Gel nails popping off - help!

[Elysian]

Hi everyone, I've just started doing gel nails but the problem is that one or two always seem to pop off after a few days. Here's my method -
Apply cuticle remover cream and push back cuticles
Buff natural nail to remove shine
Use acetone / nail polish remover to cleanse nails
Apply tips and file them down
Use acetone / nail polish remover to cleanse nails
Apply primer to nails (I don't cure this)
Apply gel bonder (hairspray brand) and cure for 2 mins
Apply first coat of gel (indigo Nails Brand) and cure for 2 mins (I leave the boder still sticky -can someone advise wether I should cure first layer for 2mins or 3 mins?)
Apply second layer of gel and cure for 2 mins
Apply apex layer and cure for 2 mins

I'm due to start doing these in a salon this week and I'm extremely worried about this happening so any advice or guidance would be much appreciated!

 

[noreenoconnor]

I can see a lot wrong here, so i'm going to try my best to help

Acetone is not a suitable nail cleanser, and nail polish remover can be even worse and it often contain additives that can cause a barrier to the gel (most contain moisturizing agents). Do you not have a nail dehydrator as part of your system?

How are you removing the the cuticle product?

You are also mixing brands, You can't expect good results when mixing brands, you must use everything from the same brand. This is not a marketing ploy to get you to buy more from the one company, Gel nails need to have all the right components to make sure they are properly cured. It a chemical reaction that needs all the parts , take something away or replace it with something else and you will effect the cure.

You also need the correct lamp for your system, this is just as important at the products themselves, every brand will have its own level of photo initiators and will require a certain wavelength and strength of UVA light to correctly cure, you can't just use any old lamp either.

the shape of your nails may also be slight out, i've already done a few post on this today so have a read through this thread and see if the shape is right :
http://www.salongeek.com/threads/gel-extension-nail-thickness.293727/

 

[Elysian]

Hi Noreen, thanks so much - this is really helpful.

I trained with Hairspray for the nails and was told that nail polish remover was suitable to cleanse the nail - something I found quite strange myself.

I remove the cuticle product also with the nail polish remover

I use the UV lamp that was given to me as part of my training kit - just wondering could I pick your brains on a couple of things?

For the first layer of gel, would you cure for 3 mins of would 2 suffice?

Also, do you use nail bonder or put the gel straight over the primer?

Thanks so much

I can see a lot wrong here, so i'm going to try my best to help

Acetone is not a suitable nail cleanser, and nail polish remover can be even worse and it often contain additives that can cause a barrier to the gel (most contain moisturizing agents). Do you not have a nail dehydrator as part of your system?

How are you removing the the cuticle product?

You are also mixing brands, You can't expect good results when mixing brands, you must use everything from the same brand. This is not a marketing ploy to get you to buy more from the one company, Gel nails need to have all the right components to make sure they are properly cured. It a chemical reaction that needs all the parts , take something away or replace it with something else and you will effect the cure.

You also need the correct lamp for your system, this is just as important at the products themselves, every brand will have its own level of photo initiators and will require a certain wavelength and strength of UVA light to correctly cure, you can't just use any old lamp either.

the shape of your nails may also be slight out, i've already done a few post on this today so have a read through this thread and see if the shape is right :
http://www.salongeek.com/threads/gel-extension-nail-thickness.293727/

 

[noreenoconnor]

I'm not sure what you mean by nail bonder? Nail bonder is just another name for primer, i'm not familiar with your chosen system so can you post a pic of what you mean , are you mixing brands ? There should only be one primer (and sometimes no primer in the case of my chosen system), i don't think there is a need for two products to prep the nails

nail polish remover is usually not suitable to remove cuticle remover, warm soapy water is the best way, i have a spray bottle on my desk and dry with a small face cloth.

Every system will work differently, so i can't say your chosen system if a 3min or 2 min cure time is nessecary , always follow you manufactures instructions . if you have to received them look them up online or email them and ask how the system is suppose to work and follow it to the letter. this is the only way to get the best out of the product

and lastly, as with everything in life you get what you pay for, it sounds like you've had a cheap course that uses cheap products and sometimes you can have all the skill in the world and just no be able to produce a set of nails that will last due to inferior quality products. Can you post a picture of any nails that you've done, and i'll be able to tell you if you application is at fault ?

 

[Elysian]

Hi noreen,
I trained with Hairspray in Dublin and use Indigo nails lab products. By bonder I mean a base for the gel(I use the primer then base over it) I was using a hairspray bonder but following your advice I have switched to the indigo one and also have purchased a nail cleaner from them too instead of using the polish remover. Here's nails I did yesterday

 

[noreenoconnor]

Couple of things to note, Your client looks like that have little nail bed to begin with? I am only guessing here but were they a nail biter because it looks like the nail tips start very low down as the side walls are very tapered. If you have an extension that is longer than the length of the nail bed itself it's going to be much more likely to pop off. The way i explain it to my clients is it takes a lot of pressure to try and close a door from the hinge side of a door, but very little pressure from the handle of a door, the longer the nail the less pressure it will take to break it.

The other thing is that looking at the side view of your nails, and i can only see the thumbs clearly in the pictures, they look very flat, there is no gradual increase in product up the the stress are of the nail, this again will leave a much weaker enhancement , they don't have to look like the have a big hump in the middle but there should be a little extra products right at the stress area and it should blend out the nothing around all the side walls and cuticle areas