The most important part of the gel manicure is arguably using either UV or LED lights to cure the polish. The lighting is used to dry and harden the gel polish, making it last longer than a regular manicure. Leave your nails under the light for the recommended amount of time right after you apply a coat.
"Gel polish applications cure under a lamp, creating a hardened layer of polish that makes it more durable and longer-lasting.
Gel polish is completely unlike regular nail polish and needs to the UV or LED light to form a hard layer. How long do gel nails last? On average, gel nails last two to three weeks.
Just like your cuticles, if the nail bed isn't prepped correctly, it can lead to the premature peeling of gel polish. The key factor here is moisture - too much water will cause your nails to expand, and when you apply polish on such moist nails, they may begin chipping or peeling sooner than they should.
No, it is not normal for gel nails to come off in such a short amount of time. A set of gels should last you around 2-3 weeks. They may have lifted prematurely as the nail plate may not have been prepared correctly before the gel application, or they may not have been capped/sealed at the free edge.
Cuticle oil is the magic ingredient when it comes to keeping your nails healthy and hydrated – and, in turn, helping your gel manicure to last longer. Regularly applying cuticle oil will hydrate your nails, helping them to grow faster and stronger.
The most common reason why the top coat starts peeling after one day is because the top coat isn't cured properly. Sometimes this is a top coat formula and lamp compatibility issue - or that you just need to cure the top coat for longer.
Shellac manicure starts peeling within a day or 2:
Your tech may have not dehydrated your nail bed well enough. You don't always need to rough up the nail but the natural shine should be buffed down first (unless you are using Shellac brand gel polish they require no buffing). The polish might be older.
"Prolonged use of gel manis and acrylics dehydrates your nails, making them dry, brittle, and fragile," says manicurist Jin Soon Choi, founder of JINsoon nail polish and salons. Cuticle oil is your BFF for imparting deep hydration.
Shellac is simply gel polish mixed with regular polish. In short, shellac has taken the best of gel (no-chips and colour) and added the benefits of traditional polish (shine and ease).
For gel nails, take a break for a week at least once every eight weeks to allow the nails to rehydrate and to allow repair of the underlying structures. “An emollient applied directly to the nail and cuticle oil will also aid recovery,” said Batra.
Gel Nails Are The Way to Go
There is a reason why gel polish is the way to go, and it's because not only do they look great, but they last longer than traditional polish. In fact, they can last up to 14 days without noticeable wear and tear, and that makes them even more noteworthy and a nail salon favorite.
Why you should try DIY gel nails using an at home gel nail kit. It's durable: Gel nails last double the time normal polishes do. Cost effective: Gel manicures at a salon can cost anywhere between $30 and $80 each time you go. An at home gel nail kit falls within the same price range as one trip to the salon.
Doing gel nails at home is indeed beneficial in the following ways: It's cost-effective. When doing gel nails at home, you only need to worry about the cost of buying products and equipment rather than the additional service cost. It's time-saving.
"The biggest risk to leaving a gel manicure service on for longer than three weeks is that the extra weight can start pulling on the edge of your nail, causing tears in the base of your nails," says Reynosa. "They can then lift, which peels back keratin layers and causes more mechanical damage.
In our experience, SNS can last up to one week longer than Shellac nails without chipping, and SNS also creates a thicker-looking nail from all that powder getting added on. But we've found Shellac to be a little less damaging to our nails long-term than SNS nails.
Even if you're not pulling the polish off, Dunne says that frequent shellac manicures can take a toll on your nails. “During the removal process (especially if not done properly), you can risk removing layers of your natural nails and weakening the nails,” she explains.
As many of us know, Shellac nail polish is the way to go when looking for one of the more durable options of nail polish around. On average, they last up to 2 weeks, with some lucky few getting a good 3 weeks in!
In a 10 or 15 minute shower, excess water travels through the bottom to the top of the nail plate. The water breaks the bond with the polish—especially around the edges—which have received wear and tear from daily life.
“Having damage from gel is a reality, just like a bad haircut or color,” says Essie celebrity manicurist Michelle Saunders. “The good news is that [nails] replenish and grow (just like hair) no matter what you do to them.” So after a couple of back-to-back gel appointments, treat your nails to rehab.
While people can safely have gel nails every few weeks, dermatologists recommend keeping the nails bare for at least 1–2 weeks in between manicures. This helps to strengthen, repair, and rehydrate the nails.
Since gel nail polish can be worn for weeks on end without even the tiniest chip, stretching the life of your manicure is tempting. However, Hadley suggests removing a gel manicure after two to three weeks maximum to avoid damaging nail beds and cuticles.
"There's just less wear and tear on your toes, even if you're on your feet all day," she says. Gel manicures usually look decent for two to three weeks, depending on your technician's skill level and the product that was used, so you can expect even more wear from a gel pedicure.