Yeah, the ends might be soft a bit. They didn't do a lot to my nail after they removed mine, so I recommend filing them down so they're quite short otherwise they're likely to split. Looking flaky is normal, although again, having them taken off professionally should minimise this (it happens then the gel nail comes off taking part of the natural nail with it) and the moisturiser should combat it. Also, the ends of the nail should harden a little after a couple of hours so it's worth waiting a little while before filing your natural nails to see how short you should file them.