Any woman will tell you that chipping a flawless manicure is the most annoying of situations in life. People who continuously type or open packages should have sturdy nails. Nothing can be sturdier than a perfect gel manicure. The experience becomes better if you use high-quality gel polish like OPI gel color nail polish.
The benefit of gel polish is its lasting power, as a well-done manicure can last comfortably for three weeks. Besides, gel manicures offer an additional protective layer over your natural nails. However, the extra protection can also prove detrimental because it can make your nails prone to splitting. But, you can avoid specific mistakes during the manicure process and ensure a fantastic OPI gelcolor manicure.
Mistakes You Should Avoid When Having a Gel Manicure
Back-to-back manicures are never advisable
Many people remove their existing manicures and jump into a new nail procedure. However, it is not at all advisable. Removing your nail polish can be a tiring experience that can cause wear and tear to your nails.
The primary suspect is acetone because acetone has dehydrating properties. Secondly, you cannot avoid acetone exposure because all nail polish removal solutions contain acetone.
Acetone can dehydrate the nails and the skin surrounding them. So, it is advisable to rest your nails for at least a week before you go for a fresh manicure. Dry nails can snap easily and be painful.
The solution is to give adequate rest to your nails and let them recuperate after the removal procedure. It makes your nails healthy and ready to withstand the rigors of a challenging gel manicure.
Leaving on gel polish for too long can weaken your nails
A well-done gel manicure lasts for three weeks. After that, you can touch up your nails frequently and extend their longevity further. The shine does not fade, and your nails look enticing. Therefore, it can tempt you to keep extending your gel manicure. However, it is not the right approach.
Your natural nails keep growing out of the base throughout the time you maintain your gel manicure. Therefore, the nails keep growing longer. The longer the nails, the weaker their edges become. Hence, they tend to snap. It can injure your nail base when the nail edge snaps forcefully. It is a painful experience.
Secondly, longer nails can potentially introduce bacterial infection. It can aggravate if your nail polish layer starts lifting. Water can penetrate the gaps and cause bacterial breeding leading to nail infections.
So, you should avoid over-extending your gel manicure for more than three weeks. You can always remove them and have a new manicure.
Not seeking professional help for nail removal is not the right thing to do
As you enter the third week of the gel manicure, it is time for their removal. Many people try the removal procedure at home. Of course, it is not wrong, especially if you are an expert. However, not everyone is. So, seeking professional help is a better option.
Why is a professional better? Removing a gel manicure involves filing the top layers of OPI gelcolor nail polish. You might either overdo or underdo it when you try it at home. The nail salon technician is an expert. So, she knows how much to file and how much to leave for the acetone to dissolve.
The removal procedure involves soaking your nails in acetone. Next, you use cotton swabs dipped in acetone and place them on your fingertips. Finally, the salon technician does a perfect job of removing gel polish using acetone.
Finally, you allow the polish layer to slide off on its own. If it does not slide off, you should repeat the acetone soak for some more time. Finally, the salon professional buffs the nail surface and massages it with cuticle oil.
Not using cuticle oil for massaging the nails is a critical mistake
Nails become weak after you remove the OPI gel color using acetone. The dry nails can snap off easily. It is best to massage your nails with cuticle oil. It helps nourish and rehydrate the nails.
Cuticle oil has medicinal qualities and does not feel sticky on your nails. They penetrate the nail surface and the skin to restore the water content lost during the nail polish removal.
Cuticle oil also helps in nourishing the cuticles. It forms a protective layer over them and does not allow the nail polish base coat to stick. Thus, cuticle oil plays a critical role in preventing the nail polish layer from lifting.
Final Words
We have discussed four common mistakes that people make during a gel color nails. It is better to avoid these mistakes and ensure a high-quality manicure every time with OPI gel color nail polish.