Gel Nails
When you take care of your appearance, not only do you look good, but you feel good too. An aspect that is usually over-looked are the nails. Artificial nails have quickly become the new future of the nail industry, and one of the newest trends are gel nails.
The Process
The beautician will first file your nails to your desired shape, then gently push back the cuticles. Then, the nail itself will be gently buffed to take away the natural shine that is on the nails. A coat of primer will then be applied and allowed to dry. A clear base coat is applied after this and “cured” beneath a U.V. lamp – this makes the gel become hard and adhere to the nail. Once the base has been applied, your chosen colour will then be applied until the beautician and the client are happy with the result. Inbetween each coat of colour, the nails will be cured. Finally, a glossy top coat will be applied to give the nails a beautiful shine, and once again cured beneath the lamp.
Why Choose Gel?
One of the best reasons for choosing gel is that it doesn’t damage your natural nail. While wearing gel nails, your natural nails are still able to grow. With the protection of the gel, they are able to become stronger and more beautiful.Gel nails also give you beautiful looking nails without any risk of colour fading or chipping for between one and three weeks, unlike traditional nail polishes.
How To Remove
Gel nails should always be removed by a professional. Each salon has their own way of doing it, but usually there are two ways it’s traditionally done. All will start with the shiny top coat being gently buffed away, then the beautician can continue with the soak off.
One way is to soak a piece of cotton in acetone, apply it to the nail and then wrap the nail with the piece of cotton in tin foil and allow that to softly break the bonds between the natural nail and the gel. Once the appropriate time has been left – between 10 and 20 minutes – the beautician will then take the tin foil off and gently scrape away any remaining gel, which will come away easily. The beautician may gently buff if there is any residue left.
The second way is for the beautician to ask the client to place her nails in a bowl of acetone – after buffing away the shine. The client will then relax for 10 to 15 minutes to allow for the bond between the natural nail and the gel to break, then the beautician will gently scrape any remaining gel off, and possibly buff to remove any remaining residue.
It is extremely important not to pick off or try to remove the gels any other way. If removed unprofessionally, it results in a layer of the natural nail coming away with the gel – as the bonds have not naturally been broken – and the nail will therefore be damaged and weakened.
For any information on the treatments discussed, please call Beauty Haven.