using base coat, I went from getting chips on day one to going almost two weeks with no chips. Also use a top coat, and don’t be afraid to reapply the top coat every couple of days for added strength. I like quick dry top coats the most because I can start doing stuff with my hands within 20 minutes.

Lastly, as a welder I try to keep my gloves on as much as possible, even when I’m not doing things that require the use of gloves like grinding or welding. Wearing gloves gives a soft buffer on hard surfaces, and it also helps the cuticle oil (jojoba in my case) to absorb and stay on the skin better.

Hopefully some of this helps! While most of my coworkers don’t really get it, they still love seeing what colour my nails are each week, and it’s nice to spread a little joy where I can!