Gel manicures..Salon and at home kits. Please share the negatives and positives.

[eeyoresmom]

I am thinking of either getting a gel manicure at the salon or purchasing a DIY kit to do my nails at home. Can you share your experiences to help me make up my mind? My major reason for getting a gel manicure is the supposed longevity. I HATE having to do my nails twice a week plus all the touch ups in between. Do the gels really last 2 weeks? How easy/hard is the application and removal if I get a DIY kit? Any and all advice is very much appreciated. TIA

 

[MichiganKris]

I get my gel nails done at a salon. They do last 2 weeks most of the time and I have been able to go 3 weeks a couple of times depending on the color I choose, and how much my nails grow. The polish is not usually chipping in the 2 week time frame, it just starts looking bad because of the nails growing out.

 

[eeyoresmom]

Thank you. Do you think you can go longer between manicures with light color polish ? I don't live near a salon and work full time with 4 kids so finding time to get to the salon is another consideration. That's why I'm considering a DIY kit also.

 

[Sagginit]

i did the gel twice and am not sure i would do it again. the first time i did it before a vacation and it started to peel off (air was getting under the polish somehow at the corners). i didn't have the time to go to a salon to have it soaked off so i got nail glue to stick it back down until i got home. the second time i did better. however this time i still had chips and peeling. a friend told me it can depend on your nails, body's chemistry (oils), and other conditions. the two week last time is really the max she explained and they don't really explain that for some people it can only last a few days. the second time i was good for a few days and it lasted until after my event but still not worth the $ since it has the lifespan of a normal manicure. i also found it damaged my nails and really dried them out.

 

[hollieplus2]

I love gel manicures!!! I get them done every 2 weeks because my nails grow really fast. If I wear a light color I can maybe stretch it 3 weeks. I almost never have chipping or peeling unless I stretch it 3 weeks. Also my nails were pretty thin and flaked when I did them at home 2x a week and now they are super strong. I also love how shiny and glossy they are.

 

[Kitzka]

I have thinner nails that tend to break. A regular manicure would last 2 days tops on me. I get the gel color at my salon and it lasts at least 2 weeks. I still have some breakage but it's nothing like it was. I usually go 6 weeks with the gel color (2 or 3 different manicures) and then a week with nothing on my nails.

My nails are not weaker from the gel manicure (they are from the LCN or acrylics).

Personally, I am too clumsy to do it myself at home. but i understand from friends that it takes some practice to do them yourself and a little trial and error. I know the sephora at home product (the polish) is good. I bring the dark blue to my salon sometimes as my salon doesn't have that color.

 

[eliza61]

I get them done occasionally. I do love how the gel manicures last, usually 3 weeks for me but they totally destroy my nails.
Definitely love how they look though. I get them done at the salon.

 

[KSL]

I was skeptical at first too (and kind of balked at the cost - I'm 'frugal'! ), but I had a gift certificate and figured I'd give the gel manicure a shot. I LOVED it! It really did stay for 2+ weeks, including being at the beach with the sand and salt water, pool, etc. Just past the 2-week mark my nails had grown out enough to where it was starting to be noticible, and some of the edges were beginning to peel/fray, so then I had the polish off. My nails were fine afterwards (still strong, even though they do quite a bit of scraping and buffing to get it all off!). I got another gel mani a few weeks later and had the same great experience. At that point, I bought the products for removing the gel manicure at home so that I didn't have to keep going back to the salon for that, I could do it when I wanted. I definitely recommend the gel manicure - it really lasts and looks so shiny. Go for it!

 

[jacksmomma]

I love gel manicures, so I bought the red carpet ready kit from Ulta. It is great! The nails do not last 2 weeks on me, but I can get a solid week-week and a half of them looking fantastic. The kit does take a steady hand and some time, but the savings is worth it to me. Ulta will have it on Black Friday for $20 off!

I recently tried the Sally Hensen gel strips and hated those! They did not stick to my nails and were flaking off horribly!

 

[jmac323]

Some background on my nails....I have short nails. They are thin and break and peel. I've tried every kind of top coat or polish to try ans get them to grow and get me from stop picking at them.
I decided last week to purchase a small UV light ($40) and a Gelish starter kit ($30) from Amazon. I have prime so I got them in two days! I went to Sally Beauty and bought a light color and a dark color to get me started. I did my manicure myself in about 30 minutes. It was not difficult (and I am left hand challenged haha). Because some of my nails were peeled off and near the skin the gel was hard to not get on the skin. It has been less then a week and some of the gel has chipped a bit however I blame that on myself for paiting it on the skin a bit and then peeling it up and it took some off the nail.
My plan is to keep this on for 2-3 weeks and then do another manicure in the hopes of finally getting them to grow out again. So far I am pleased with how they look and feel and durability. I like that I can continue to do my own moving forward. Sso for around $90 (light, polishes, kit, acetone, etc) I think the investment was worth it so far. I am thinking I will only get better at the painting part as time goes on.

 

[LJSquishy]

I recently read that the gel type manicures are dangerous for your health. First, the UV light is essentially like a tanning bed and we all know how unsafe they are. The second reason is the acetone being in contact with your nails for 10 min during removal.

 

[eeyoresmom]

I love gel manicures, so I bought the red carpet ready kit from Ulta. It is great! The nails do not last 2 weeks on me, but I can get a solid week-week and a half of them looking fantastic. The kit does take a steady hand and some time, but the savings is worth it to me. Ulta will have it on Black Friday for $20 off!

I recently tried the Sally Hensen gel strips and hated those! They did not stick to my nails and were flaking off horribly!

Thanks everyone! I checked the Ulta site. Is there a code for the BF sale? Also, this is going to sound stupid, but are the brands of polish interchangeable?

 

[eeyoresmom]

I recently read that the gel type manicures are dangerous for your health. First, the UV light is essentially like a tanning bed and we all know how unsafe they are. The second reason is the acetone being in contact with your nails for 10 min during removal.

Oh, thank you for that. Acetone does freak me out since I saw what it does on Dr. OZ. I am not an alarmist, but I do try to keep my contact with it to a minimum and wash hands really well after. Do you have to soak nails for 10 minutes to get polish off ?

 

[sookie]

i did the gel twice and am not sure i would do it again. the first time i did it before a vacation and it started to peel off (air was getting under the polish somehow at the corners). i didn't have the time to go to a salon to have it soaked off so i got nail glue to stick it back down until i got home. the second time i did better. however this time i still had chips and peeling. a friend told me it can depend on your nails, body's chemistry (oils), and other conditions. the two week last time is really the max she explained and they don't really explain that for some people it can only last a few days. the second time i was good for a few days and it lasted until after my event but still not worth the $ since it has the lifespan of a normal manicure. i also found it damaged my nails and really dried them out.

i had it done and it really tore up my nails! so never again.

 

[jmac323]

I saw a youtube video that has you put the acetone on a cotton ball, wrap it in foil and let it sit for 10 minutes. So it wasn't exactly soaking your fingers in it and it seemed the cotton would help keep off the skin a bit. I'm trying it next week to see how it goes.

Also, regarding UV light, it's a tiny light where only the top of your fingers go into and they make gloves you can wear as well to protect your skin if you are interested.

There's always something out there that is harmful, but if you are proactive and smart about using them I don't see need for alarm. It is nice to be made aware of dangers though.

 

[disneymom2003]

As a manicurist I would like to say a couple of things. First the solution I soak the polish off with is not dangerous nor is the light I use. There is absolutely no proof of that. Second the solution i use is not straight acetone. It has emollients in it and does not damage. Third all gel polish is NOT created equal. CND is the first company to formulate gel polish. There is no need to rough the natural nail before application and no need to file it off. Other companies have followed. Some of them have the idea that the most important thing to the consumer (and some manicurists) is that the polish stay on. While that is important, it is not so important that it is almost impossible to get off. A lot of gel polishes take that stance and that is why manicurists are filing and drilling it off. You should not have problems removing gel polish. There is also a learning curve i.e.. how long to process each coat, application (this polish is not like normal polish) and removal. I tell my clients gel polish is designed to last 2 weeks. If you decide to go longer that is your choice but they are only designed to last 2 weeks.There are other things about proper care that your manicurist should be telling you about gel polishes. Whether you decide to do them at home or the salon gel polish are the nails of the future and something we have all been waiting for for a long time.

 

[jmac323]

Good info, thanks for sharing!

 

[aprince&princess]

I bought an at home gel polish kit at Walmart for $50. The brand was Sensational by Nailene. I came with everything that you needed. I also bought a different color polish for just under $10. The kit said it would last 2 weeks, so far I changed polish twice after 12 days. I do work in a retail store where I have to unpack inventory and stock shelves, so I have had a nail or two chip and have touched up some nails in between. But for the most part the nail polish lasts great. I usually find that regular nail polish would chip off within a day or two. And in five weeks I have only broken one nail, which cracked trying to pull boxes off the shelf at work,

And the first time I removed the gel polish I did put acetone in a bowl and soaked for 10 minutes. But the second time I used a removal kit sold by the same company that was basically cotton squares inside foil, and this was much easier to remove. In the future I plan to just use cotton balls and foil because I think it will work just as easily.

 

[eeyoresmom]

OP here. Thanks everyone for the input. I bought the SensatioNail kit at WalMart last night and did them myself. It took me exactly one hour but that is because I was obsessively reading the directions so as not to screw up. It will probably take a little over 30 minutes next time. It was not difficult at all but I did have a few minor issues that I wont have next time. First my nails were too short to "wrap" the color around the tips without getting it on my skin so I skipped that and there is a tiny "blank " spot at the tips of some nails. As hard as I tried, I did get a little bit of the color on a few cuticles, so I hope that doesn't make it peel faster. Lastly, I was being soooo careful to apply all steps sparingly like the directions said that I think I went a little light on the raspberry color and it lacks some depth. Next time I will know I can go a little thicker with this step because I did so on one nail and it came out great. So far I am VERY happy with the results (love not having to wait until it dries!), but my major reason for trying this was longevity so I was let you know in a few days how it held up. Thanks for all your help.

 

[deva]

As others have said, not all gels are the same. I recommend only Shellac by CNDC. Gellish and other brands are so hard to remove and will ruin your nails. A CNDC technician is the way to go.