The Birdhouse Lady
Drama Llama
Moose. It's what's for dinner.
Posts: 7,175
Location: Alaska -The Last Frontier
Jun 30, 2014 17:15:19 GMT
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Post by The Birdhouse Lady on Jul 10, 2018 18:19:09 GMT
I decided to treat myself to a gel manicure this past weekend. I like my nails short because I do a lot of typing and I just wanted a clear coat.
I go in and the tech gets started. She went to town on the top of my nails with a sanding block, I am assuming to rough it up to accept the chemicals. I thought to myself at that point that she was sanding a bit too much.
Next she put some type of liquid (not polish) and put me under the light. Man that stuff burned like crazy. I felt like me finger tips where on fire.
Then she did the polish. Okay....looks great and I leave.
Since then I have noticed that my nails are really thin and flexible. My thumb nails which are usually super hard and can easily poke through plastic bags etc. now just bend. My nails beds are sore.
Now what? So in a couple weeks when this polish has to come off...what am I going to be left with? Has this happened to anyone else?? Anything I can do about it?? |
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Post by Delta Dawn on Jul 10, 2018 18:24:18 GMT
Yes I was doing just that to fix my thumb nail. My nails are now paper thin and I just keep them even shorter after the manicure I just had. I give up because the problem did not go away and I have to wait for my nails to grow out and harden again. My nails felt like they were being suffocated. I did not like that feeling at all. Acrylics were worse but this wasn’t good either. I give up and live with unpretty hands. I have beautiful feet and that is good enough.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 3:38:53 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2018 18:38:17 GMT
Well, I would go to a really good salon and get that coating off.
You will have to get your nails cut very short and keep them short until your nails grow out.
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Post by bbkeef on Jul 10, 2018 18:40:20 GMT
The only thing you can do is not get a gel manicure again. I love the look of gel manicures and acrylics, but I am not one that can have them. My nails are on the thinner side to begin with, and what you described above is exactly what happens to me. They sand too much, it burns and nail beds are sore. I think I might be sensitive to the extra chemicals too. I can do my own manicures and polish and I'm just fine. If I go to a salon and have a regular manicure, I always tell them to not sand my nails. I don't do gel on my toes either. Just regular mani/pedis. I hope you heal fast. I have used Sally Hanson hardeners in the past to get through the soreness and healing.
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Post by annabella on Jul 10, 2018 18:49:57 GMT
Yes I did gel for 6 months straight and afterwards my nails were so weak I couldn't wear nail polish, it would come off in a day. I don't think the electric buffering is that bad, I get that with dip nails and my nails feel fine when they remove the polish.
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Post by paperaddictedpea on Jul 10, 2018 19:00:10 GMT
It sounds like your nail tech was too rough on your nails. The tech I go to doesn't sand my nails at all and I've never had an issue with the gel polish not adhering. Also, my nail beds have never been sore after a manicure. I do think that the acetone soak to remove the gel is rough on my nails and cuticles, though, so I only get a gel manicure every couple of months and never get two back-to-back. If you do find that your nails are damaged once you get the gel removed I'd suggest using Nailtiques for a while to get them healthy again. The link below is to the their website but you can buy the products on Amazon and in some retail stores. www.nailtiques.com/products.asp?CategoryID=1 |
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Post by gar on Jul 10, 2018 19:01:21 GMT
Massage around the base of your nails with some warmed oil - it will increase the blood flow etc and help the nails to grow as well as they can. Buffing/filing a nail plate is always something to do very lightly. She was wrong to do so much. I would probably get them taken off sooner rather than later so they can begin to rebuild.
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Post by librarylady on Jul 10, 2018 19:16:46 GMT
I never had that burning.
My manicurist said gel should only be used for special events because it thins the nails when removed.
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Post by lisacharlotte on Jul 10, 2018 19:22:10 GMT
Gel polish eventually weakens my nails, but new growth is normal nail. My nails are very hard and gel polish makes them practically indestructible. I’m guessing this was either a bad manicure or you are allergic to the process. Go to a better salon and have the gel removed. You’ll need to let your nails grow out, but they should be back to normal once the damaged nail has grown and been trimmed off.
ETA: after wearing gel polish, my nails are weak and soft. I just keep them very short until they grow out.
ETA2: my post makes no sense!!! With gel on my nails are rock hard. Once removed they are soft and weak until the damaged nail grows out.
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peabay
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,616
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Jul 10, 2018 19:24:20 GMT
Took me a year to recover from my gels (I had them for a long time, with the appropriate breaks in between) and I still have one nail that has a fissure all the way down and will likely never recover. They just aren't worth it to me. Yep, they look great, but they trash your nails. And I had mine done at an upscale salon.
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gina
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,225 
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Post by gina on Jul 10, 2018 19:24:49 GMT
Gel polish ruins my nails. They were so weak at one point (I had gotten gel manis every 2 weeks for Summer into Fall) that I couldn't inside-out and ball-up socks when I was folding wash. That is how thin they were.
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Post by sideways on Jul 10, 2018 19:45:25 GMT
Count me as another who has had their nails trashed by gels. They’re great as long as you keep them up. But once you remove them, you’re left with weak, fragile nails. No more for me. I’ll stick with regular nail polish and Essie Gel Setter. Doesn’t last as long as gels, but longer than a regular mani without damaging my nails.
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Post by Merge on Jul 10, 2018 19:53:22 GMT
Hmmm. I just removed my gel manicure to give my nails a break after having gel on for practically the whole last school year. My nails are definitely a little weak, but in no way ruined. I keep them short anyway. I buffed them up and used some nail oil on them, and they look fine. I'll probably start getting gels again when school starts up. (Any other pea teachers like to have nice looking hands under the document camera?)
Maybe this is an unexpected benefit of all the biotin I've been taking to help my hair.
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scrappinmama
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,883
Jun 26, 2014 12:54:09 GMT
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Post by scrappinmama on Jul 10, 2018 20:07:00 GMT
I only do gel nails when I'm going on vacation and need the polish to look good while I'm out of town. After I remove the gel polish, they look a little rough and uneven. I use a nail buffer to smooth it, then apply a coat of nail strengthener. I use just the nail strengthener polish until my nails look good again. Then I go back to my regular nail polish.
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Post by buddysmom on Jul 10, 2018 20:16:36 GMT
I have never had gel polish as my nails are pretty strong. I only get a manicure a few times a year, keep them relatively short and I think they look nice. I keep my nails polished myself about 75% of the time.
That said, whenever I get my nails done they do a very HARD SELL for gel manicures.
I guess that is how they keep you coming back since they don't look great while they are growing out.
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AllieC
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,057
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Post by AllieC on Jul 11, 2018 0:00:55 GMT
I get gel on my toes about 6 times a year and have never had problems with them being thin straight away or any burning etc. I think the technician has done a really poor job and I would go to someone else to take off what you have and see what they suggest.
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Heathen
Full Member
Posts: 427
Feb 12, 2017 6:05:44 GMT
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Post by Heathen on Jul 11, 2018 0:34:54 GMT
Count me as another who has had their nails trashed by gels. They’re great as long as you keep them up. But once you remove them, you’re left with weak, fragile nails. No more for me. I’ll stick with regular nail polish and Essie Gel Setter. Doesn’t last as long as gels, but longer than a regular mani without damaging my nails. That sounds just like old-school acrylic nails. |
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Post by txdancermom on Jul 11, 2018 0:41:15 GMT
that happened to me after a couple of gel manicures, I now do the dipping powder manicures, and my nails are hard! Not sure what my nails will be like if I ever stop getting the manicures, but I can easily go 3-4 weeks between manicures.
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Post by chaosisapony on Jul 11, 2018 1:13:00 GMT
I wonder if she just took too much off when she did the filing on your nail beds. You do have to scuff them up, but you don't have to go to town on them at all. You just want some to get the shine off to allow the gel to adhere better. The burn you got is called a heat spike and the first time it happened to me I thought that surely something was horribly wrong. It can be caused by a few thing but it happens commonly with very thin nails.
I have been doing my own gels for a few years now and each time I do them my nails are hard as rocks when the process is finished. I don't know anyone that has come away from the process with gel polish on whose nails still flex and bend easily.
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Post by SweetieBugs on Jul 11, 2018 1:44:00 GMT
Lots of Peas mention wearing their nails short. Can some of you post a photo of your nails or similar images from online to give me an idea? Thanks.
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Post by Delta Dawn on Jul 11, 2018 1:48:01 GMT
Took me a year to recover from my gels (I had them for a long time, with the appropriate breaks in between) and I still have one nail that has a fissure all the way down and will likely never recover. They just aren't worth it to me. Yep, they look great, but they trash your nails. And I had mine done at an upscale salon. Is a fissure a split in the nail that goes from the tip to the bottom and forms a Y? That is what I have and nothing makes it better. |
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peabay
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,616
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Jul 11, 2018 2:27:35 GMT
Took me a year to recover from my gels (I had them for a long time, with the appropriate breaks in between) and I still have one nail that has a fissure all the way down and will likely never recover. They just aren't worth it to me. Yep, they look great, but they trash your nails. And I had mine done at an upscale salon. Is a fissure a split in the nail that goes from the tip to the bottom and forms a Y? That is what I have and nothing makes it better. Yes. |
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zookeeper
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,909
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Post by zookeeper on Jul 11, 2018 2:30:43 GMT
I feel your pain. I did the Nex Gen (dip) for three months and my nails are so thin now. I had to keep them cut short for four months to let them grow out and get hard again. They were so thin and would just split from the corners.
I am done with paying for fancy nails on my hands.
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Post by Lexica on Jul 11, 2018 2:37:22 GMT
I bought the kit to do gel nails at home. I used it twice and then realized my nails were looking pretty beat up when the gel wasn't on it. And the gel remained on my toes for quite a long time but would pop off my hands pretty quickly. It was a pain to go through the multiple steps necessary to redo a single nail every time one popped off. I ended up getting rid of it.
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Post by Delta Dawn on Jul 11, 2018 3:01:19 GMT
Is a fissure a split in the nail that goes from the tip to the bottom and forms a Y? That is what I have and nothing makes it better. Yes. That is easier than saying a split that no one understands. Thank you. |
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Post by Zee on Jul 11, 2018 3:51:49 GMT
I think she over-sanded your nails. I do my own because I don't trust salons not to do that. My nails are very hard after curing the gel. They are not damaged by the gel, but if you get impatient during the removal process you can lose some layers of natural nail. I soak the nails for 20 min using acetone and cotton topped with rubber office fingers and very gently scrape off the gel with a plastic tool. No damage.
I will say that they are drier underneath the gel than they would be naturally, but the benefits to me are hard nails that don't snap and bend. Plus I put regular polish over the clear gel base and get fabulous wear time. I change the gel base whenever the growth bothers me, usually about 2-3 weeks.
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maryannscraps
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,731
Aug 28, 2017 12:51:28 GMT
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Post by maryannscraps on Jul 11, 2018 12:33:34 GMT
I think she over-sanded your nails. I do my own because I don't trust salons not to do that. My nails are very hard after curing the gel. They are not damaged by the gel, but if you get impatient during the removal process you can lose some layers of natural nail. I soak the nails for 20 min using acetone and cotton topped with rubber office fingers and very gently scrape off the gel with a plastic tool. No damage. Yes, that. Your natural nail shouldn't be sanded at all. It takes off the nail's protective layer, and that's where the weakness is coming from. I had the same problem from a salon, and it took forever for the nail to grow out. I won't let them touch my nails with the sander or the dremel. The nail stays stronger that way. |
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SweetieBsMom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,612
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Post by SweetieBsMom on Jul 11, 2018 12:49:13 GMT
Count me as another who has had their nails trashed by gels. They’re great as long as you keep them up. But once you remove them, you’re left with weak, fragile nails. No more for me. I’ll stick with regular nail polish and Essie Gel Setter. Doesn’t last as long as gels, but longer than a regular mani without damaging my nails. That sounds just like old-school acrylic nails. I very much miss my old-school acrylic nails....said by the woman that just got a perm  |
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Post by candygurl on Jul 11, 2018 13:40:44 GMT
I love gel nails and have been doing them for 2 years without any major problems. Mine last close to 3 weeks and when I take it off, the nails are weak, but after a few days are strong again. Also, I must have oily nail beds, because I can usually just peel mine off, which is bad for the nails. Make sure you go to a salon that knows what they are doing. Makes all the difference. As for the burning, mine occasionally do that do a few seconds and it does hurt. Don’t know why it sometimes does that and others times not.
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Post by Delta Dawn on Jul 11, 2018 14:05:34 GMT
That sounds just like old-school acrylic nails. I very much miss my old-school acrylic nails....said by the woman that just got a perm  My spirit animal! |
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So in a couple weeks when this polish has to come off...what am I going to be left with? Has this happened to anyone else?? Anything I can do about it??
