FAQ's
Q: Should I let my nails breathe or take the gel off for any reason?
A: Nails, just like hair, are dead and don’t need to breathe. By keeping the nails trauma free, the healthy condition of the nails should not be affected with regular maintenance by a properly certified technician.
Q: How often do gel nails need to be filled?
A: Every 3-5 weeks, depending on the individual and how fast their nails grow. Nail technicians will fill in the area by the cuticles. This ‘fill’ includes smoothing, re-sanitizing and reapplying the product where it has naturally grown out. It is important to have regular fills because if the gel lifts away from the natural nail, moisture and bacteria can accummulate between them. It is also very important to keep up the maintenace at home, such as applying hand cream and cuticle oil daily, as this will help keep the nail healthy and will prevent lifting and dry cuticles.
Q: What are the benefits of gel nails?
A: For people who are nail biters or pick at the nails, the success rate of stopping this unhealthy habit with gel nails is extremely high. This is because people are less likely to ruin something they’ve spent time and money on and love having beautiful nails that they want to last. Finally you can have the natural looking nails you’ve always dreamed of!
Q: Do I offer acrylic nails?
A: No I only do gel nails. Many people ask why I do not offer acrylic nails. There is a common misconception regarding acrylic. People often think that acrylic is stronger than gel. Acrylic does dry harder than gel, however, this makes it less durable. Your natural nail plate flexes and moves. When you do something that would normailly cause your nail plate to flex, acrylic cannot do this and so it lifts. Gel allows for more flexability. Also, acrylic bonds INTO your nail bed rather then ONTO it, so when they are removed they cause considerably more damage to your nails. Acrylic also tends to turn yellow after a short period of time, mostly from tanning beds or lots of uv exposure.
Q: How do I know if I have gel or acrylic on my nails?
A: Gel nails are more flexible when compared to acrylic nails, this gives a more natural feel as well as a more natural look. Be careful when finding a salon that offers gel nails as a service, many salons will use acrylic first and then do a gel overlay. The best way to tell if this is what the salon offers is to ask if they use a powder and liquid or a jar of gel. All gel comes premixed so mixing a powder and liquid in front of the client is definately acrylic.
Q: How do I remove the gel polish?
A: I include the removal of gel polish in your followup appointment to re-apply another color of your choice. I don't like to soak in acetone so I have a special bit that removes gel polish. If you want to remove the gel polish at home, it is very simple but a bit time consuming. At Shoppers, in the nail polish aisle there should be bottles of pure acetone, not nail polish remover. Buff the shine off your nails with a nail file. Use a cotton ball or cotton pad dipped in acetone and place it on the gel polish. Then take pieces of tinfoil to cover each finger or toe to keep it pressed against the nail. To do the 4 littler toes, sometimes it's easier to cover all four in one piece. Take a birchwood stick or plastic cuticle pusher to remove any gel polish after it has been in contact with acetone for 10-15 minutes.
Q: How can gel nails be removed?
A: First of all, acetone won't work at all. You can file them down and grow them out. Please don't rip them or bite them off, as this is harmful to your nail bed. I can also file the remaining gel off. Some prefer to do a gel polish mani after the gel is removed.
A: Nails, just like hair, are dead and don’t need to breathe. By keeping the nails trauma free, the healthy condition of the nails should not be affected with regular maintenance by a properly certified technician.
Q: How often do gel nails need to be filled?
A: Every 3-5 weeks, depending on the individual and how fast their nails grow. Nail technicians will fill in the area by the cuticles. This ‘fill’ includes smoothing, re-sanitizing and reapplying the product where it has naturally grown out. It is important to have regular fills because if the gel lifts away from the natural nail, moisture and bacteria can accummulate between them. It is also very important to keep up the maintenace at home, such as applying hand cream and cuticle oil daily, as this will help keep the nail healthy and will prevent lifting and dry cuticles.
Q: What are the benefits of gel nails?
A: For people who are nail biters or pick at the nails, the success rate of stopping this unhealthy habit with gel nails is extremely high. This is because people are less likely to ruin something they’ve spent time and money on and love having beautiful nails that they want to last. Finally you can have the natural looking nails you’ve always dreamed of!
Q: Do I offer acrylic nails?
A: No I only do gel nails. Many people ask why I do not offer acrylic nails. There is a common misconception regarding acrylic. People often think that acrylic is stronger than gel. Acrylic does dry harder than gel, however, this makes it less durable. Your natural nail plate flexes and moves. When you do something that would normailly cause your nail plate to flex, acrylic cannot do this and so it lifts. Gel allows for more flexability. Also, acrylic bonds INTO your nail bed rather then ONTO it, so when they are removed they cause considerably more damage to your nails. Acrylic also tends to turn yellow after a short period of time, mostly from tanning beds or lots of uv exposure.
Q: How do I know if I have gel or acrylic on my nails?
A: Gel nails are more flexible when compared to acrylic nails, this gives a more natural feel as well as a more natural look. Be careful when finding a salon that offers gel nails as a service, many salons will use acrylic first and then do a gel overlay. The best way to tell if this is what the salon offers is to ask if they use a powder and liquid or a jar of gel. All gel comes premixed so mixing a powder and liquid in front of the client is definately acrylic.
Q: How do I remove the gel polish?
A: I include the removal of gel polish in your followup appointment to re-apply another color of your choice. I don't like to soak in acetone so I have a special bit that removes gel polish. If you want to remove the gel polish at home, it is very simple but a bit time consuming. At Shoppers, in the nail polish aisle there should be bottles of pure acetone, not nail polish remover. Buff the shine off your nails with a nail file. Use a cotton ball or cotton pad dipped in acetone and place it on the gel polish. Then take pieces of tinfoil to cover each finger or toe to keep it pressed against the nail. To do the 4 littler toes, sometimes it's easier to cover all four in one piece. Take a birchwood stick or plastic cuticle pusher to remove any gel polish after it has been in contact with acetone for 10-15 minutes.
Q: How can gel nails be removed?
A: First of all, acetone won't work at all. You can file them down and grow them out. Please don't rip them or bite them off, as this is harmful to your nail bed. I can also file the remaining gel off. Some prefer to do a gel polish mani after the gel is removed.