Broken nails are inevitable. You're out doing whatever, and all of a sudden a nail breaks. That's life. Sometimes the breaks mean you just clip the rest of the nail a bit, file the rough edge, and move on. But sometimes the breaks are small, and sometimes those small breaks happen too low on the nail to clip and file. This happened to me over the weekend - thumbnail somehow got a little break WAY too low to clip it off (it is actually below the smile line! yikes!) so that meant a little mending job was in order.

I've heard some say they just put a dot of super glue on the break. I don't like that idea. I know there are mending/repair kits out there. But how many of us really keep those things on hand? So, you get a minor break, and you have no repair kit handy - what do you do?

If you or someone else in your home drinks tea there is a solution.

Carefully remove any nail polish you may be wearing - pay extra attention to the word "carefully". You don't want the cotton ball/pad to snag on the broken bit of nail and pull on it and make it worse. So really take your time and be careful about removing the polish!

Then take some scissors and snip off a piece of a tea bag that is large enough to cover the break - if the break is high enough on the nail tip you will want to wrap the tea bag strip around the nail so it covers both front and back. Otherwise, just have it cover the front. Once it is the right size, apply some clear nail polish or a base coat to the nail, and then carefully place the tea bag strip over the break. If you'll be wrapping the strip around the nail to cover the back of a break too, put a dab of the polish on the back of the nail too, prior to folding the strip over. This gives the tea bag something to adhere to. Once you're done applying the strip - gently press out any air bubbles or kinks - apply another coat of clear polish, or a top coat. If you've wrapped around the back of the nail be sure to apply to the back of the nail as well. This holds the tea bag strip in place and protects it so it won't come off.

Alternately, you can cut a piece of the tea bag to cover the entire nail if you want. It really doesn't matter - whatever works best for you. This is what I typically do, simply because the bigger piece of tea bag is easier for me to handle than a small strip.

The tea bag becomes transparent when it is covered with the clear polish, and helps hold the broken edges of the nail together while it grows out to a point you are comfortable clipping then filing so the break is gone. I won't lie - if you're looking closely there IS a distinct difference in nails covered with a piece of tea bag and bare nails (or between the spot that's been covered and the rest of the nail) but it is subtle enough that other people are not going to notice it.

You can paint over the nails if you want, or just go with clear polish for a while for a change of pace while you let your broken nail grow out to a point you can clip it. Just remember that colored polishes, especially bright or dark colors, show wear and chip more than sheer or clear polish, and you will have to be careful when removing it, and then you will have to do the tea bag thing all over again when you do. This is why I usually opt for clear polish when a mending is necessary.

A tip for this tip: If you don't drink tea, or can't bring yourself to lose a bag of tea to mend your nails, invest in some empty tea bags. You can find them online, or if loose tea is a big thing in your area you may be able to find them locally. They're cheap and you get a LOT in a single box. Keep them on hand for nail repair jobs. I am not much of a tea drinker, but my dad is. So there are always empty tea bags on hand in this house.

You MIGHT be able to use a coffee filter and get the same results, but I have never tried it. Coffee filters are thicker and more dense in texture than tea bags, but if it's all you have on hand at the time of a break it may be worth trying.

Whatever you use, whether you've painted your nails and need to repaint (and thus re-do the mending, or you just need to re-do the mending) or your nail has grown out and can be clipped and filed, when the time comes to remove the mending all you will have to do is soak the nail(s) in some polish remover a while, and gently rub with a cotton ball. As the polish breaks down and comes off, the tea bag will come off with it - it will take a bit more effort to get the tea bag off, but it should not give you any trouble. You can gently scrub the nail(s) with a nail brush to help get the tea bag off - though it probably will not be necessary.