Gel polish on toes

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dollface_xx

Hair | Beauty | Nails
Joined
Feb 3, 2014
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Hi all,

I offer a gel polish overlay on toes.

How much of a pedicure procedure would you include?

I file, soak the feet to soften the cuticles and that's all.
 
Or would you just remove the cuticles using appropriate remover without soaking?
 
My procedure:

1. Soak
2. Prep
3. Apply Gel


Imo you cannot apply gels without thoroughly removing the cuticles, which can only be done through soaking.
 
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My procedure:

1. Soak
2. Trim, file, push back cuticles with lotion.
3. Soak.
4. Remove cuticles as they are softer by this time.
5. Remove any calluses
6. WASH THE FEET WITH SOAP. IT IS NOT A PEDICURE UNLESS YOURE WASHING YOUR CLIENT"S FEET WITH SOAP.
7. Apply gel polish. Make sure you dehydrate the nails with acetone.
8. Massage

-

I only offer a Gel polish hands/feet.

Not a gel manicure or pedicure, this is additional.

I include soaking and trimming of cuticles in the gel polish application only.
 
When I trained with Gelish, we were always taught to do a pedicure in reverse, so do the gel polish first with the nail prep and then go on to soak, exfoliate, hard skin removal, massage etc afterwards. They say it’s due to the nail being porous, so when the nail is wet it expands. Putting gel on top of a nail that’s been soaked in water beforehand could cause lifting so my trainer said to just do the gel beforehand which is what I’ve always done xx
 
I agree with Emily, no soaking prior to gel polish application.
You could offer gel polish only, gel polish with pedicure or with luxury pedicure.
I offered all initially but only ever get gel polish bookings
 
You can't apply gels on the toes without soaking the toes and removing the cuticles. Applying gels without proper prepping will cause lifting- the toes have much more cuticles than the hands. Luckily, because the toes don't get beat up the way fingers do, you don't see lifting at the tips. But you will see lifting at the cuticles which can be unsightly.
 
Gel Polish on toes... dry pep (file and cuticle work), scrub fresh, apply gel polish, cuticle oil.
No Soak.
 
Soaking the feet prior to gel application can cause lifting. Geeg has posted before on the site about doing any soaking/moisturizing after the gel polish application - we miss you Geeg! If the clients feet are a bit wiffy then give them a quick dip (not soak!) in the foot bath to freshen up and dry thoroughly before doing your dry prep and gel application. Foot hygiene sprays are also good to give a quick spritz beforehand x
 
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Just do your routine as usual for gels, but do the actual pedicure after. So do cuticle work dry with a cuticle remover lotion instead of soaking first and remove it with acetone so no residue. Then all the pedi stuff after.

However, on some clients in this weather and with poor foot hygiene (think vinegar smell and tons of dirt under toenails and down sides of nail in crevice)...you may just need to get them washed scrubbed first. In which case you can use a wet flannel and soap and exfoliant, simply avoiding soaking the nails. Most of the time you will just need soap but sometimes the build up of dead skin is the cause of the smell so getting it off first will make the whole thing more bearable for you.

Just explain before you start that a gel pedi is a bit different to a regular one. Many clients will have no problems even with a soak first, but I do notice that pregnant clients or those on HRT really need it dry as they will lose them much quicker anyway.
 
While I agree that soaking can cause lifting, you must remember that toenails are not as porous as fingernails, they are harder, and grow more slowly, and feet are not subjected to the daily use/abuse of hands. Further, feet generally need a good deal more cleaning, exfoliating, and cuticle work than hands in order to have a clean surface to apply gel polish. I know some disagree, but, I find it undermines the whole spa experience to apply polish to feet that have not been completely done; polish should be the last step. So you can soak feet, do the prep work, clean, exfoliate, let them dry and then do the gel polish. I leave the massage for last. My pedis last indefinitely without lifting even when we soak.
 
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While I agree that soaking can cause lifting, you must remember that toenails are not as porous as fingernails, they are harder, and grow more slowly, and feet are not subjected to the daily use/abuse of hands. Further, feet generally need a good deal more cleaning, exfoliating, and cuticle work than hands in order to have a clean surface to apply gel polish. I know some disagree, but, I find it undermines the whole spa experience to apply polish to feet that have not been completely done; polish should be the last step. So you can soak feet, do the prep work, clean, exfoliate, let them dry and then do the gel polish. I leave the massage for last. My pedis last indefinitely without lifting even when we soak.

Very well put. Im glad someone agrees with me. The pedicure, aside from the massage, has to come first.
 

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