Soak off Gel nails...

[rocks]

Hi!

I made an appointment to get Gel nails (the soak-off kind) It will be my 1st time ever for getting anything other then a manicure/polish for my nails. I'm a little nervous. :o I think my nails might be long enough for french nails, which I have always liked.

Getting them done 2 days b/f my 10 day cruise...will they look good the whole time? Any tips or advice?

THANKS in advance! :)

Pat

[Seraphine]

I hope you love your new nails!

 

I'm a nail tech, and have used oak off gels before. I quite like them - lots of strength yet you don't have to file them off. Keep in mind they are more porous than "file off" gels, so ask for a UV topcoat to be put on to keep stains away.

 

If you've got some nails that aren't quite long enough, ask your nail tech to add a bit of length to the short ones - it's easy to do and they should be able to do that for you if they are a decent tech :)

 

For maintenance, don't pick them, and apply a good cuticle oil (something like CND's Solar Oil is a good choice) every day. I leave a bottle of cuticle oil next to my bed, so I can dot it on my enhancements before I go to sleep. The oil keeps your cuticles nice and will prolong the life of the enhancement. They should last at least two weeks before needing an infill (filling in the empty bit at the bottom of the nail left from the nail growing out) so two days ahead of your cruise is perfect.

 

Also - especially as it's your first time, DO NOT let a nail technician use an electric file on your natural nails. It's very easy to get burned nail beds because of the speed of the file, and it's really overkill for prep (nail techs use electric files to great effect to reduce product on existing enhancements, but they shouldn't be used on the nail bed itself). Ask for handfiling only during the prep stage (that is, before any product goes on... your tech might use an e-file to shape the product afterward, and this is fine as it's not touching your nail bed).

 

Let know how they turned out!!

[Happy ks]

I've been wearing gel nails on and off (usually on) for around 7 years now and love them. The only problem I've ever had with them is once when I used a sunscreen that discolored them, so do talk with the manicurist about that.

 

They don't have to rough up your nail as much as acrylics to adhere gel, but product just doesn't adhere if they don't take the surface of the natural nail off. When I've soaked my gel nails off, my natural nails are a bit weak for a couple of months, but I use a nail strengthener then.

 

It's not the sort of thing you do for one event, it's got to be for the long run. If you plan on soaking them off soon, I'd not recommend any sort of artificial nail. Fingernails take about 3-4 months to grow from the bed to the tip, if a manicurist also does damage to the nail bed, it can take longer. In other words, it's not worth the savings to go to a discount nail place.

 

There is another thread here regarding Minx nails, that may be something to look into if you are interested in short term, or one use nails.

 

I was in the hair business for a long time and I've seen what those cheapie nail places have done to that industry. There are things that many people ignore just to save a few bucks. Unlicensed operators, tools not disenfected, product diluted to the point where polish only stays on a couple days, etc...

 

With the high cost of malpractise insurance, many hair salons no longer have nail services.

[Blue0824]

I had a soak off gel manicure done before my honeymoon, which was a cruise and a few days in Europe this past November. I got the manicure the day we flew out, and I kept it for about 3 weeks. I suggest going with something very natural so you can't see where it grows out. I could tell, but no one else could see the grow out and I got compliments on my nails the whole time. I loved being able to travel and not having to worry about chipping a nail! My spa gave me a mini bottle of polish remover and top coat to use to just maintain the manicure. I used it maybe twice? When I returned and soaked my nails off I don't think they were really much weaker than normal. I had some breaking, but I wasn't sure if it was because of the manicure or just the usual winter breakage I get anyway. It was personally 100% worth it to me to have nice looking nails last an entire vacation.

 

I hope you like your manicure!

[rocks]

THANKS to all of you for the helpful info!

I'm feeling a lot less nervous after reading your comments. I am going to a very reputable day spa to get them done & I will make notes about all the points you all have mentioned.

Happy ks, you mentioned that when you used sunscreen they discolored. I have a very fair complexion & will need to use lots of sunscreen near the pools & Caribbean ocean. Is there some way to prevent the discoloring from sunscreen? If not, would it be better to have a color as opposed to french style? Also wondering since they are 'soak off', will it be OK to swim in the pools & ocean?

THANKS again for all your replies! :)

Pat

[Seraphine]

Hi Pat!

 

Don't worry about the "soak off" aspect - they won't fall off in a swimming pool! (although, if you play your cards right, you can tell your family you can't get your hands wet, and perhaps get out of doing any dishes for a few weeks?)

 

"Soak off" means a soak in acetone (nail polish remover). The other kind of gel needs to be filed off - you could soak it til Christmas and it won't budge because of the way it adheres to the nail.

 

I mentioned having a UV topcoat put on - it will protect against staining (like with the suncream). Now, this is just a thin layer of product, but the layer is NOT soak off. and it just means that it needs to be buffed off before the soaking process starts when you remove them. I've been using these topcoats to great effect (one of my clients used to stain her nails making chicken tikka masala, but the UV top coat makes a huge difference!)

 

Another tip - if you get lots of discolouration underneath the edge of the nail, and regular washng and using a nail brush doesn't help, place a denture tablet in a bowl of warm water and place your hands in for a few minutes. The tablet will gently remove stains and make them shiny and bright again.

 

I'd be excited - I loved getting my first set of nails! Doing my own is a pain, but going to have them done by someone else is a treat! Have lots of fun!

[rocks]

Thanks Seraphine!

I REALLY appreciate all your advice. Denture tablet...now I wonder how someone ever figured that out?? :D What a great tip!

I will be sure to pop back in after my cruise & let you know how I made out.

Thanks again for all your help! :)

Pat

[rocks]

Hi!

Just wanted to report back about my 'gel nails'.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THEM!!!! :D

They lasted the whole time-in heat, using sunscreen, pools, ocean, ect. I did put a thin top coat on once, but they really held up GREAT! I had scheduled an appt back at the salon when I got them done (it turned out to be exactly 2 wks) and I was going to decide to keep them or soak them off. Since they held up so good & I just loved how they looked, I decided to try to keep them up.

I got french nails & would like to try a color some time.

My manicurist said that I could put a coat of regular polish over top of the gels & take it off with polish remover & that it wouldn't hurt my gel nails....that seems hard to believe...too good to be true; but maybe I will try it just before my next appt.

Anyway...THANKS to you all for the encouragement & great tips! :)

Pat

[Seraphine]

I'm so glad you had a great experience! It's so nice when your nails and hands look good - I feel like I use my hands a lot differently that when I'm trying to "hide" my nails! It sounds like you found a great tech - keep her!

 

 

Hi!

 

My manicurist said that I could put a coat of regular polish over top of the gels & take it off with polish remover & that it wouldn't hurt my gel nails....that seems hard to believe...too good to be true; but maybe I will try it just before my next appt.

 

Yep - you can do this! Even though acetone removes soak-off gel, it involves about 20-30 minutes of exposure. A quick swipe to remove polish won't hurt them at all. So if you get bored with your nails or want to add some polish to match an outfit, go ahead :) One swipe of nail varnish remover, and you'll be good as new!

 

I love hearing about happy people!