Talk to me about gel nails please

[bendmeoverbackwards]

I’ve only ever done my nails at home with normal polish or had the occasional manicure. But I have a special occasion coming up and my nails are a bit of a mess. They’re varying lengths and a couple are quite short. I’m wondering whether to have gels as they seem longer lasting…?

How long do they last? What do they do about my very short nails? Does it chip like normal polish? I assume you have to go back to the salon to have them removed?

I have mine pretty short and like gel polish. It's much harder wearing but you can take itoff yourself - some more easily than others but usually you need acetone and foil- I file a bit then put acetone in cotton wool and pop that on the nail and wrap in foil for 10 minutes and it mostly lifts off.

Thanks, can you have it on toenails too? They are also a mess and I am wearing open toe shoes!

It lasts much better than regular polish, especially if you use a builder gel/hard polish under the colour gel. You can remove it yourself with either filing off or remover. It's easy to do yourself too, but probably best to have it done professionally a few times first to see what they do.

I’m curious too.Do they leave your real nails a mess underneath? Like, if you start having them you kind of need to keep up with it?

Yes to toes. It lasts so well on toes.

I had gel nails done for the first time over Christmas and I loved them, but they feel awful now I have taken them off - I’m not sure if I did something wrong - I used acetone and tin foil it had to scrape most of the gel off rather than it peeling off easily.

What about if your real nails are short to start with? Can you not have gels?

I have gels, having had awful nails all my life, it’s been a game changer. Over 3 months they’ve gone from short brittle nails to long beautiful tough nails. I get them done every month, they don’t chip and the nail underneath is fine. Go to a good salon though which uses the right kit.

I change the colour with normal
Polish over the top in between visits.

I’ll never go back to just normal polish now.

You can still have gels with short nails, although it will look better when the nails have a little bit of length to them.

Gel nail polish doesn't make your nails longer, it's just like longer lasting nail varnish that's hard to chip.

@Cstring

You can still have gels with short nails, although it will look better when the nails have a little bit of length to them.

When I’ve had a regular manicure, they’ve put a tip on the short ones. Can that be done with gels?

Gel polish goes on like normal nail pish, it just gets cured under a lamp rather than drying like a normal polish. You don't need long nails for it. It's brilliant on toes, lasts FOR EVER.

@TellMeMrSiegal

I’m curious too.Do they leave your real nails a mess underneath? Like, if you start having them you kind of need to keep up with it?

I’ve had gels nails done every 2-3 weeks for the last 3 years (bar during lockdowns!) My nails are in great condition and I’ve never had any problems.

The key is to take the polish off properly - if you pick at it then you are far more likely to do damage to your nails. The salon I go to do free removal - they file the polish to break up the surface then put cotton wool soaked in acetone over the top and wrap in foil. They’re left on for 5-10 minutes then the polish is gently scraped away.

You can have extensions and gel polish, but many places that do gel polish don't offer extensions I found. You can do a short course to offer gel polish, so a lot of beauty therapists do them, but aren't qualified in extensions. Check before you book.

They’ll file your nails so they are all similar length and the polish goes on just like normal polish.
They look lovely and shiny and because they don’t chip, always look great. Mine usually last 3/4 weeks before the regrowth starts to annoy me.

I prefer normal polish on my toes, it lasts for ages and I can take it off easily if I get a bit bored of the colour.

I only have gel nails now and yes you can have gel nail extensions (to lengthen/shape out your nails). I'm a nail biter, usually have really short, broken, chewed nails (awful I know) and I get BIAB gel extensions it just looks like I have lovely, shiny, good length painted nails.

I’m a novice at this too but curious as I only have my nails done a couple of times a year and then only a quick file and polish.
Do they use a UV lamp to dry them?

@Snoopsnoggysnog yes they do

Gel polish is a hard wearing layer over the top of your natural nail. So the gel won’t make your nails appear longer. I believe there is a system that they can combine with gel polish to lengthen nails before applying the gels. Hopefully someone else will clarify this.

If your natural short nails are still nice (not too ridiculously short), many people just have gel polish on short nails and it can look very nice and tidy.

It doesn’t chip easily but you should avoid using your nails as tools as it can get damaged.

How long it lasts depends on two main factors. How skilled the nail tech is and how well you look after them. Cuticle oil helps to keep them in good condition if you have any. Failing that, I’m sure moisturiser will also help.

I would expect them last around 2 weeks but I would still always try to get them done as close to the big event as possible, 1-3 days prior ideally.

Yes you can have it on toes too.

I’d suggest you do go back to have them soaked off rather than attempting to do it at home. I’ve done it at home but i always regretted it as it seemed to damage my nails. The nail techs know exactly what they’re doing so I just leave it to the professionals now!

I’m not a regular at the nail salon. I only get gels roughly twice per year. But they are a lovely treat!

For a normal gel, no tip is applied. Gel polish is a really long lasting polish which is set (cured) under a lamp, so it’s just on your normal nails.
Some posters are saying you can get extensions but I’ve not come across them. Maybe look into that if you want length too?

Thanks all, this is really helpful.

2 of these are gel extensions! Apart from 1, 2 week break, I've had gel on constantly for 8 years? My nails are perfect underneath. It's the preparation and/or removal that cause damage.

I get gel nails done my last set lasted 4 weeks without chipping! There was obvious growth though so I'd say 3 weeks is the maximum for them to look good. I had builder nails put on, its an extra layer that makes nails stronger/harder and it has made them more resistant to splitting or tearing which I'd normally get. Because it makes the nail thicker I can't actually use them as a tool, I struggle to use a ring pull in fact! My nails have grown loads though and I had a new colour put on a few days ago and they look so good!
They last for ages on toes you could honestly get 3 months out of them as toenails are slow growing.
If you pay a bit more you can normally get the luxury extra mani pedi bits like a foot soak, scrub, moisture mask etc. Might be worth doing if they are in poor condition. I'd get a nails rounded off to a similar length and then builder nails put on and they will probably grow.