I have super thin nails that break easily. Starting when I was in college and a lifeguard/swim instructor at my local YMCA, I wore two thin coats of hard gel for 20 years.

I stopped for two years in 2008. I was too busy being a mother of four active and exhausting children.

As many of you know, this was a huge mistake. I gave up the last bit of “me time”.

In 2010 discovered the online world of nails and nail art. I took up my love of nail polish again.

My Research

I spent a lot of time learning about nail care. Doug Schoon’s book, Nail Structure and Product Chemistry became my nail bible. It was the only piece of truth I could get my hands on.

Most of the nail care advice thrown around the internet is false, misleading, and some is actually damaging.

Doug’s book taught me that oil is very important to keeping nails strong yet flexible.

Since I’m allergic to almond oil, which seems to be in just about every cuticle oil, I created my own and began oiling my nails several times a day. They soaked up the oil like a sponge. It took three days for them to stop.

After four months, my nails were longer than they had ever been in my life.

When my husband lost his job of 13 years, I thought that some other girls on the planet might be interested in this oil, so Simply Simply Pure™ hydrating oil was born. Cory and I clung together to build our company—Bliss Kiss™.

Hard Gel vs. Soak-Off-Gel

During my daily, all-consuming studies of nail care, I learned about the new revolutionary product called soak-off-gels (SOG).

This new technology was a gel that dissolved in acetone. Hard gels are highly resistant to acetone.

Hard gels must be filed down to 50% of their thickness for maintenance fills, or filed off completely for removal.

It’s very difficult to file off the hard gel without touching the nail plate. The removal process can significantly thin the natural nail.

The new soak-off-gels were significantly less acetone resistant so they had the gloss and toughness of hard gel with easier solvency in acetone for removal.

This new technology was so popular that it seemed like every polish company was jumping on the bandwagon and creating their own version.

Since my nails were really long from my regular use of Simply Pure™ hydrating oil, I wanted to keep them that way. I decided to check out these new gels.

My Technique

My 20 years of experience taught me that polish bonds really well to gel. I thought SOG would be a great option without a permanent commitment.

Rather than doing the normal application process; one coat of basecoat gel, two coats of color gel, and one coat of topcoat gel,  I chose to just apply just the base coat and topcoat as an overlay, and apply traditional polish over my gel.

Based on my experience with hard gel, and since I wasn’t changing a color, I decided to file the SOG to 50% thickness and then apply 2 new layers of clear gel.

This prevented me soaking in acetone every two weeks. I never completely removed the gel. I felt this was a perfect solution for me.

And it was . . . for about six months.

At the same time, I was photographing my nail art with a high-quality camera and I didn’t like seeing the gel growth line under my polish.

Also, since my gel was fairly thin, with each manicure change the gel would start to partially dissolve around my cuticle lines. I was reapplying the gel every week or two.

This was taking an additional hour out of my week above and beyond doing a normal manicure with nail art.

In January 2013, I decided to do my “Let’s Get Naked Challenge” with all of my customers.

This was my first time removing the gel following the manufacturer’s directions of using an orange wood stick to scrape the softened gel.

Most of the gel came off, but some of it didn’t. I continued to scrape at the hard bits, which created white spots in my nails. You can see this in the photo below.

Unknowingly, I had created the same damage that is happening in hundreds of thousands of salons around the world—all because nail professionals are “following the manufacturers instructions!”

No Scraping Allowed

Doug wrote an article—which I published here—showing his research about the damage that can occur when using any tool to “scrape” off the gel.

With Doug’s illuminating electron microscope pictures, the conclusion is simple—you should never use a tool to remove gel after it has softened with acetone.

I have read the instructions from many manufacturers—including CND Shellac, OPI Gel, Essie’s Gel, and Harmony’s Gelish.

All of them recommend scraping the gel off with an orange wood stick or a metal tool after it has softened.

I asked Doug about this discrepancy, since he always tells people to follow the manufacturers directions, but his research indicates that some of those recommendations are damaging. His response was that the manufacturers need to read his research. I totally agree.

Under The Microscope

Doug has taken electron microscopes showing the damage that even a simple orange wood stick can do.

When small white spots appear on the nail plate after removal of the UV nail color coatings (another name for gel), a likely reason is improper removal.  Fortunately, the vast majority of this type of nail damage is completely avoidable.

How does the nail damage occur?  Soaking the natural nail for even a few minutes in acetone or water will temporarily soften the surface making it temporarily more susceptible to damage from any implements that pry, push or force the remaining residual UV coating (gel) from the nail plate. Instead, a good rule to follow is, “use the utmost care for 60 minutes after immersing natural nails in any liquid for more than 60 seconds.” ~Doug Schoon

Aging Gel Is Not a Good Thing

The longer you wear a soak off gel, the harder the product becomes.

This means that gel that you have been wearing for two weeks is easier to remove than gel that you have been wearing for three or four weeks.

Just How Long Does It Take?

Doug Schoon teaches that the manufacturers recommended acetone soaking time is the minimum—not the maximum.

So if they suggest 10 minutes, and then instruct you to wipe off the gel with firm finger pressure only.

If the gel isn’t completely dissolved then you should rewrap your nail and let it soak longer. This means that it can actually take 20, 30, or even 40 minutes to dissolve the gel properly! The gel must completely wipe off with firm finger pressure.

The Education Gap

We have a big problem being created in the professional salon industry.

The Bad News? About 80% of nail professionals are not learning proper application and removal techniques.

The Good News? 20% are fully educated and doing it right!

Here’s the big problem . . .

Nail professionals who are untrained with the gel technology are mixing and matching UV curing lamps with different brands of gels. According to Doug this is a huge mistake.

If you’re using a CND Shellac gel then you should be using the lamp created by CND.

If you’re using Gelish by Hand and Nail Harmony, then you should be using the Gelish curing lamp.

The products and curing lamps are formulated to work together—there is no such thing as a universal curing lamp.

Why I Don’t Wear Gel Nail Polish Anymore

Continuing on from that mini lesson . . . I then cut my nails short, and started applying oil for three days following my own instructions for the 3 Day Hydration Technique. After that, I continued with normal polish manicures.

At the same time, I also deduced that water absorption from the underside of the nail plate will soak through and break a polish or gel bond. (I’m sure Doug could have told me that in 2010….but he’s a busy guy.)

I started wrapping base coat and top coat to the underside of my tips. I always use two coats of ridge filling base coat, two coats of color, and one layer of top coat.

As my nails were growing out, I realized that I was essentially creating 8 coats of polish wrapped around my tips.

For me, the nail polish was giving me the same amount of temporary strength as the gel. And Pure Nail Oil™ was keeping my nails strong and flexible so they didn’t snap when I banged them into something.

I also discovered that since I was completely sealing off my nails from water absorption, my manicures lasted 7 to 10 days before they even started chipping. This was the exact same effect I was getting previously with a gel overlay. The Fab 5 Polish Wrap Technique had been created.

In Conclusion

Like Doug, I think soak-off-gels are an amazing product that can revolutionize the salon industry, but only if they’re removed properly.

They’re a great solution for so many busy people who just want a beautiful, chip free manicure for two weeks.

Soak-Off-Gels are not a good solution for people who like to change their manicures every few days.

If I were going to a salon to get a gel manicure, I would go in two hours before my appointment so there was plenty of time to completely dissolve the gel. You want it slide off with firm finger pressure (no tools!) against the cotton.

I’d then go to the closest coffee shop, grab something warm and delicious, read a magazine, and wait for an hour before the new gel is applied.

A conscientious nail professional will work with your wishes. And if she doesn’t, send her to this article.

I love that I can change my manicures without the added time commitment of gel. That’s my choice.

Hopefully I’ve given you enough information so you can make the best choice for you.

If you liked this article . . . please share!

The post Why I Don’t Wear Gel Nail Polish Anymore first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

Many people are attracted to fake nails for various reasons.

In this article you’ll learn

• If fake nails, also called artificial enhancements, are best for you.
• What is the best enhancement removal process? This one is important!
• What are your options if you choose natural nails?

ASK ANA

Hi Ana, I was wondering if you could help me. I am fairly new to nail art nail care and maintenance.

My nails are growing but not as fast as I’d like.

If I were to use fake nails is there one kind better over another or should I muster up all the patience I have as I would be doing more damage than anything? Any advice would help!! Thanks for your time. xo” ~Stefani

ANSWER

Stefani, this is a great question. It’s understandable that you want your nails to grow faster, especially if they keep chipping or breaking.

I did write an article about the three scientifically proven ways to make your nails grow faster.

Since I am not a licensed nail professional, my knowledge comes from reading Doug Schoon’s book, Nail Structure and Product Chemistry.

I also have 20 years of past experience applying hard gel to my own nails, since they are very thin. I explain why I moved away from using gel enhancements in this article.

According to Mr. Schoon, all products (acrylic, gels, and lacquers) are completely safe.

The biggest problem occurs when they are improperly applied and improperly removed by poorly trained nail technicians.

You Get What You Pay For

In the world of fake nails (or nail enhancements), the motto, “What you pay for is what you get,” is completely true.

The well trained and passionate nail professional does not come cheap. Their servicing time will also be longer than other nail techs.

Today’s new soak-off-gels strengthen natural nails really well but can be damaging if not removed properly.

Gels can be an also be expensive, either at the salon or getting yourself set up to do at home.

If I were to pick one that is the least damaging and cheap, it would be the glue on nails—But I also have a huge warning!

Removal

If you pry or pop off any nail enhancements, you will take layers of the nail with the glue!

With plastic glue on nails, you need to file down the plastic until it’s thin and then soak in acetone. Completely submerge your fingertips up to the cuticle line in pure acetone until it has worked it’s way under the plastic nail and dissolved the plastic and the glue.

The acetone evaporation is extremely cold and drying to your skin, so you will want to coat your skin with olive oil before doing the 5-10 minute acetone dip.

A Better Way!

In 2017, I discovered that using manicure clips can warm the acetone as you wait for it to dissolve the nail tips and nail glue.

This is actually a better solution to removing all nail enhancements.

The clips are easy to apply compared to the “foil method”. Your body heat warms the acetone causing it to work better.

You will love them and wonder how you ever lived without them!

Want to Go Natural?

The first thing is to understand why your nails break and peel … and how to prevent it.

I can tell you that anyone who is unhappy with their nails has dry, brittle nails. This comes from water absorption, harsh soaps, and polish removal.

The most damaging elements to our skin and nails are water and soap. I wrote an in-depth article to help you understand how to strengthen your brittle nails.

Embrace Your Ridges

For some strange reason, our world has decided that smooth nails are fashionable, myself included, until I saw Doug Schoon’s electron microscope photos.

We DON’T want to buff off the ridges and make them thinner. Here’s why…

If you think about the ridges in your nails like mountains and valleys, which has more dirt?

The mountains!

It’s the same with our nails. The ridges are filled with more layers of keratin. The ridges are the healthy part of the nail.

It’s the valleys that are weaker. So filing your nails smooth takes away healthy keratin layers to match the weakest portion of your nails.

The solution is simple.

Use two coats of your favorite ridge filling base coat to even out the look of ridges.

Oh, and throw out the darn buffers!

Protect Your Natural Nails with Polish

Many people think that polish is a bad thing for nails, but it can actually help protect your nails from absorbing water.

Too much water absorption can lead to peeling and splitting.

I wrote this in more detail in my article explaining how our nails absorb water and how to use polish to prevent it. 

Polish layers also provide temporary strength while you’re wearing it.

It is true that acetone is drying to your skin and nails, but it’s a necessity to dissolve the protective polish.

Rather than fearing acetone, it’s very easy to simply work with it.

Before you remove your polish, apply any cheap kitchen oil to your skin. Let the acetone dissolve the cheap oil instead of your body oil.

Then apply a penetrating, jojoba wax ester based nail and cuticle oil every hour for 2 to 8 hours. Your nails will have absorbed enough oil to “glue” your 50ish layers of keratin back together.

Cleanse your nails with rubbing alcohol to remove surface dust and oil. Then apply your base coat.

Image used with permission from Katy at Nailed It

In Conclusion

My recommendation is to be patient with yourself and your nails.

Learn how to care for them properly while they’re short.

Two bloggers with gorgeous short nails are Sammy from The Nailasaurus and Katy from Nailed It.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from watching the nail art community for over 7 years is that short nails can be really beautiful when well maintained.

Proper care and protection of your short nails will reward you in the long run.

They will just stop breaking. And you will be very proud of your nails.

The post ASK ANA: Are Fake Nails Safe? first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

Acrylic enhancements have been around far longer than gel nails. But gel is gaining in popularity because of its ease of removal.

I’ll discuss the difference to help you make a more informed decision.

In this article you’ll learn:

• Is one better than the other?
• Are they safe?
• What’s the difference?
• How to make the best choice for you

ASK ANA

“Ana, I was wondering which are better gel nails or acrylic nails? I have had acrylics put on three times now and they always lift within days. What should I do?” ~Tammy

ANSWER

Quality Matters

Both are good but only if your nail tech is phenomenal, which usually means around $50 or more per manicure.

This is because they work hard to stay up to date and educated on the newest techniques and product technology. They care more about filling their calendar with clients they care about than getting clients in and out the door as quickly as possible. 

Damage to the nails is never because of the amazing products available to us today.

Damage ALWAYS comes from the nail tech.

If acrylics lift for you in days, it’s possibly from improper application potentially combined with water absorption from the underside of your nails.

What’s The Difference?

“All artificial nail enhancements are based on ingredients from the acrylic family. Of course, just because these products are based on the acrylic family doesn’t mean they are all the same. That’s like saying all Americans or all Australians are the same.

Liquid/powder systems are based on one branch of the acrylic family called the methacrylates. Wraps, no-light gels, and tip adhesives are based on another directly related branch, the cyanoacrylates.

UV gel products until recently were based strictly on ingredients from a third branch called the acrylates, but newer, more advanced products based on methacrylates have become available.

Each category has advantages and disadvantages. There are no perfect product types.” ~Doug Schoon, Nail Structure and Product Chemistry

Acrylic nail enhancements are always a liquid monomer mixed with a polymer powder. The nail professional has spent dozens—if not hundreds—of hours practicing to get that perfect, consistent chemical blend, or mix ratio. Not to wet and not too dry.

Gel is always that—a thick, goopy gel. It can come in a bottle or a pot, but it’s never mixed on the spot like acrylic. It is usually cured with a UV or LED lamp.

Don’t ever let a nail tech try to convince you that a liquid and a powder are gel. They’re lying.

Gel Nails are Flexible

Soak-off-gels are easier to remove but your nail plate can still be damaged if the gel is scraped off before it’s completely dissolved.

I personally prefer gel nails when compared to acrylic because it is a flexible monomer. Acrylic is much harder.

We want our nails to bend when whacked against something hard. Gel provides that flexibility. My experience is that the gel takes the brunt of the force and cracks, but my nail won’t break.

I also like that gel nails can be done at home. It is far easier to do your own nails since you use the product as-is right from the bottle. No mixing is required.

When the manufacturer’s directions are followed precisely, you can give yourself the perfect nail treatment and create your own beautiful gel nails.

It’s a wonderful product to help your own nails grow longer if they tend to break a lot.

What to Expect and Demand

If you choose to go with gel, make sure that your nail surface is lightly buffed with a very fine, high grit file—400 and up. Your nail professional should only be removing the shine of the nail plate.

Today’s technological product improvements do NOT require a roughed up nail surface for proper adhesion for gel nails.

Doug and I advise that you don’t let a nail professional touch your natural nails with an electric file.

When you return for a fill, if you are going to get the same color, the nail professional should file down the gel until it’s thin and reapply the basecoat gel, 2 gel color coats and gel topcoat.

If you are going to choose a new color, all of the gel needs to be dissolved off. This is done with a foil wrap method. They should lightly file the gel surface to break the shiny surface so the acetone can penetrate quicker.

Ask your nail professional to put oil on your skin BEFORE the wrap. (They’ll think you’re crazy, but trust me…your skin will thank you).

The gel is ready to be removed 10-30 minutes later. Yep, up to 30 minutes later! The dissolved gel should slide off your nail with firm pressure against the cotton pad.

If there are bits of gel bonded to your nail, they must be soaked off with more acetone and another wrap, like our Bliss Kiss™ Soak & Swipe™ Manicure Clips.

Any remaining bits of gel that are still bonded to your nail should NOT be sanded or scraped off. You can see the microscopic damage results from scraping in Doug Schoon’s article.

In Conclusion

The most critical decision is to find a really good nail professional. Ask around. If you see someone’s nails that you like, ask who they go to.

Interview the nail tech—how many years have they been working? Ask to sit in and watch their process with another client.

If you choose to do your own gel nails, do your research to find the best line that you want to purchase.

Your nails are a very important part of your body. And today’s enhancement materials are safe when used correctly. Think carefully and choose wisely.

Update 3/3/15: Since writing this article, I have discovered that almost all soak-off-gel manufacturers advise to use an orange wood stick to push the gel off after it’s soaked the designated time. When I sent this evidence to Doug Schoon, he suggested that I call the companies to inform them to make changes. 

What? Little ‘ol me? HA!

I responded that he might have a little bit more clout as a respected scientist of over 30 years, who helps several nail companies with their product development. He said, “They won’t listen. Which is why I work to help educate the product educators who go out and teach the nail professionals.”

I don’t envy his mission. He’s slowly making a dent in the universe, but it’s not an easy path.

Seeing the microscopic damage that an orange wood stick can wield to the natural nail plate, it’s important to completely soak off all bits of the gel. Doug has recently said that it can take up to 40 minutes.

Don’t be tempted to save time with scraping. You’ll regret it for the next 4 to 6 months.

If you liked this article . . . please share!

The post Gel Nails or Acrylic? Which is Better? first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

You or your nail professional remove gel nails and look down in horror!

Your nails are covered with white spots inside the nail. How did it happen?

In this article, guest author Doug Schoon, Nail Structure and Product Chemistry, will cover

• How and why those white spots happen
• Give you microscopic proof of damage
• And what you or your nail technician can do to prevent these white spots

How It Happens

When small white spots appear on the nail plate after removal of the UV nail color coatings, a likely reason is improper removal.

Fortunately, the vast majority of this type of nail damage is completely avoidable. How? 

By taking the appropriate time, care and caution when removing UV nail color coatings, precisely following the manufacturer’s instructions, and fully heeding all recommendations.

That’s good advice for removing any type of UV nail coating.

The 60 Second/60 Minute Rule

“Use the utmost care for 60 minutes after immersing natural nails in any liquid for more than 60 seconds.”

Why Does Nail Damage Occur?

Soaking the natural nail for even a few minutes in acetone or water will temporarily soften the surface making it temporarily more susceptible to damage from any implements that pry, push or force the remaining residual UV coating from the nail plate.

Instead, a good rule to follow is, “use the utmost care for 60 minutes after immersing natural nails in any liquid for more than 60 seconds.”

Below are four magnified images I collected, using a scanning electron microscope, to show the result of natural nail damage caused by improper removal of UV nail color coatings.

Prying UV Gel Coatings

Image 1 is magnified over 3000 times and shows damage caused by “prying” residual UV coatings from the nail plate.

A large cluster of these can create the appearance of white to off-white spots or patches.

Damage From Wooden Pusher

Image 2 and 3 prove that even a wooden pusher can damage softened nail plates and bunch up nail cells like a throw rug sliding on a slippery floor.

Look closely and you’ll see where a wooden pusher created the wide gouges leading up to these damaged areas that range in size from one half to twice the thickness of the human hair and smaller.

Imagine the damage a metal pusher and heavy hand could do!

The spots are small, but many of them bunched together create the appearance of a diffused white spot in the nail plate.

Fortunately, this type of damage is avoidable for most people if these coats are properly removed.

UV nail color coatings may not always be suited for every nail types, e.g. problematically thin or weak nail plates.

As always, your nail professionals should use their professional judgment when assessing a client’s suitability for any nail service.

Improper Removal

Image 4 is a nail magnified almost 200 times to show a surface scattered with islands of UV nail color coatings which were not properly removed.

This is often how the damage starts. Over aggressively scraping with any implement significantly increases the risk of surface damage.

Filing away the residual coating with an abrasive file can lead to excessive nail plate thinning.

What’s The Solution?

It’s best to follow manufacturer’s instructions and/or always allow sufficient time to properly soften the coating with an appropriate remover before attempting to remove it from the nail plate.

If the UV coating hasn’t sufficiently softened, continue softening until the coating may be removed without damaging the nail plate. Don’t rush!

ALWAYS take the necessary time needed to completely soften any UV coating before gently removing with a cautious approach and careful touch.

Reprinted with permission from article “Don’t Let This Happen to Your Clients” by Doug Schoon, Scientific Expert
Author of Nail Structure and Product Chemistry.

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The post How To Remove Gel Nails Without Damage first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.