Help - how to tell.......

[Perls Beauty]

if your new client is wearing gel or L&P ?!

I have a new lady coming for a rebalance, and when I asked she said that the salaon (which I am pretty sure is an NSS!!) she had been going to put her hand in a blue lamp and cured the product, but then she went on to say that they put it in there to dry it at the end??

I am guessing that the quickest way to tell for sure is to apply a little acetone and see if it melts the surface??

Is there another way, anything more obvious that I am missing?

Also, then if she is wearing gel will it be OK to put L&P on for the rebalance as long as I can get a good smooth file down on the existing product?

Thx :lol:

 

[glitz]

Hi perls TBH, you should be able to tell by looking at them as IMO gel has a more creamy look than Acrylic (well thats how I describe it) and if you cant tell by looking when you file you will definitely be able to tell the difference gel requires that you use a more gentle touch when filing than acrylic. You can get a light cure acrylic system and some salons tend to use a overhead lamp to help with setting times and if she has had the French airbrushed in which is quite common in NSS salons then the tech will prob apply a clear top coat varnish and place under a dryer. HTH.

Sorry just to add I wouldnt use acrylic to do a rebalance if the exsisting product is gel you would need to use gel or soak/buff off and start afresh. Just noticed from your web site you do offer both gel & acrylic so why would you want to put acrylic on if she has gel enhancements on?

 

[angel fingers]

its perfectly alright to use l/p acrylic for the rebalance of file off gels.

it sounds to me as if the client has l/p acrylic nails with a gel top coat.
its a very common ruse used to mislead clients into paying extra for something they think is gel. gel nails are put in the lamp to cure at all stages during their application so if they wre truly gel nails the client would have had her hands in and out of the lamp several times, not just at the end.

if you have experience with gels and l/p its pretty easy to tell which it is when you commence filing. gel files a lot more easily and forms a finer dust than l/p. you cannot always tell just by looking at them which they are, it depends on what brand and combination of product has been used.

 

[*Janette77*]

I think the smell will reveal if it is acrylic, I mean when you start to file, you will notice a familiar smell of acrylic.

 

[glitz]

its perfectly alright to use l/p acrylic for the rebalance of file off gels.
.

Not that I would but its good to know that it is ok to do this as I was taught to apply gel as an infill on an acrylic enhancement or visa versa was generally not good practice, besides why would you need to do this is you were offering both systems?

 

[Perls Beauty]

Thanks geeks

I think it probably is l&p as Susan says, she would have been in and out of the lamp a few times with gel - didn't think of that obvious thing, doh!

See, you little geeks just fill in all the gaps in my thoughts! Cheers x

 

[yeahyeah]

i disagree with a lot of these replys, sorry!! in my opinion, you cant always tell if a product is gel or acrylic by filing, some cheaper gel systems are as hard as acrylic and a quality l&p system should file almost as easily as a gel. not to mention, a tackless gel sealer will be super hard wether its on top of gel or l&p. also, its 100% ok to fill a gel enhancement with L&P and vice versa -- its more damaging to the natural nail to remove all of the old product and do a new full set. the best way to tell if a client has on gel or l&p is to ask them about the application process... ask them if the tech dipped a brush in liquid then in a powder, or if the product looked like 'gel' in a pot... why not show them what both products look like, most likely they will recognize one of them. if not, you can always call the salon that did them and ask what products they use. however, as long as the client didnt have a reaction to the product, you dont neccessarily NEED to know what product is already on their nails in order for you to do your job.

 

[Pink Pink Pink]

If the client had hand in a lamp just to finish - it sunds like it was just a gel top coat.

 

[*Janette77*]

Am I the only one, who smells what product has beed used?

Not everyone can tell if the tech has dipped brush in liquid and powder or gel. And then there is uv-curable arylic too.

I had a client, who couldn't tell practically anything about the process when I asked. And in a way, isn't that the way it should be? I mean, I don't know what kind of haircolor is used when I get my hair done. I am just reading magazines and relaxing.

 

[angel fingers]

i dont think clients take much notice of whats being done .

ive had clients that have been coming to me for ages who will suddenly pipe up 'oh, whats that?' and it will be something i always do that they just never noticed.

when they are relaxed they dont really see what we are doing, just the results.

 

[soniabailey82]

You could always just tell her that if she has any lifting or seperating problems that you'll fix them for free - why has she stopped going to the other place anyway?

Talk to your client, and be sure she understands that you primary objective is to meet her needs and do a great job of her nails!

 

[katiebbaby]

i disagree with a lot of these replys, sorry!! in my opinion, you cant always tell if a product is gel or acrylic by filing, some cheaper gel systems are as hard as acrylic and a quality l&p system should file almost as easily as a gel. not to mention, a tackless gel sealer will be super hard wether its on top of gel or l&p. also, its 100% ok to fill a gel enhancement with L&P and vice versa -- its more damaging to the natural nail to remove all of the old product and do a new full set. the best way to tell if a client has on gel or l&p is to ask them about the application process... ask them if the tech dipped a brush in liquid then in a powder, or if the product looked like 'gel' in a pot... why not show them what both products look like, most likely they will recognize one of them. if not, you can always call the salon that did them and ask what products they use. however, as long as the client didnt have a reaction to the product, you dont neccessarily NEED to know what product is already on their nails in order for you to do your job.

As said best way to tell hun if cured under UV light :hug:

 

[yeahyeah]

As said best way to tell hun if cured under UV light :hug:

not necessarily, as someone else said, it might be a light cured acrylic. also a client wont know if they were "just" curing their topcoat in the light or not, your best bet is to ask them about how it was applied, some will recognize an application method, some will not, but in my experience that is the best way to tell!