Help, issues with gel extensions

[nirvanawalsh]

Hi I’m newly qualified since October 2019, I took a course in gel polish and gel extensions, gel polish I’m great with and don’t have any problems, although gel extensions I’m struggling with a little, I’m confident with how to do them and in the end they look great, although they aren’t staying on for long, some cases they are pinging off in two days and some have lasted a week or so, however I’m really wanting these to work out so I can offer it to more people and know that I can provide good quality extensions. I feel like it is the glue for extensions and/or the gel builder I am using, does anyone have any recommendations!!?? Thanks Nirvana

 

[Trinity]

There is no strength in the tip, or the glue, all it does is stick the tip on. The strength is in the overlay product (it's the same if it's Gel or Liquid & Powder or Gel Hybrid). If they are snapping at the join of the tip then you are not creating sufficient stress apex. It's extremely common in Gel beginners. Gel is self levelling so it will make a flat nail, you need to build the stress apex in using the product in the right way, holding the finger in the right position and possibly (depending on your product/skill/speed) flash curing into place.

If they are coming off, then that's a prep issue, revisit your training manual and go through your prep steps again to check you are not missing anything. It's easy to get overwhelmed in training, focus on one step then miss the next one and not realise you've missed a bit. Now you have more experience and actuall working under your belt, it's the perfect time to revisit your course paperwork and reread it all, I guarantee you find something you missed the first time.

 

[perfect10kb]

Agree with everything Trinity said, its spot on . Apart from - 'Gel is self levelling so it will make a flat nail '. Sorry but that is not strictly true as there are plenty of thicker builder gels out there in the market today that are not self levelling . They are also the hardest ones to use so for a beginner its a catch 22 situation. If you follow Trinity's advice you should see improvement .Also just wanted to add that if they are coming clean off as opposed to breaking it could also be a lamp/curing issue as well as insufficient/incorrect prep

 

[Trinity]

Agree with everything Trinity said, its spot on . Apart from - 'Gel is self levelling so it will make a flat nail '. Sorry but that is not strictly true as there are plenty of thicker builder gels out there in the market today that are not self levelling

Granted there are many, but you need experience and knowledge of how the products move and different types of viscosity. Most beginner courses barely teach how to build a stress apex let alone different tupes of viscosity available, and that thinner ones will self level flat.

 

[VintageEsmerelda]

I would suggest booking another course which is 1-2-1 so the educator can see exactly what you're doing and correct any mistakes. When it came to extensions it was the best thing I could do for myself. Otherwise, you will spend a lot of time second-guessing yourself. When I first qualified I thought I knew all the steps until I found out they hadn't taught me everything such as apex placement.

 

[JojoBean82]

Along with everyone’s advice... when using a builder gel for your apex ; turn the clients hand upside down for a couple seconds . Gravity will help create the apex for you.( Gel does a lot of the work itself as well. Less is more. Playing too much can cause issues.) Then quickly turn the clients hand right side up and cure the gel. Always make sure your prep is on point and also realize that maybe some of your clients might be better compatible with another product rather than gel. Hope this helps