Perfect That Polish
Can gel polish be over cured?
Audrey Heffernan, Beauty Educator at Hennessy Hair & Beauty, says:Yes, gel polish can be over cured. If the gel discolours or loses its
high shine with the top coat, then it has been over cured. But this may not happen with all colours, and the gel would need to be in the lamp for a really long time! An extra minute or two isn't going to affect the gel. You can prevent this by sticking to the manufacturer's guidelines with regards curing times. Also invest in a lamp that has a timer on it or
purchase a little timer that you can set.
My gel polish seems to thicken after a while. Is this
normal and how can I prevent it?
Donna Gibson, Master Educator for Hand & Nail Harmony at Creative
Academy, says:If your gel polish is thickening in the bottle this can be caused by storing your product incorrectly, for example by putting your product in contact with residue light from your LED/UV lamp, direct sunlight or extreme heat. Some overhead desk lamps can be LED too, which can affect your product as well. To avoid this happening store your product in a cool dark dry place away from direct sunlight/LED/UV light and extreme heat.
I have a client with really terrible nails and cuticles but wants gel polish. Should I give it to her or should I recommend toughening up her natural nails first?
Salon System Educator Rachel Gribble says:If a client's nails are in poor condition, I would recommend a good wet manicure the day before to improve the cuticles. Then use Gellux Recovery base coat before applying the preferred Gellux colour. This will help to repair and protect the natural nails.
I'm using a top coat but I'm finding that it's looking dull at the end of the treatment. Why is this?
Salon System Educator Rachel Gribble says:The reason behind this could be an incorrect use of the product; for a better shine, make sure that you shake the top coat before use. Also, don't forget to always
cure the top coat longer for a shinier finish (one minute with LED, three minutes with UV).
I'm keen to offer gel polish as a pedicure – is there anything I need to know before I start?
Sinead Mydat from Bio Sculpture Ireland says:No. The prep for a Bio Sculpture Pedi is the same as for the nails. Make sure you push back the cuticles and remove any dry skin as this will cause the gel to lift. Just remember the toenails are usually a lot harder and stronger than finger nails so you will not need a ‘strengthening' layer that you may be doing on your clients' fingernails
How important is investing in a good lamp?
Audrey Heffernan, Beauty Educator at Hennessy Hair & Beauty, says:Investing in your equipment for me is essential. I do believe you get what you pay for. If you want a lamp that is hassle free, will do exactly what it is meant to do, cure fast and cure to a high shine, then invest in your lamp. Most LED lamps will have approx. 20,000 working hours so you will really make your money back on the lamp. The difference between the models will be the wattage of the lamp. Most lamps will be a 30watt or a 32 watt lamp. These will be a five-finger curing lamp. Anything less than this will normally be a four-finger curing lamp. Also the quality of the bulbs is something to consider. LED bulb strength is measured in nanometres. For a good bulb you would be looking at something that you penetrate between 365nm and 405nm into the gel.
My clients are complaining that their gel polish is chipping within the two
weeks. Can you give me some tips on ensuring this doesn't happen?
Donna Gibson, Master Educator for Hand & Nail Harmony at Creative Academy, says:Gelish is a 21 day wear; however, to avoid chipping make sure you do sufficient nail prep. When finished your nail prep, cleanse your nail plate thoroughly removing any oil from the nail plate. Also, ensure any dust under the free edge is removed; this can cause chipping/lifting as it naturally flakes away from the free edge – plus clients tend to pick at this at a later stage causing their manicure to chip. The application of your gel polish from your base coat application right through to your top coat should be applied super thin, if applied too thick this can again cause lifting or chipping. If you have a client who is a little too heavy-handed or their nail plate is a little bit more brittle and needs something with more rigidity, try using Gelish Structure Gel. This is a soak of gel polish with a thicker consistency giving your client that extra bit of strength to their nail plate to get more longevity from their gel polish manicure. Gelish Structure Gel is available in clear, cover pink and translucent pink.
My client is complaining that the ends of her nails with gel polish are looking messy after a day or two. They're not chipping but it's like the polish has slightly worn off. How do I prevent this?
Sinead Mydat from Bio Sculpture Ireland says:To avoid the ends going this way you need to lip the gel over the nail rather than stop at the free edge. This will seal in the gel. At the end of the application, once you have wiped the nail, do not take a file over the end, as this will also break the seal. Just go up the sides.
Does gel polish harm the nails? Truthfully?
Sinead Mydat from Bio Sculpture Ireland says:Bio Sculpture Gel does not harm the natural nail. What weakens the nail is excessive buffing on the nail plate. And that is down to the technician. When we first launched Bio Sculpture it was a real struggle to stop technicians from buffing heavily on the natural nail. After all, that's what they'd always done and how they were taught. But with time we have shown that it is unnecessary and only damages the nail. There is nothing in our products that is harmful to the nail.
Sometimes my colour gets tiny wrinkles or bubbles after curing. Why is this and how can I prevent it from happening?
Donna Gibson, Master Educator for Hand & Nail Harmony at Creative Academy, says:This occurs when your polish application is too thick. Sometimes it is better to apply in three thin coats as opposed to two coats, this way you get defiantly get a sufficient curing through your gel polish layers and this will also eliminate the risk of wrinkling or bubbling.
I'm a new nail technician and I'm keen to get started offering gel polish – but there seems to be a huge number of colours. Do I need to invest in a lot of them in order to please my clients?
Audrey Heffernan, Beauty Educator at Hennessy Hair & Beauty, says:It can be confusing when trying to pick colours when starting off. Begin by investing in French Manicure colours, your white and pink, and then go for 1 red, 1 purple, 1 coral, 1 nude, 1 navy, 1 grey, 1 blue, 1 orange, 1 lilac and 1 black. To start with, 20 colours will get you on your feet. You can add to that as you go on. Even just purchase one colour a week and your kit won't be long coming together.
