5 Gel Nail Disasters and How to Treat Them

Gel manicure is like a forever journey. When the Insta-worthy gel manis look perfect, your mind will be blown away and selfie is a must! When it comes to the removal time, however, you will not dare to see your bare nails with brittle, wear and tear condition, thereby another new coat is on. 

 

I know this feel, sis, I do. Over the past two years of gel manicures, my nails have been brittle and eczema shows up at my fingertips. Thus, I have polished up the post-gel manicure problems here for you to think twice before starting your manis journey. If you finally decide to help your nails do this long-wear makeup, remember to treat your nails and hands properly to keep them healthy all the time.

 

Problem #1: Skin Burnt

Your nails need to be cured under the LED lamp, allowing the lacquer to contract and dry. I bet many of you, including me, have once felt hot with a sense of skin burnt after curing, we just can’t withstand it for even 10seconds! This is because our nails are filed or buffed too thin so they are more sensitive to heat. If our manis repeat the curing process, the exposure to UV rays will increase the risk of skin cancer.

 

Problem #2: Brittle Nail

Your manicurist will use an electrical filing device on your nails despite making a new look or taking off your old ones, as it helps the gel polish latch on nails tightly or removing it totally. When time passes, it just left you with brittle nail beds and desert-dry cuticles while chips and broken nails are possible if your finger crash on some hard things. I have done my gel nails for two consecutive years without any resting time, and until I finally remove the gels and stop doing this shiny paint job, my nails always break and it takes me half year to recover.

 

Problem #3: Lacklustre Nails

There is a wide range of nail salons in the market and the quality is not guaranteed. Some nail polishes and materials they use contain highly-concentrated chemicals that may lead to lacklustre nails or even fungal nail infection, resulting in onychomycosis. Some nail salons have switched to vegan nail polish or those suitable for pregnancy in recent years, so before you step into any nail salon, you’d better get to know the origins of their products first. It is no doubt that everyone wants to pursue for their beauty but it may bring you a nightmare if you don’t choose wisely. 

 

Problem #4: Dirty Nails

A British research shows that girls do gel manicure once every 5 weeks. Meanwhile, nails  grow and will probably accumulate grime including makeup, skin cells or food etc. A long-term accumulation of dirts will cause hygienic problems severely, and more seriously, it will affect your nail health. For those love extending or keeping long nails, remember to get the gunk out of your fingernails regularly.

 

Problem #5: Dry Hands

Most of the gel polish consists of chemicals like Ethyl Acetate, Isopropyl Alcohol and Butyl Acetate etc. If your hands are in touch with these chemicals continuously, it may cause dehydration and thereby stripped hands. Thus, if you like doing the gel manicure, you have to use hand cream more often too, preventing dryness and flakes.

The aforementioned 5 problems were my past, not to mention the closure of nail salons amid the pandemic, it gives me the determination to restore my healthy nails with bare ones. The following two hand products are my first-hand (literally) best picks, they help moisturise your hands despite with or without gel manis.

 

Best-pick #1: Olé Beauty Vitamin E Nails and Cuticle Oil

As a Hong Kong local brand, this product from Olé Beauty is produced in Hong Kong with no doubt. Supercharged with cold pressed grapeseed oil, it can be absorbed by skin easily, thanks to the similarity of its fatty acid with human’s. In addition, it is infused with various essential oils including cypress which serves up wound healing, anti-bacterial, and moisturizing while myrrh sterilizes, moisturizes dry, cracked skin and improves nail flexibility; and also the lemon oil improves onychomycosis and brightens the nail plate. 

 

Apply it on the cuticle and massage it for better absorption. This daily use natural cuticle oil promotes nail growth and health whist strengthening them.

 

Best-pick #2: Olé Beauty Aromatic Hand Cream

My manicurist will slather my hand on with hand cream and massage for moisturization after gel manicure - but indeed, you should use hand cream in daily life even you are not doing your manis because it helps condition your dry and chapped skin after LED lamp curing with gel polish.

 

Loaded with good-for-skin ingredients including glucoside that works to reduce melanin and promote collagen production. The botanical glycerin serves up healing wounds and anti-inflammatory which can effectively soothe eczema and contact dermatitis. Bonus is, it is easy for absorb without greasy feeling. Best of all: the scent is so natural yet pleasant. 

 

I particularly love it serving as a hand moisturiser and steriliser at the same time, making it a must-have goodie during pandemic!