Calgel Nails

[lolaw]

Hi
I am a beauty therapist who was offered the chance to do Calgel nails at the college I went to. I paid £600 for the course and passed my exam a couple of months ago. I have since done 5 sets of nails (for friends and family) and I have had comments from everyone saying they are lifting or falling off after just a few days. I have copied the instructions to the letter and the nails always seem solid when the client has left. A friend of mine did Calgel and she said she switch to Bio Sculpture as she was having the same problems. Does anyone else have any experience with Calgel and do you think it's worth switching??? I don't want to pay out more money unnecessarily.... L xx

 

[lilly]

i passed with calgel in jan after the usual teething probs ( a few nails lifting esp free edge) i havnt had any probs, once calgel is on properly it just doesnt lift, where have you got probs woth lifting ?

 

[Little Angel]

Hi

why don't you take us through your routine and we can see if there is anything that jumps out that could be causing you any problems. It can just be little things, don't worry they are usually easy to resolve, try not to get discouraged :hug:

 

[lolaw]

The lifting seems to be at the corners of the tip where you would blend onto nail plate. I prep the nail doing usual cuticle work then buff with BSB and wipe with calguard, I apply clear gel to 3/4 of nail and cure and buff. Then I apply the tip with the resin making sure there are no air bubbles. I blend with the oreo and teardrop file then dust and apply the clear or coloured gel. Im starting to panick as I have another client booked in this weekend and I don't want to do them!! x

 

[Little Angel]

HI

This is how i do it:

Prep the natural nail, ensure dust free, wipe with sanitiser.
apply full set of tips (if using) and blend.

YOU MUST MAKE SURE THERE IS NO ADHESIVE OR DUST AROUND THE TIP this could be where you are getting your lifting problem.

i use one of these (second one down called a sapphire) you can really brush up to the tip and thorough remove any dust. Bio Sculpture

then wipe make sure your sanitiser is thoughly DRY.

scrub in a layer of gel just up to your tip ensuring you go down the side wall and cure for 30 secs.

Then apply another layer this time all over ensure you build up your stress area, and cure

Apply another layer if you feel necessary. Make sure you dont overcure calgel as it can yellow if you do.

If your happy with your work, wipe and buff, you are then ready to do your color or french.

Hope this helps

 

[Debbies Gellies]

Dont give up we all had teething problems when we started. Calgel has been my favourite nail product for ages and has fantastic adhesion to the natual nail and with so little abrasion to the nail plate for it to stick.

Have you tried gluing your tips to the natural nail and not on top of calgel?
have you tried wiping with calgaurd after you have blended the tip.
Try pre blending the tip before you glue it.
if your lift is at the point of the blended corners of the tip is your gel too thin?
this is a stress area that needs building up to make your c curve shape.
Try not to make a flat nail.
Your application sounds fine.
A little tip from me is, instead of curing clear gel for 30 seconds cure for 1 minute as it hardens it a little more and comes out shiny.

When you use calguard to wipe make sure the nail is dry before applying gel.

always wet the nail plate with a smidgen of gel first and work it with your brush into the nail plate as though you were scrubbing the kitchen floor
then stroke from cuticle to free edge to smooth it and then apply the bigger bead of gel to coat the nail as you normally do. This will aid adhesion and allow the gel to self level properly.

If you have any questions or problems PM me and I will try to help you :hug:

 

[lolaw]

Thanks for all your tips. I've roped my mum in to be a volunteer tomorow for a full set of nails. I will take your advice and let you all know how it goes. Fingers crossed!!! x

 

[gillian w]

I second the 'scrubbing' in bit, its not enough just to put it on like polish.I forgot to do this last week when i was sculpting and concentrating on that ,and they have all come off.
Also try to get the hang of sculpts i am still not that good after over a year because i do so few but i am getting there.
Also you must have your gel the right thickness to cure properly, too thick it wont if colour, and too thin it wont and are you sure your bulbs are ok in your lamp.

Calgel have a checklist you can get from them about lifting and all the things that cause it and what you may or may not be doing.It came with their newsletter a while ago.Ring the head office and see if they have one for you.
I promise you its not the product, it is you, but it can be rectified just be patient and persevere.
If you look on here at any product be it calgel,bio,brisa,akzentz etc etc most newcomers have problems at first with lifting.
Its so frustrating when you have done a set, they look really good ,everyones happy and then the blooming things come off in a few days, but i think we can say we have all been there.

 

[motherbird]

Hey chick - just a thought here (and it could be the way Im reading your application and have it wrong in my head) but you say you blend your tip then apply your clear or colour etc - may I just check that you are building over the blended tip ? The way I read it seems like you are blending the tip and then just making a thin application ?

If you are using colour then surely you have not built up your stress area before application of colour after blending (you cant build with colour) ?

Or if you are putting clear after blending you are building and not just 'top glossing' it on are you ?

Just wondering as it sounded like you are getting your breaks at the sidewalls on the stress area ? As if your application is too thin over the tip ?

As I said it could be the way I have interpreted your application.

 

[KarenCalgel]

Jsut a few more things to check over
Are you using Calbond resin?

Artificial Tip Application with Calgel

Nail prep, cuticle work, Blue sponge board the natural nail, dust well, and wipe with Calguard

Apply a layer of clear gel 3/4 of the way down the nail and cure for 30sec, remove sticky residue with calguard and blue sponge board over the gel to remove shine.

Size and apply your tip using calbond resin. Cut and shape.

Blend the tip
Thin down free edge
Blend away Side lines with tear drop file
Blend away tip lines with edge of the oreo file
using orange sponge smooth the gel with tip surface
finish off with blue sponge board from cuticle to free edge

dust well and wipe with calguard

apply 2 layers of clear gel making sure you reinforce the stress area


Please do not hesitate to contact Calgel Head Office for further advice - Karen Training Manager Calgel

 

[lolaw]

I think by reading everyone's comments that I am not putting enough Gel over the stress area and building enough. I tend to concentrate more on making the white smile line look good and I am just putting a thin layer over the top. I will try this today and see how they last. Again thanks to everyone for their tips, will keep you posted!! Lx

 

[nailpod]

Hi
I am a beauty therapist who was offered the chance to do Calgel nails at the college I went to. I paid £600 for the course and passed my exam a couple of months ago. I have since done 5 sets of nails (for friends and family) and I have had comments from everyone saying they are lifting or falling off after just a few days. I have copied the instructions to the letter and the nails always seem solid when the client has left. A friend of mine did Calgel and she said she switch to Bio Sculpture as she was having the same problems. Does anyone else have any experience with Calgel and do you think it's worth switching??? I don't want to pay out more money unnecessarily.... L xx

I think it is:lol: not the product cos I swear by calgel it is the best product in south africa, it does however take a nack of getting it right, when i first started the deep colours wouldnt set and yes there was lifting but with practice it came right so dont waste your money and get any new products stick it out and if you live in london then feel free pop in i will be happy help you its all about the prep though and also make sure you use calguard no other products work wiith it and see if they clients are not using non acetone and wearing gloves with hhousehold cleaning products, that can make a diff too, plus seems it tastes sweet people may be inclined to chew them so also think asking if they bite them will encourage lifting.

 

[pippadoodle]

It does sound like you are not building your stress area. Dont get too disheartened, you will get there shortly with perseverance and practise.

Calgel is a superb gel and once you get it sussed you wont get that lifting. It just stays put. Good luck :hug: