Let’s Talk Soak-off Gel Nail Polish
Last February I had my first experience with what is now becoming a major trend in nails; Soak-off UV Gel Nail Polish. You see my pal Heather Park from SeoulDiva had been raving for months about this NYC salon Sakura and showing off her wicked cool nail art designs using the CalGel brand of soak-off polish. Heather has managed to get more than a few of her friends hooked on Sakura including MAC Artist Keri B. who has posted some her designs on Twitter. You can read about my experience and see some more CalGel designs HERE.
Since that time Fanatics have emailed asking about CalGel and the other brands of soak-off polish on the market, including OPI’s new Axxium product so I’m giving you the 411 on the whole soak-off phenomenon after the jump. |
What is Soak-off Gel Polish?
Unlike a traditional nail polish, soak-off gel polish is painted on with a brush and each layer is “cured” under a UV light to dry. Soak-off Gels come in a wide array of colors and finishes and like our “frankenpolishes” they can be mixed to create new colors. The purple on my tips (above) was a custom blended shade.
What are the benefits?
Dry time – The UV light dries the polish within minutes which means no dry time, no smudging, no dents. Talk about the perfect winter pedicure choice
Long lasting – Soak-off Gel lasts from 2-3 weeks with no chipping.
Less damaging – Unlike traditional enhancements you don’t have to fear the drills or filing down of your nails.
Works on natural nails – While you can add length if you choose, Soak-off Gel Polish can be used over a natural nail like traditional polish.
You can layer polish on top – If you want to change your color mid-manicure, you can. Paint right over Soak-Off Gel with regular nail polish and remove it with non-acetone remover.
What are the negatives?
Cost – Soak-off Gel Polish can only be applied by a professional and the service is more costly than a traditional manicure. If you are really skilled, you can buy a UV light and gel polish online but it’s not a cheap set-up.
Removal – While Sakura offers fill-ins, if you want to change your color, you must completely remove the polish every time. You can either pay to have the polish professionally removed or do the soak-off process (or to the MUA nail board “foil method”) at home. Soak a piece of cotton in acetone and then wrap the nail with aluminum foil. For me, even after soaking, I still had to file some of it off.
Nail growth shows – One of the reason’s my pal Heather tends to wear CalGel designs with a clear base is because it makes nail growth less obvious. If you choose a dark, solid color, by week two, growth will be very apparent.
Time – Getting a Soak-off Gel manicure can take longer than a traditional manicure. Especially if you are getting a gradation, nail art or using a dark color. I’ve heard with the darker shades, you need quite a few coats to get it the right color.
Brands
Several brands make a soak-off product with a wide array of colors. The most talked about brands include Akzentz, Bio Sculpture Color Gel, CalGel, Dashing Diva Gelife, IBD, and OPI Axxium. Akzentz, Bio Sculpture, CalGel and IBD come in a range of colors and finishes including glitter. Gelife is currently offering sheer, natural shades to enhance the nail’s natural beauty but I hear they intend to offer additional colors. Axxium comes in 26 colors based on existing OPI polish shades including You Don’t Know Jacques, Russian Navy, I’m Not Really A Waitress, Lincoln Park After Dark and Bubble Bath.
Where can I get a Soak-off Gel Manicure?
I suggest contacting the companies to locate a salon near year using their products but make sure you investigate the salon and ask how long they’ve been using the product. If you are interested in nail art or gradations, ask about their experience doing those as well and inquire about a website or online gallery of their work.
I emailed CalGel and found a salon on the west side of Cleveland and my salon John Robert’s Salon & Spa just started offering OPI Axxium. The last time I was there all the stylists I talked to who were wearing it, were really pleased.
And if you’re in Rhode Island, I suggest you check out the Nail Gallery from Gel Essentialz and book an appointment with Gina Silvestro ASAP. My friend, Celebrity Manicurist Elle, told me about Gina and she creates some sick designs.
So how many of you are curious about Soak-off Gel Polish? Have you tried it? Tell us about your experience, including which brand you used, in the comments!
I had one of the OPI Axxium manicures in a very light color–I think Bubble Bath–about eight months ago. Wore like iron. Unfortunately, it didn’t want to come off at removal time, either. Soaked FOREVER, more than 10 min, before it started to lift even a little. In the end, my nails were very rough. Spent months using moisturizers and nail oil to get them back in shape. Other women who go to the same salon I use didn’t have this issue. (My luck, I suppose.)
Finally let my nail tech talk me into the CND Shellac for a French manicure, as the removal should be easier than the OPI. I noticed that when she did it, she used a coat of Seche Vite first, then Axxium Gel Base, then the CND, then finished with a coat of something OPI in an opaque navy blue bottle. Is this normal? Am I going to have issues removing this?
I’ve never had any kind of acrylics, etc. My OPI Axxium experience was my first try at anything other than a basic manicure. My nails tend to be dry, so I don’t want to do anything whatsoever that might harm the natural nail.
THANKS!
she shouldn’t have been mixing formulas.. i’ve had issues with removal from mixing but it shouldnt be that hard to get off.
it is OKAY to mix brands if you know what you are doing. The only reason it may be harder to remove is if one of the brands is a non soak off. (typically the sealer or “top coat” is non soak off) Anyway removal should still be less damaging than removing acrylics
Im a nail tech
Nicole,
sounds like your nail tech used just about every brand available on you. I wouldn’t worry to much this time about getting it off. Using a regular base coat first (the Seche Vite) really helps with removal. I think this is a poor choice for base coat though since it is a wonderful top coat, but tends to peel when applied directly to the natural nail. Also the OPI Gel sealer is less porous than CND Shellac topcoat, and needs to be filed a bit before attempting to remove. No worries, you won’t be filing down as far as your natural nail, but you (or a nail tech) should lightly file the top off so your nails no longer look shiny before you apply acetone wraps.
Finally, use cotton soaked with acetone and wrap with foil. Don’t be soaking in a bowl of acetone. If you can get some heat on your nails while they are wrapped, (like putting them under a warm heating pad) it speeds things up. The removal of Soak off Gel is the most drying part of the processes.
I use Bio Sculpture Gel for my clients and although I do offer Acrylics, Bio-Gel is so much better for the nail! I find that once I have convinced a client to try it out, they very rarely go back to acrylics!
What makes you think the acetone in a hardware store would be any different than the acetone in a beauty supply store? Just look at the ingredients.
This stuff can be absorbed through your skin and into your bloodstream in the 15 minutes it takes to soften these nails. I wouldn’t do it. I’d rather have them filed off by someone who knows how to do it without injuring my natural nail.
There are different grades of acetone. It’s not the same as what you would buy in a hardware store.
I buy it from the hardware store..when it comes down to it…would you rather be inhaling the filing debris into your lungs or let your nails sit in acetone? There is no long term damage to either of these methods…and in the long run isnt too much worse than smog..
Also you dont think your nails absorb any of the product used for the enhancments?? i.e. monomers, primers, bonders, gels????
Our favorite at Nail Tech Supply right now is Gelish by Hand and Nail Harmony.
They have 72 Core COlors to choose from and 12 Specialty colors (6 neons, and 6 Effect Colors).
True 3 week No Chip mani.
Bri
I love the idea behind the gels but do not care for the soaking and scraping to get the gel off. also the gelfish colors do not look like the sample color nor do they match at all to the regular polish. the gel was cherry red but the regular polish was more of a wine red, that is the color i wanted but now i have mismatch toes and fingernails and they almost clash
What makes you think the acetone at the hardware store is different from the acetone at the beauty supply?
i just cant belive some of the questions here! where do you buy a pure acetone? lol come on ladies! u cant be for real now.and someone actualy responded :AT THE HARDWARE STORE?? WOW!also do your research first if you can buy gellish at Sally’s do you realy want to use that in your salon?? Sally’s is for customer do it yourself kinda store isnt it? real proffesional nail techs ussualy dont shope there,at least i dont lol. now about soak off gels,ladies come on all this back and forward betwen CND and OPI? realy? ok 3 words: bio sculpture gel,why? was rewarded 5 star.read about their FACTS first,also OVER 170 COLORS ! Now who can claim that?! yes thats what i thought.one more thing please stop drilling and roughng up the nail beds.get a training from a professional first,then use the product on a client dont come up with your own creativity and ruin the name of soak off gels by your stupidity work.thank you
I couldn’t agree with you more. When companies make their beauty products available to chain stores, it cheapens them. Bio Sculpture is AMAZING! I have been in the business for over 12 years, and have primarily used CND Acrylic on my clients. Now that Bio Sculpture is here, I have changed my ways! No damage to the natural nail!!! Stays on super long, and the abundance of colors! It’s really a no-brainer if you like Soak off Gels.
Bio Sculpture is a great product, but I think you are wrong about making professional products available to the public. There are certain products that will naturally migrate from professionals to the DIYer – gel polish is likely to be one – after all, the first DIY gel polish (Red Carpet Manicure) has been introduced at Ulta. Secondly, this thread is about gel polishes, and BioSculpture is not a gel polish, it is a soak-off gel, which is different, both in its application and in its uses. Comparing the two is like apples and oranges.
I am going on week 3! (Haven’t had time to get a new mani) I am AMAZED at this product. I usually never bother with manicures because I’m rough on my hands, work, clean and do dishes, etc… and single, working mom so changing nail polish not on my radar! I’m on week 3 and don’t even have a chip!! Even after cleaning bathroom with bleach, etc… they still look great! The only reason I’ve gotta get them redone is the grow-out. Totally worth the $ ladies, especially if you’re just a “normal” person with work, chores, kids, etc… They look great for so long! It’s a nice “finishing touch” to your “look” and in the end is probably cheaper in the long run because it lasts so darn long! My only complaint is the tech rubbed them with alcohol at the end and two of them were “dulled” looking. I asked her why and she said it made them shiny??? well my rubbing over them for 3 weeks has taken that “film” or whatever off and they are shiny. I’d never been to this salon before & english was at least a 5th language so who knows what the purpose was… I’m hooked now! Sorry I don’t know the brand. it was a white, oval bottle with a little hole in the wrapper on front to see color. I got a purple-y wine color for fall. My friend got a french & it looks amazing as well.
So glad you are enjoying your gel polish mani. Without getting too technical, alcohol is used at the end to remove the ‘inhibition layer’ which is a layer of uncured gel and is the normal procedure for ALL true gel and gel polish services. You never want uncured gel on your nails. It can cause allergies down the road. So your nail tech did the correct thing. The dullness on a couple of nails may have been caused by something else but not because of the alcohol. I’m a nail tech, I do know what I’m talking about.
to your response LAURA:
The dullness on a couple of nails may have been caused by something else but not because of the alcohol. I’m a nail tech, I do know what I’m talking about.
THE DULLNES WILL HAPPEN BECAUSE THE LAST COAT ON ABVIOUSLY SOME NAILS THAT WERE DULL WASNT APPLIED EVEN AND THAT WILL COUSE THE DULLNES
AND IT’S AN EASY FIX JUST ADD ANOTHER COAT OF THE TOP COAT OF THAT PRODUCT AND CURE IT AGAIN UNDER THE LAMP,AND USE ALCOHOL TO REMOVE IT THE STICKINESs AGAIN
I used to get my gel manicures done in a salon until my boyfriend bought me the whole shabang…uv dryer, shellac top, base and color…etc. It worked just like the salom for the first few months but now it starts to peel just a few days after application. I thought my top coat was bad so I bought a new one but it’s still happening! Help nail techs! This is how I do my mani… I use a brush to put acetone on my natural nail, let it dry and apply base coat. Slowly to avoid bubbles and getting it on the skin. Uv for 2 minutes. Then coat of color, uv 2 min, coat of color, uv 2 min. Finally do top coat, uv 2 min and use the brush with the acetone to set. After that I apply cuticle oil. Am I doing something wrong?? My acetone is changing color from dipping my brush in it, could that be the problem?
At first glance, I notice a number of serious problems with your application. But you do not say what system (Shellac, Gelish, ACG, Geleration…) you are using, so it is not possible to give a precise answer. I notice you wrote shellac in lowercase, so I wasn’t clear if you were using it in the generic (kleenex) way or if you really meant CND Shellac.
It looks like you are not doing the prep properly or using the proper solution (not acetone); most base coats cure for only 10-30 seconds (Shellac for 10 seconds); you use 99% isopropyl alcohol, not acetone to remove the final inhibition layer; if you are using Shellac, are you using the CND UV lamp? All of these could cause the problem.
To be painfully honest, it just sounds like you really don’t know what you are doing and that you have not done your homework and research. Have you read the materials and viewed the CND videos on applying and removing Shellac http://www.cnd.com/Tools-Support/PDF/Step-by-Steps/4974_ShellacSBSUpdate.pdf? Have you studied the DIY sites like The Purse forum? Have you read the many articles on the internet about gel polishes? You need to do all that to succeed with these gel polishes. Don’t ask a nail tech for help when you are using a professional product improperly.
At first glance, I notice a numbers of problems. Since you do not indicate what system you are using (Shellac, Gelish, Geleration, ACG…) I cannot give more precise information. Since you put Shellac in lower case and are on the soak-off, not Shellac, thread, I thought maybe you mean shellac in the generic sense rather than CND Shellac.
Your prep is incorrect, you don’t brush on acetone for prep; no base coat cures for 2 mins, most are 5-30 seconds; You don’t use acetone or a brush to wipe the final inhibition layer, you use 99% isopropyl alcohol.
To be painfully honest, it looks as if you really don’t know what you are doing. If you are going to get professional products and use them yourself, you need to do a lot of work. As A DIYer myself, I don’t have a problem with this, but you really need to do your homework. Have you read the materials and viewed the CND videos on Shellac application and removal? http://www.cnd.com/Tools-Support/PDF/Step-by-Steps/4974_ShellacSBSUpdate.pdf Have you researched each of the brands and their requirements? Have you consulted DIY sites like The Purse Forum?
Finally, don’t beg nail techs for help when you’ve used professional only products.
Wow. Thanks for the high and mighty answer. It’s friggen nail polish. I’m not trying diy surgery. “Finally, don’t beg nail techs for help when you’ve used professional only products.” Hope that makes you feel more important in life. I’ll ask someone person to person so they don’t have a computer screen in front of them to boost their effrontery.
Wow. That’s an interesting take on giving you the information you requested. I am sorry that you’ve interpreted the comment that way. It was kindly meant.
While it’s not diy surgery, there are significant health issues involved in using gel polishes that you should be ware of. I think it is useful to understand and be sensitive to the fact that many nail techs feel that we DIYers are taking money out of their pockets when we take products intended for them and use it ourselves (and often our families and friends). It is not an unreasonable sentiment especially given these hard economic times. To then turn around and ask them to correct our technique seems true “effrontery” and not sensitive to their valid concerns.
That’s a really nasty response to someone who politely answered your question, pointed out your errors, directed you to other helpful sites and warned you about what would happened if you asked a nail tech the same question. Have you been on any of the profesional nail tech sites when diy people ask questions?! It is a huge gang up on the diyer.
As a nail tech, the sense of entitlement here is really off-putting. Someone took the time to offer suggestions and solutions to the problem you are having with your application and you came back with this attitude? And you wonder why we don’t like to help DIY’s? Because it really doesn’t seem to be appreciated.
Geez! That is possibly the rudest response to a helpful answer I seen here! Yeah, it’s not diy surgery but did you know you can *cause* an allergic reaction by having the shellac on your skin or by not curing your shellac properly? And that allergy is permanent?
No wonder nail techs hate DIYERS like you – to use a product so ignorantly and then beg a nail tech to fix your bad technique is truly obnoxious.
Sara, I thought the answer was a little snide, too.
Sara, I agree her answer was a bit “high and mighty”. No offense to anyone? Sara just wanted to know what she was doing wrong and to answer back with comments like “a number of serious problems here”.. “you dont know what you are doing” the end commentary was a bit offensive as well. I’m sure you can answer in a friendlier fashion rather than scold her like she is your teenage daughter. People seriously need more tact.
My experience has been that the polish stays on for about three to four weeks. The worst part is haveing the Gel Nail polish removed. I do not like the idea of soaking my nails for five minuteeeeeees or more in Acetone. When the maicurist finished my nails were brittle, and thin and had a weird color. Maybe the color was just my imagination but I can’t imagine that soaking your nails in acetone could be good for you. I had beautiful nails before the Gel Nail polish with long beds. I now have thin brittle nails. I will let my nails breathe in the winter and let them recuperate. Also after the soaking and scraping my big finger felt a little raw. I ‘m not sure if that is because he used the drill to file some of the remaining nail polish off. My personal preference is not to use anything like the drill as it thins the nail.I had three sets of Gel nail polish. I hope that helps.
Hi There, I’m hoping that everyone reads this post. I haven’t read all of the post about Gel Manicures, however, I will make some statements about them that I know to be absolutely true. I am not a nail professional, just a lay person that has had many experiences with gel manicures.
1. They do last quite a while. 2-3 weeks.
2. They totally wreck your nails.
3. Removing them totally wrecks your nails.
4. Don’t let anyone every use a drummel on your nails. Very few people know exactly how to use a drummel, and even if they say they are not going deep, the trauma to the nail is terrible.
5. Your nails will be weak and thin after removing the gel.
6. Soaking your fingers in pure acetone is very harmful. However, short of sandblasting that gel off, acetone soak is the only way to really get it off.
7. Don’t let anyone scrape the remaining gel off. Soak until it is all off.
8. Gel manicures totally damage your natural nails.
9. When you stop getting gel manicures, and let your natural nails breath again, they will grow and get better/stronger over time. Unless you were already born with paper thin nails.
I hope this helps.
I’m sorry, I told myself I wouldn’t post on this site again since I’ve better things to do, but after reading this I had to respond. I’ve been doing nails for 23 years as a professional who really cares about the integrity of my clients nails and I somewhat disagree with you. As with all nail products and nail services it really depends on the quality of your nails, the products and how the product is applied and removed…whether it’s done by a “professional” or yourself. Gel polish is not for everyone, but it is a great product for the right nail conditions and you shouldn’t assume your experiences hold true for everyone. I’ve had great success with gel polish on some clients with NO damage to the natural nail, and there are some clients the product just doesn’t last on…the poorer the strength of the natural nail and the rougher the individual is on their nails is usually when the optimal condition of the natural nail is compromised. I think this is a good forum, but there seems to be a lot of inexperienced nail “product users” who post.
Sincerely, Dee
Hi Dee
Nice response. My favorite nail salon recommended I switch from plain polish manicures (that always chipped) to UV Gel manicures. They have been great with my nails and were very attentive to me as a client. It is a process in which one would definitely benefit from a professional with experience in the application. The nail tech that did my gel manicure was amazing. The nails look great up to three weeks, even a month with care.
There is a reason techs go through such extensive licensing and training. I don’t mind paying for quality work.
Kind regards
Hi Linda! Thanks for your post. I completely agree with you. I got the gel nails right before I went on vacation because the technicial promoted it as my color staying true for 2 weeks. Well, she was right, they did. But like you said, they totally wrecked my natural nails. They splt, cracked and were completely damaged and weak after those two weeks – even before. I’ll never get gel nails again!!
I think there is a bit of confusion here. There are Gel Nails, Gel Manicures, Soak off Gels, UVGN etc. Axxium, CalGel, BioSculpture are examples of this. They usually come in a small pot and are a professional only product.
Then there is Soak off Gel Polish – Shellac being the most known, but also Gelish, Red Carpet Manicure, Geleration, ACG, etc. These generally come in bottles. They are generally professional products, but some are available at Sallys and some are marketed directly to consumers. They should not be filed or drummeled off, nor should you have your fingers soaked in acetone. They should do not damage to your natural nail. In listening to these complaints, I think that many people are getting gel nails when what they want is SOGpolish like Shellac.
These are very different products but this article and discussion tends to smush them together. Before you get any of these, find out what you are getting (get and brand name) and make sure it’s what you want.
I used schellac but it only lasted 5 days,
Its came of bye sokeing it in a cotten bud of
Remover on it and foil over it, you can use
Acitone ao not i used non acitone and it woked.
I have the OPI axxium pale pinks soak-off gel kit. I have done this 3 times now and I have the same problem. I follow these steps (fyi, i use the 45 watts UV nail dryer:
-clean,buff and shape nail
-spray nas 99 and apply bond-aid
-apply clear gel base and cure for 1 minute
-apply color gel and cure for 2 minutes
-apply more color gel and cure for 2 minutes
-apply soak-off gel sealer, cure for 3 minutes
after the last step, the nail is still very sticky and when I rub a cotton ball soaked with Nas 99, the sealer and part of the gel polish comes off! the nail is left dull and with most of the color removed.
What am I doing wrong? Please help!
You need to let your nails cure longer.. I do them for 3-4 minutes to make sure they are cured.
I think since Michelle originally posted this story, prices have come down. I was surprised to see each Gelish mini was $14 at Sally in Sept. 2011, and the mini-UV lamp was around $25, and if you have a Sally Card, there are further discounts on these. $14 per polish isn’t cheap, but considering these manis last 3 weeks or so, and the price a salon would charge per manicure, it sounded like a less expensive route to me.
My concern, though, is over the repeated UV light exposure. Gelish has a mini-lamp that mainly hits just the nails, but it still gets the skin around them. And some people have the giant lamps that look like a small mailbox, where you put your whole hand in. I know some people caution to use sunscreen, but I can’t imagine juggling that with the polish, trying to make sure your whole hand is covered, but not the nails.
It may be only 2 mins. per coat, but if you multiply this per-coat and then per-week and per-year, especially if you like to change colors frequently like I do, that’s more of a risk and a hassle than I want to deal with. Plus, I have an investment in my traditional polishes, which I want to use up.
I do, however, see this as possibly beneficial for people who have a serious nail-biting issue. The DIY woman who uses it claims it allowed her nails to grow out when they were severely bitten back. When nails are just tiny stumps, where there isn’t enough bed to really form an acrylic nail or attach a tip, then I think Gelish might be a good tradeoff as a temporary measure to allow some growth until acrylics or tips can be applied.
well I bought $100.00 worth of opi gel off polish and 2 lights . Opi will not cure, I have tried the lightest coat and cured for as long as 7 mins. what a waste.. Yes I’m a DYI but I have used BDI and cured wit no problem..Warning if you a DYI stay away from OPI Gel Off
Sounds like you don’t have the correct lights to cure the product.
Hi Ladies – has anyone had any issues with allergies to the gel polishes? I was a professional nail tech for 15 years before I changed to doing web design so I’m very experienced in doing my own nails. Back when I was practicing I tried an artificial gel product with uv light and I had the problem of itching and little blisters on my skin and my nail beds were really sore so I could not use those. I just recently got some of the gel nail polish and tho my nail beds are not sore the very tips of my fingers are a cross between numb and painful. My nail beds are fine and look fine, love the product but the very tips of my fingers are number and somewhat painful. Could this be another allergic reaction – there is no itching or anything else. Am I allergic to the product or could it be one of the primers or the uv light? If anyone out there has ever had any experience like this?
I have had several applications of ‘permanent nail varnish’ – in France. The product was Beauty Nails.
Yes, it lasted, but the growth left lots of bare nail with no colour. The finish was perfect – not a chip or split and everyone admired them, particularly at work where I am at a computer all day long.
Then, the last time, a combination of cotton pads soaked in ‘something’ with foil ‘caps’ and then filing has left my nails in such a state that they are breaking and splitting.
I have always had very strong nails, with smooth surfaces, and NEVER had a problem with breaking. My toenails, where I haven’t had the ‘permanent’ treatment, are in perfect condition.
I am leaving the nails of my hands free of polish and using lots of cuticle oil and hand cream to try and restore them.
Did your fingers get worse? This happened to me 3 days later my tips of my fingers are so numb and now my whole top of my fingers are red. I am thinking I might have to go the doctor benadryl is doing nothing.
Vickie, I have worked with a few fellow nail techs who developed the same allergy to the product. They even got to the point of needing to wear gloves while doing gel nails. Unfortunately I haven’t heard of any way to reverse the reaction or even keep it at bay. I think you are S.O.L in the pretty nail department
It sounds like a full blown allergic reation. Unfortunately, these allergies tend to be permanent. If you look at DIY boards like The Purse Forum and search on allergies, you will find others with similar issues.
CND Shellac is advertised as hypoallergenic and, although it is no guarantee, many people who could not wear the other gel polishes can safety and comfortably wear Shellac.
Hi Vickie
I have also started having severe reactions to the ibd gelac product. I have puffiness of the eyes, sore finger ends (numb, like when you’ve cut your finger nails too short) and a rash on my face. I have used the product for over six months with no problems…the allergic reaction is quite severe, I have tried medication from the pharmacy with no relieft. I have medication from the Docters along with cream for the itiness. I have emailed ibd direct to query wether or not the products should have an expiry date etc on them. I’m so disappointed with a product I only had good things to say about.
That is terrible. It does not sound like an expiry date issue, though. You can cause an allergic reaction to gel polish by allowing uncured gel to remain on your skin. So, after months of using the product, you suddenly get a severe allergic reaction. What light did you use? Did you use the IBD one? Improper curing is a big cause of allergic reaction. It is likely that the allergy is permanent. You can try CND Shellac, which is hypoallergenic. A lot of people who can’t use other gel polishes can safely use Shellac. You might go to the Purse Forum’s SOG Forum where they have a lot of information on allergies.
I have been very pleased with GELISH. I have used it 3 times now on my nails over the last 3 months. REGARDING SOAKING off , it is imperative to sand the top layer of polish off before soaking in the acetone. I usually do the cotton SOAKED in acetone for 15 minutes, and then the gel peels off pretty easily. A person mentioned that it was really hard to get the gel off. It’s easy to forget the sanding step. I did, and learned from that experience. I love Gelish. it takes a few times to really see how it levels out. You can get really close to the cutical, but then once it cures, you might see it goes a little further. It is important to use really thin layers. I have done several Gelish applications ( I’m a DIYer) and just LOVE ‘Good Gossip’. The good gossip is a rich read color ( like ruby slippers) and has glitter in it. Really sharp and magical.PERFECT for Christmas nails.
I have a 36 watt uv lamp and it works fine. I got the instructions from the on line videos that you see on youtube. Really well done and informative. Pays to watch several times.
Hope this helps.
I have been doing these color gel nails for a couple of months. I really love the way they look and last up to 3 weeks depending on the color. But, I do have to say that my nails are not as strong and healthy as they once were. I am getting splits in nails that never were a problem before. Usually my thumbs are the only problem that way. I think I am going to do the soak off myself and leave them alone for awhile.
I am new to UV Gel polish. I just got it done on Saturday and I am loving it so far. I’m praying for good soak off results. My nail professional has the Gelish line. So I’ll see in a few weeks.
Well I came on here to find out a bit more info about soak off gel nail polish and have found out loads of really helpful stuff….and the bonus…I dont need to watch any soap on TV tonight as the ‘heated’ and very comical discussions back and forth have made me laugh out loud at times! No offense meant to any of you any thanks all for your help. Also really sorry for pain encountered by some and also the people trying to help, perhaps not as subtly as they could have done, but with the heart in the right place. Im off to buy my CND Shell! Thanks All XX
why did my nail gel go soft ,I did bond it for 4 minutes .
My mom is a professional manicurist and she used Daisy Gel Lacquer for me– I decided with a French manicure since it’s cute and professional at the same time. Nail growth didn’t really show at the bottom, obviously since it was a clear coat, but didn’t show at the top until the space between my nail bed and the French tip became obvious.
This was a breakthrough for me– I’ve never had a manicure last so long before that I could actually SEE that space. Usually after day 2, something has chipped. My first chip didn’t happen until after 3 weeks of heavy keyboarding, dishwashing in hot water, painting, bread making, and even furniture moving. However, after the first chip, subsequent chips followed.
I can definitely say that the soak-off is probably the biggest downside to gel manicures. I hated the feeling of “dryness” that happened while soaking in pure acetone.
If you can stand the soak and want your manicures to last long, especially French tips, I’m highly recommending it.
I just got my first gel nails and they used a white bottle with a small circle/dot to show color…anyone know the brand? And can I use polish over these if i am bored with the color? or will i loose my shine? thanks!
Sounds like Gelish. Look at the Hand and Nail Harmony website and see if that’s what you remember. You can use regular polish and top coat over your Gelish, but it will not be as shiny as the Gelish. You can remove it wit non-acetone polish remover and not damage your Gelish.
I have a question. I have axxium soak off gel lacque by opi meet me on the star ferry which I bougbt in vegas at a salon I love the color. My salon has been using it on me but using a different base coat and top coat. It seems to work. I went to a different salon and they told me they could not use it because I needed the same brand for a base coat and top coat. Do I have to invest in gel base, gel sealer, and a mini gel brush and where do I get them from?
Most soak off systems insist that you use the entire system to maintain safety and prevent service breakdown. Generally speaking, it is considered bad practice to mix items among soak off gel brands, so most salons will only use axxium base with axxium color and axxium top coat.
Has anyone ever had Jessica GELeration gel nails? I am qualified nail tech and want to offer Gel nails to my clients but not sure which product is best (apart from Bio!): Jessica GELaration, Gelish, Calgel or OPI Axxium?
Calgel is pretty amazing in terms of nail health and duration. Your clients will be pleased. Stay away from Axxium.
I love Geleration. Jessica is a great brand with excellent customer service. It has lots of colors and all of them are also available as regular as regular nail polish which is a great retail opportunity, since clients often want SOGP on their nails and regular polish on their toes. They also like have regular polish for touch ups. Geleration polishes are highly pigmented and applies easily; removal is also easy. It also LED cures.
Can anybody tell me how long I have to cure the OPI Gel Color with the shellac UV lamp?
So, reading through all of this, its answered a few of my concerns… I have PAPER THIN nails… they rip as easy as ripping a sheet of paper in two. I recently tried the gel technique before a vacation, I LOVE having my nails painted, but its not worth the time or effort to me when it comes off the first time I hop in the shower… I REALLY loved the added strength I had with the gel polish and even though it did start chipping in a week, I think it was from my natural nails normal ripping and tearing. HOWEVER when she took it off it hurt like hell. The scraping was BEYOND not comfortable and the end result was such a mess I had them redone just to get through the holidays. I am am thinking now, that it was because she ran the file drill thing over my nail to rough it up? They are thin enough, I REALLY wasn’t impressed with that. As of right now, they are REALLY a mess, I didn’t want her scraping it again so I got it off myself and probably didn’t get it all off since I didn’t use acetone it peeled right off which would be another indicator that it just ISN”T the place to go for this service. Will have to do some research and see what else is around my area, maybe splurge again around Valentines day.
It should NEVER hurt to get your nails done. And there is no need to use an efile for gel polish service. All any gel polish needs is a light buffing to remove the shine and many don’t even require even that.
Do some research and understand what you want. Make sure you understand the difference between a gel manicure and gel polish. Pick a gel polish service that you like and ask for it by name – Gelish, Geleration, Shellac. Don’t let them do anything or put anything on you if you don’t know what it is. You don’t have to be aggressive or defensive about it, just curious. Your best bet is to find a CND Shellac certified salon; they have certain specific standards for application, tools, products and removal that they have to meet.
Part of the pain is probably because your nails are so thin. I have the same problem if I don’t soak mine long enough when removing for reapplication. I found that OPI’s Nail Envy has done wonders for my nails. Also using straight Vit E oil as a cuticle oil helped them to thicken up on their own. I also take a daily multi, 1000 MG of Biotin, vitamin E, calcium with Vit D and Vitamin C on a daily basis. I have found that this has also improved the health of my nails and hair.
Nancy G is right, they should never need to use the electric file for the Gel polishes, A simple buffer block would remove the shine sufficiently for application.
To remove them yourself, you want to break the seal of the top coat by filing through it and a quick file across the free edge. Then you can soak them off one of two ways. You can place them in a warm bowl of acetone that you’ve warmed by placing the bowl in a slightly larger one with hot water in it. The other way (which is what I use) is to soak cotton in acetone, place on the nail and then cover it with foil. I just recently got some things off EBAY that are supposed to fit over your finger tips for soaking off and they work like a charm. I don’t fill them with liquid but rather place the cotton in them and then slide my finger tips in. The point of them or the foil is to keep the acetone from evaporating before it is done softening the gel.
I had shellac nail color professionally applied. I got home from the salon and the polish had already started to come off. Then getting the rest off was a tough job. I will stick to regular nail polish… which last me 3 weeks.
It is time for me to get my manicure again. I have very strong healthy nails with great nail beds. Right know I have my second gel polish on. I was discouraged at how hard it was for them to get the gel off last time. I love the way the gel lasts but I DON’T WANT TO RUIN MY NAILS. How can I be sure they do not ruin my nails. Last time they did use an electric file of some sort.
Opi axxium last great but wrecks your nails! Im applying Opi gelcolor now which is much kinder on removal and my nail strength has improved greatly but only lasting one week max with LED cure. .
got a gel nail polish application In Dec 2011. the first application was great, the second not so good. The nail tech, (oriental) pryed the polish off with a cuticle stick, a nail clipper and then a sanding instrument similar to a Dremmel. Needless to say my nails lost the top layer of nail, have become weak and fragile till this day. They are just growing back to the healthy nails that they were. This lesson here, make sure the tech is a licensed knowledgeble preson
how would one apply the polish featured in the top pic? I’m a DIYer and would love to know how to get this look. Love it!!!
Since the gradation was created using gel, it won’t look the same recreated with polish but you could try sponging the tip of the nail or using a nail art brush to drag the color down the nail.
I LOVE the gel polish manicures. I’ve only had the Nail Harmony Gelish manicure but it looked so simple and easy to do that I picked up all the supplies to do it for myself since I’m a nail polish fanatic.
It is so easy to do and lasts for such a long time. And the money you invest in purchasing everything, from the UV Light to the actual polishes, pay for themselves in such a short time. I spent about 30 bucks locally for my manicure. The supplies to start including the light cost me about 100 because I found a starter kit for the Gelish on sale at Sally’s. I’ve done my own manicures about 5 times now, which means I’ve already saved about 50 bucks and will save even more later.
What I love about them is that if I don’t have the time because of work and school to polish my nails, I still have nice looking nails since I usually use a very light color so that I have a pale base that is easy to polish over. Add to it the added strength its given my thin weak nails and its a win/win. Before gels, I’d everything to strengthen my nails to no avail.
I’m no dermatologist, but I’d think that using a UV light on your hands would be horribly aging. Trust me, age spots on your hands are some of the hardest things to get rid of, and they really, REALLY make you look old.
The UV light that is used for soak-off gel is extremely low. Although it has been (wrongly) compared to a tanning bed, the exposure is, in fact, tiny. You might check out a couple of reports by industry experts about this which show that the UV light is minimal and safe.
Hi – never was a DIY, but my nail girl that I love just closed her shop. I found another one but it’s an expensive spa so I’m trying to get a DIY once a month and a professional the next time. She used to use this base gel that was in a taller bottle with a pointy lid. It made taking the gel color off so easy that there was almost no scraping. Does anyone know what this might be or any other advice so I can tell my new girl? Also, can you use a regular (non-gel) base coat first then use the gel base coat to make removal easier? Once I find a new professional that is more reasonable then I’m done with the DIY….it looks Ok, but not professional! Thanks
I got my color gel manicure about 4 days ago. Today I seem to have acquired several chips, one really big piece off of my thumb nail. Has anyone else had this problem? Is it just my nails? Regular nail polish chips off my nails easily as well.
gelcolor polish does not use a uv lamp the beauty of this product is the ‘led lamp’
Actually, according to the instruction manual for GelColors you *can* use a UV lamp but you should use the OPI LED lamp.
HI, I have used opi soak off, just twice and it has totally ruined my nails. I don´t know what to do!!!
My white line is now way back almost to the middle of the nail as if the nail was growing separate from the skin, looking yellow and dull.
Can anybody tell me is this has happenened to anyone else? How can I fix it. Are my nail ever going to be like they were?
I need help!
please answer to tacta@tacta.e.telefonica.net my name is Tatiana
http://www.tatianadoria.blogspot.com
I have had Gelish gel polish applied three times at the salon I get my pedi’s at. Love the longevity of the color since I work in a lab and wear gloves which cause regular polish to chip quickly. First removal involved acetone soak off. Had a second application of Gelish applied immediately but noticed my nail beds felt a little tender and looked a little flaky after removal. Removed the second application myself at home in an attempt to avoid the bowl of acetone soaking process. I purchased Gelish Soak Off nail remover, soaked cotton balls in it, placed on nail bed, wrapped in foil, waiting 10 min, then pushed off with cuticle stick. Some weren’t coming off very easily so I soaked again until they did. My nails were extremely sensitive following removal, the nail beds hurt, and the nails seemed very thin and brittle. All my nails broke or ripped off. It reminded me of the way my natural nails looked 15 years ago after having acrylic nails removed. I did some research online and thought if I used some cuticle oil daily that would prevent this from happening. Purchased Gelish Nourish cuticle oil and returned to the salon after waiting two months for the application. I have been applying the oil to cuticle and surrounding skin daily now. Should this help moisturize the natural nail? Is this the right approach to take to prevent the problem I was having? Your recommendations would be most appreciated.
I had a CND Shallac french manicure a few months ago. It was my first time doing anything other then a regular manicure. I have really strong nails with a long nail bed and I don’t want to ruin that so I’ve never been a fan of acrylics. I’m not sure if the manicurist did something wrong but it lasted 3 DAYS! 50 bucks and it didn’t even last as long as a regular manicure. After about the second day my nails started to peel at the edges and you could see water getting under the paint.
Needless to say, I did not see the worth and 3 days of wear is no where near the 2-3 weeks that everyone says. Personally, I’ll just stick to doing my own manicures at home. They look just as good and its WAY cheaper.
A Shellac manicure that lasted only three days was incorrectly done and you should have returned to the salon for a re-do or refund. No way a gel manicure of any brand should peel or chip after three days – not at $50 a pop!! Even Shellac I do at home last 10 days.
I am using the axxium soak off gel base and lacquers. I just bought 10 jars of the axxium gel base system not the soak off.
This product is much lighter and thinner. I’m unable to return the product. Does anyone know if the axxium gel base system is compatible with the Axxium soak off gel lacquer.
Hello
I HAVE A QUESTIONS
I USE BIO SCULPTURE ON MY CLIENTS HANDS.
RECENTLY THERE IS A CLIENT WITH COLD HANDS ALL THE TIME THAT COMES BACK WITH THE GEL OUT OFF HER HANDS.
IS HER COLD HANDS THE RESON FOR THAT???WHY??
SHE IS THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM.
***SHE DOES NOT TAKE ANY MEDECIN , SHE IS NOT ON DIET, SHE IN NOT ON MONOPOSE, SHE IS NOT PREGNANT, AHE IS NOT ON STRESS***
IN SUMMER SHE DOES NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEM.
THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY
SUSAN
Do you have her use an oil on her nails regularly for maintenance. It could be the dry winter air more than her cold hands.
WOW! very cool. I didn’t know you could do styles like this with gel polishes
I’m a bit confused with all the names for these nail products. I think some are types of polish, some are types of procedures and some are brand names. What are the categories of all of the ways of doing this and what are the differences and which one is the best?
Thanks for the advice on the different brands! This article was such a great resources. I’ll have to try out a few and see which ones work best for me.
Also, this process is actually really easy at home (as long as you have some nail painting ability) and may be a chunck of change up front ($50), but ends up being cheaper than going to get manicures all the time.
Just a warning ladies. I used to have long beautiful healthy nails. Then I got them gelac-ed at a reputable salon for 3 months. My nails are ruined and even after months of giving it up, they shred and peel. Stay away. It looks pretty but it’s poison and will catch up with you eventually.
I don’t mean to sound like an apologist, but if gel nail polish ruined your nails, it’s not because it’s poison. It’s because someone did them wrong – and it sounds like they did them wrong for a while. You *can* do damage with gel polish; you can over buff them, you can aggressively remove cuticle, and (most common) you can do terrible damage removing them. The salon may have been reputable, but unfortunately that’s no guarantee that they knew what they were doing. It will probably take 6 months to grow out your nails. You might try Gelish Vitagel Recovery or Salon Science Starting Over After Artificials in the meantime.
[...] So far I’ve tried: Shellac, Gellish, Voss, and OPI. I’ve heard about: Akzentz, Bio Sculpture Color Gel, CalGel, Dashing Diva Gelife, IBD, the list goes on. For more on brands, go here. [...]
I have found so much helpful information here. While I respect the opinions of the nail professionals, not all DIYer’s have access to professionals. I do not have a nail salon in my country town and I cannot afford to drive over 1.5 hours to get to a nail salon. I cannot afford to take that much time out away from my job and my life to drive treacherous roads for manicures. So this DIYer is not taking money out of anyone’s pocket. Just safely staying home to have beautiful nails. I just wanted to say that the information is imperative to many of us that really appreciate the help and can’t get to a salon. Thank goodness I have a hair stylist or I would be sunk. Hee.
Thank you all for your comments which I have found very useful.I am anew user of uv gel polish and have watched utube etc trying to get all the info I could before I started doing it my self. I live on a 50foot boat in New Zealand and so cant easily get to a salon. I have been using CND base and top coats with any brand of uv gel polish in between these layers.This works well for me and I use acetone wraps to remove which I do VERY carefully as I have fragile nails.An other trick I do Is to use a soak off gel( UV cured )on ym thumb and first fingers to give me extra strength as I am a bit of a tomboy !
put warm pure acetone in a glass bowl (warm acetone by putting the bottle in a hot bowl of water, never microwave!) place fingertips (whole nail) into acetone cover hand with towl to keep in the warmth for about 5 to 8 minutes….remove fingers and use a metal cuticle pusher to gently slide gels off.
Where do you get pure acetone?
I got my first polish two weeks ago and loved it. It was beautiful and stayed that way for two weeks. I went in for the soak off and they soaked my nails and acetone and then pushed the soft polish off with a metal cuticle pusher. I looked at my natural nails after and they appeared healthy. I had the second mani with gel polish and again I am very happy. The mani is perfect. I am really pleased with the salon. They really took their time. It was pricey, but well worth having beautiful nails with minimal upkeep. The salon has my repeat business for their time and quality work. Overall I spent $35.00 for the soak off and another mani with gel polish. With a tip I am spending approximately $80.00 a month. I believe it is money well spent. Gorgeous natural nails.
watch your lungs! You don’t want to breath this kind of vapor
yes, that method works but it is harsh to the nails and fingers. Foil method is definitely better, as acetone is concentrated gel nail only, so less damaging.
At any hardware store in the paint section.
Any beauty supply store, Sally for example, will have lots of pure acetone in sizes from 4 oz to a gallon.
You can get it at Sally Beauty Supply.
Sally’s beauty supply should have it
Walmart, Target, etc. By the nail polish removers.
Ladies please don’t put anything on you nails that you buy at a hardware store.If it is formulated for wall paint it will not be healthy for you natural nails. And be sure you wash it off with soap and watere when you are finished with it. You can buy pure acetone (salon grade) at most retail beauty supply store.
Kim, what brand did you get?
I enjoyed reading the comments on soak-off gel nails which I have just started using. My only concern is the possible damage to your hands or system from the UV light. Does anyone have a comment from a dermatologist from the use of UV light on the hands? Also, what is the difference between OPI gel polish and SOG or Shellac?
the only thing different about the acetone at a beauty supplier and acetone at a hardware store is the price. acetone is acetone whether you’re using it for gel removal, thinning paint or meth labs..
lol i just loved your comment
Try http://www.schoonscientific.com/resources-publications-technical-articles.html
OPI is a gel polish and Shellac describes itself as a “power polish.” I would say that Shellac is more like a regular polish and OPI more like a gel.
Some, most, acetone sold as “polish remover” is buffered with other chemicals, often alcohol. How much difference that makes in the long run… the idea is it will not be as harsh or drying to nails and skin.