Gel polish help please! 💜

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I'm looking for some advice on gel polish please. I'm a newly qualified nail tech and have been using Premier Gel gel polish, as it was recommended by my teacher. She said it was the same formula as Gel Bottle but a lot cheaper, so I stocked up. However, I've not been happy with the results and I'm sure whether it's something I'm doing wrong, or not doing, or whether it's down to the product. I am repeatedly finding it's lifting and peeling really easily, even just a few days after application.

At first I thought it was just after I'd used it on fibreglass or silk, but it's happening with natural nails too (I know it's a crime amongst nail techs, but I have just peeled off the gels I did on myself on Wednesday - they peeled off so easily). And I did a set on natural nails on my mum on Tuesday - on Saturday they were still fine but on Sunday it looked like polish had almost shrunk away from the cuticle and nail wall (I can't imagine it's growth in that short space of time). A friend from my course who also uses Premier said when she used hers last week it had gone gloopy, almost like it had a film, and caused a bubble on the nail.

When I spoke to my teacher, she said to wipe the natural nail with acetone before base coat and that would make sure it's not down to oil on the nail, but that doesn't seem to have worked. I wonder if when I do manis/pedis with gels I should do the gels before the exfoliation/massage etc? I've seen some nail techs online do it that way. Is that where I'm going wrong? (Although when I used the gel polish on myself I hadn't done a massage or exfoliation!).

I'm using a Sun UV lamp, no dehydrator or bonder, just straight in with 1 coat base coat, 2 coats colour and 1 coat no wipe top coat. Each one cured for 60 seconds.

If Premier Gel isn't considered good quality, what alternative brand would you recommend please?

Thank you.
 
Premier is not considered a reputable or professional brand. Your issues are down to incorrect curing. Please read the Pinned Post about why any lamp won't do.

With regard to suggested brands scroll back through the pages of posts for suggestions and try using the search facility, there are literally thousands of similar posts
 
Premier is not considered a reputable or professional brand. Your issues are down to incorrect curing. Please read the Pinned Post about why any lamp won't do.

With regard to suggested brands scroll back through the pages of posts for suggestions and try using the search facility, there are literally thousands of similar posts

Hi,

Thank you for your reply. However, can you please expand on what you mean by incorrect curing? Are you saying that the Sun UV lamp is not a good brand?

Also a bit confused about why you say that Premier is not considered professional or reputable, but that the problem is in the curing, not the brand.

Thanks,
Lauren
 
Hello Lauren,

I am not a professional and I only do my own nails but I was having the same issue with beetles brand gel polish when I first started. In my case, my nail tips were popping off easily and my gel polish was easily peeling off the nail tip. I watched lots of videos on YouTube by professional nail techs and here are some of the things that helped me resolve my issue.

- filing/buffing the false nail extension surface lightly after applying it
- curing for more than a minute for darker colors, since uv rays won’t go as far in a dark color.
- before application, I make sure my hands have been dry for over an hour and I use 99% isopropyl alcohol in addition to a nail dehydrator
- after my nails are done I use nail oil or hand moisturizer to keep my nail area hydrated. I noticed that when I hydrate my nails, I don’t have problems with my nails popping off or my gel peeling

My polishes have also gone gloopy and I noticed the ones which are dried out and thick are the ones with polish encrusted around the screw and cap, possibly because I use those colors a lot. I have wiped off the crust with acetone to prevent further drying up.
 
Hi,

Thank you for your reply. However, can you please expand on what you mean by incorrect curing? Are you saying that the Sun UV lamp is not a good brand?

Also a bit confused about why you say that Premier is not considered professional or reputable, but that the problem is in the curing, not the brand.

Thanks,
Lauren

Hi Lauren,

You really should check out the pinned post about why any lamp won't do. You need to have the correct lamp for your brand of gel polish to ensure product is fully cured and minimise the risk of your clients developing a reaction.

As far as I can tell Premier Gel does not have it's own lamp and I can't see that the company let's you know which lamp the company has tested it's products with to ensure a full cure.

I would highly recommend looking for a brand of gel polish that is for professional use only and has their own lamp which will have been tested by the company to ensure it cures their products fully.

Claire x
 
A SUNUV 48W lamp should work if that is not what you have
 
I'm looking for some advice on gel polish please. I'm a newly qualified nail tech and have been using Premier Gel gel polish, as it was recommended by my teacher. She said it was the same formula as Gel Bottle but a lot cheaper, so I stocked up. However, I've not been happy with the results and I'm sure whether it's something I'm doing wrong, or not doing, or whether it's down to the product. I am repeatedly finding it's lifting and peeling really easily, even just a few days after application.

At first I thought it was just after I'd used it on fibreglass or silk, but it's happening with natural nails too (I know it's a crime amongst nail techs, but I have just peeled off the gels I did on myself on Wednesday - they peeled off so easily). And I did a set on natural nails on my mum on Tuesday - on Saturday they were still fine but on Sunday it looked like polish had almost shrunk away from the cuticle and nail wall (I can't imagine it's growth in that short space of time). A friend from my course who also uses Premier said when she used hers last week it had gone gloopy, almost like it had a film, and caused a bubble on the nail.

When I spoke to my teacher, she said to wipe the natural nail with acetone before base coat and that would make sure it's not down to oil on the nail, but that doesn't seem to have worked. I wonder if when I do manis/pedis with gels I should do the gels before the exfoliation/massage etc? I've seen some nail techs online do it that way. Is that where I'm going wrong? (Although when I used the gel polish on myself I hadn't done a massage or exfoliation!).

I'm using a Sun UV lamp, no dehydrator or bonder, just straight in with 1 coat base coat, 2 coats colour and 1 coat no wipe top coat. Each one cured for 60 seconds.

If Premier Gel isn't considered good quality, what alternative brand would you recommend please?

Thank you.

I would stop using Premier Gel, there have been multiple reports of allergies and nail separation using them. If they don’t have their own lamp then the product will not cure properly, that will cause a breakdown in service but more worryingly will expose you and your clients to uncurled gel which could cause allergies. Premier Gel is bought from China in bulk and then has a private label put on it. The Gel Bottle has caused so many issues for people, some techs have stopped working due to the allergies it’s caused and the damage it’s done to their reputation because TGB used to also get their products from China and the ingredients where not what was stated on the SDS sheets.

You have to use the lamp that goes with the system, they are tested to properly cure the products. It’s really important, Some good brands are Ink London, Light Elegance, Akzentz Luxio - Ink are the cheapest but cost is really not important outside of the initial investment, cost per service doesn’t work out alot using any gel, the things that cost the most are gloves, files etc.

I personally wouldn’t do massage or exfoliation before doing gel, you want to introduce the least amount of oil, water and contaminants before doing gel, you need to really ensure the nail plate is clean and dry. If you touch the nail even with a glove after wiping and dehydrating it you should re wipe. Make sure you scrub your base coat into the buffed nail as it needs to get into the texture of the nail.

i would really recommend you watch light elegance chemist corner on YouTube and the nail hub on YouTube, they are the best in depth safe information out there, they go into the chemicals and the safety of using gels. It can be confusing I know as most videos on YouTube or Instagram are people mixing gels/lamps etc but it is not safe to do so, your working with very potent chemicals and there has been a massive eruption of people having life changing allergies because of these cheap brands and people not using the correct lamps. When I say life changing I do mean life changing, dental and medical materials are made of the same chemicals meaning if someone gets an allergy to gel nail products they will not be able to have certain dental treatments or medical treatments. If you have Facebook join the nail tech awareness group, you will see the damage that can happen to peoples nails.

if you use a safe brand, the correct lamp and your application is clean then you should hopefully avoid any issues. Things like wiping the tacky layer off should be done a certain way to avoid it coming into contact with the skin.
 
Please pay attention to professionals with many years of experience. DIY’ers have good intentions, but can only speak by their limited use of at home products.

I have watched so many idiots on YouTube or similar doing at home nails, claiming to be professionals, it makes me crazy because uninformed innocents (read gullible) will take this as the best, newest, easiest, guaranteed, product or procedure EVER!

Please realize that with the internet, proliferation of nail products with scant R & D have flooded the beauty world. It’s really a case of Buyer Beware.

My advice, after over 40 years in this field is:

Research older brands that have passed the test of time. Their Research & Development has addressed any and all potential problems and their directions, closely followed will turn out the desired results.

Forget cost of product. What matters is cost per service, service pricing, locale, clientele. This is a business.

This is a forum for professionals, moderated by ones with decades of experience in all cosmetology fields. Take the time to read through PINNED subjects to educate yourself now. It will be of lasting benefit.
 

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