I have super thin nails that break easily. Starting when I was in college and a lifeguard/swim instructor at my local YMCA, I wore two thin coats of hard gel for 20 years.
I spent a lot of time learning about nail care. Doug Schoon’s book, Nail Structure and Product Chemistry became my nail bible. It was the only piece of truth I could get my hands on.
Since I’m allergic to almond oil, which seems to be in just about every cuticle oil, I created my own and began oiling my nails several times a day. They soaked up the oil like a sponge. It took three days for them to stop.
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When my husband lost his job of 13 years, I thought that some other girls on the planet might be interested in this oil, so Simply Simply Pure™ hydrating oil was born. Cory and I clung together to build our company—Bliss Kiss™.
It’s very difficult to file off the hard gel without touching the nail plate. The removal process can significantly thin the natural nail.
The new soak-off-gels were significantly less acetone resistant so they had the gloss and toughness of hard gel with easier solvency in acetone for removal.
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This new technology was so popular that it seemed like every polish company was jumping on the bandwagon and creating their own version.
Since my nails were really long from my regular use of Simply Pure™ hydrating oil, I wanted to keep them that way. I decided to check out these new gels.
My 20 years of experience taught me that polish bonds really well to gel. I thought SOG would be a great option without a permanent commitment.
Gel Manicures Can Damage Your Nails
Rather than doing the normal application process; one coat of basecoat gel, two coats of color gel, and one coat of topcoat gel, I chose to just apply just the base coat and topcoat as an overlay, and apply traditional polish over my gel.
Based on my experience with hard gel, and since I wasn’t changing a color, I decided to file the SOG to 50% thickness and then apply 2 new layers of clear gel.
This prevented me soaking in acetone every two weeks. I never completely removed the gel. I felt this was a perfect solution for me.
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At the same time, I was photographing my nail art with a high-quality camera and I didn’t like seeing the gel growth line under my polish.
Also, since my gel was fairly thin, with each manicure change the gel would start to partially dissolve around my cuticle lines. I was reapplying the gel every week or two.
This was my first time removing the gel following the manufacturer’s directions of using an orange wood stick to scrape the softened gel.
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Most of the gel came off, but some of it didn’t. I continued to scrape at the hard bits, which created white spots in my nails. You can see this in the photo below.
Unknowingly, I had created the same damage that is happening in hundreds of thousands of salons around the world—all because nail professionals are “following the manufacturers instructions!”
Doug wrote an article—which I published here—showing his research about the damage that can occur when using any tool to “scrape” off the gel.
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With Doug’s illuminating electron microscope pictures, the conclusion is simple—you should never use a tool to remove gel after it has softened with acetone.
I asked Doug about this discrepancy, since he always tells people to follow the manufacturers directions, but his research indicates that some of those recommendations are damaging. His response was that the manufacturers need to read his research. I totally agree.
When small white spots appear on the nail plate after removal of the UV nail color coatings (another name for gel), a likely reason is improper removal. Fortunately, the vast majority of this type of nail damage is completely avoidable. How does the nail damage occur? Soaking the natural nail for even a few minutes in acetone or water will temporarily soften the surface making it temporarily more susceptible to damage from any implements that pry, push or force the remaining residual UV coating (gel) from the nail plate. Instead, a good rule to follow is, “use the utmost care for 60 minutes after immersing natural nails in any liquid for more than 60 seconds.” ~Doug Schoon Aging Gel Is Not a Good Thing
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This means that gel that you have been wearing for two weeks is easier to remove than gel that you have been wearing for three or four weeks.
If the gel isn’t completely dissolved then you should rewrap your nail and let it soak longer. This means that it can actually take 20, 30, or even 40 minutes to dissolve the gel properly! The gel must completely wipe off with firm finger pressure.
Nail professionals who are untrained with the gel technology are mixing and matching UV curing lamps with different brands of gels. According to Doug this is a huge mistake.
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Continuing on from that mini lesson . . . I then cut my nails short, and started applying oil for three days following my own instructions for the 3 Day Hydration Technique. After that, I continued with normal polish manicures.
At the same time, I also deduced that water absorption from the underside of the nail plate will soak through and break a polish or gel bond. (I’m sure Doug could have told me that in 2010….but he’s a busy guy.)
I started wrapping base coat and top coat to the underside of my tips. I always use two coats of ridge filling base coat, two coats of color, and one layer of top coat.
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For me, the nail polish was giving me the same amount of temporary strength as the gel. And Pure Nail Oil™ was keeping my nails strong and flexible so they didn’t snap when I banged them into something.
I also discovered that since I was completely sealing off my nails from water absorption, my manicures lasted 7 to 10 days before they even started chipping. This was the exact same effect I was getting previously with a gel overlay. The Fab 5 Polish Wrap Technique had been created.
If I were going to a salon to get a gel manicure, I would go in two hours before my appointment so there was plenty of time to completely dissolve the gel. You want it slide off with firm finger pressure (no tools!) against the cotton.
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I’d then go to the closest coffee shop, grab something warm and delicious, read a magazine, and wait for an hour before the new gel is applied.
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Gel polish has so many benefits, it lasts longer, colours cure more vibrant and they give you a hassle-free manicure that lasts for weeks. But are gel polish formulas bad for your nails? No, not when you follow the proper after care advice. When applied and removed properly, the damage caused to your nails should be very minimal and easily solved with a treatment between services to keep your nails healthy and strong. Although gel polishes can be known to thin your nails and affect the strength of your nails, this is all in the the removal process. You can avoid damage completely by ensuring you follow the proper procedure to taking your gels off. This means no picking, no pulling and no peeling! It’s so tempting to peel off your gels when they start to lift, don’t worry we do it too. But if you can resist and wait until you get home your nails really will thank you for it.
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When removing your gels, make sure you soak in an acetone remover. Foil wraps work best for gels and we have plenty online for you to choose from. Remove soak-off enhancements with minimal mess by using a kit or wraps and give your gel polish the chance to properly dissolve rather than pulling it away from your nails. This will stop any layers of your nails getting pulled off along with the gel polish and keep your natural nails in tact underneath. You may even find that they grow better with gel polish as they are much more protected and break less easily. If you need a little help or assistance, your nail tech will always be happy to remove them for you. All nail technicians will offer a removal service where they will be able to remove your gels and perform a classic nail polish manicure so that you can keep your nails looking amazing with no fuss. We always advise wearing a nail treatment on bare nails, especially after gel polish removal. This will keep your nails protected and replenish any moisture that has been lost in
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