So if you’re like me and love to have pretty manicured nails constantly you may have opted for gel nails. They help protect your nails from damage and breakage, they are high shine (if that’s the finish you’ve opted for) and they can last as long as 4 weeks (I know mine do). You can check out my nail tech (if you’re based in Sheffield of course) here.
So you have had your gel nails and they’re not lasting? Or they start to lift quickly. Here are some of the main culprits for this issue.
Physical Causes
So these reasons are some of the things you can actively stop doing today to help with the time your gel nails last.
Using your nails as a toothpick, sticking celotape to them, using them to open ring pulls or even using a computer. These things can all cause your gel polish to chip or lift. These are all easily observed issues and easily changed. Be more careful with your nails and be a little less heavy handed on the keyboard.
The other is the nail preparation, this comes down to your nail tech. Your nail tech should be carefully preparing the nail surface to help remove excess oil and cuticles to help with the adhesion of the gel. My advice is to do your homework on your nail tech, see where they did their training, ask them what products they’re using and why. 90% of the time they are happy to talk to you about this because they want your nails to last and ultimately have happy customers.
Chemical Causes
As well as causing damage to your nails physically, the chemicals we come into contact with on a daily basis can also effect the longevity of your gel nails and causing them to lift.
House hold cleaning products are probably the NO.1 chemical issue for us. That includes household bleach, washing up liquid, window cleaner and the likes. Lanolin is a wool wax/oil which is well known for keeping dry skin hydrated but hand creams and sun lotions containing lanolin might be the cause of your lifting gel polish.
What to do to Make Your Gel Nails Last Longer
So all in all my top tips would be. Firstly, check the ingredients in your regular hand cream or SPF to make sure it is free of lanolin. Secondly, ensure you dry your hands thoroughly after getting them wet. Try to protect your nails from chemicals by wearing gloves. Lastly, treat your nails nicely. Don’t pick and pull at them (I know it is easier said than done) but more than likely if you apply these tips; your gel nails will be far less likely to lift. And ultimately last longer.
Check out my blog post for getting a easy gel manicure at home.
