If a nail snaps off completely you can either replace it temporarily with a false nail, to maintain an even set for a special occasion or, better still, file the rest down to its level. This seems harsh, but in reality nothing looks more ludicrous than one stubby nail amongst a set of near talons.

You can mend a split, however, and save your nail until it has grown far enough to file by using a special nail repair glue. These glues are a slight variation of the all-purpose quick-drying household glues and should be treated with the same amount of caution. Make sure the nail is clean, dry and free from grease; then very carefully flood the split with a small droplet of glue. Quickly remove any glue from the surrounding finger with polish remover to prevent burning or skin sticking to skin. When the glue has set(a matter of minutes), file flush to the nail surface and apply nail polish to hide the join. The mend will last longer if you file the nail down a little first,to reduce the stress on the tear.