I have the LED shellac lamp and follow the usual instructions. However yesterday I doubled the time for each application. When I wiped with isopropyl alcohol some of the nails Lost colour on the sides. Can you advise why this happened?
Is there such thing as over curing?
- Thread starter Rima Shah
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You didn't cover all the colour with topcoat. No you can't over cure
NancySyd
Well-Known Member
You can overcure in two ways 1. too long an exposure and 2. curing too fast which results in excessive heat being released and heat spikes. According to Doug Schoon and Jim McConnell, you can overcure gel, but it takes a lot to do it.
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Leggibone
Well-Known Member
So say for instance your doing a set of gel extensions, the first nail might essentially end up being cured 5 times? And that’s before you’ve added layers of colours and top coat? So how would you know if you’ve under or over cured your product?
NancySyd
Well-Known Member
Well, you have to remember that UV light does not penetrate very far into the gel layers, especially on dark colors, which is why you must keep each layer very thin. So although you've cured a nail several times as you do several layers, the UV light does not penetrate much beyond the top layer.
http://www.nailsmag.com/article/91808/the-science-of-gels?page=2
http://www.nailsmag.com/article/97929/chemist-s-corner-gel-polish
NZNailz
Well-Known Member
I've always been told over curing IS a thing. You will most notice the effects of this during wear and tear. Uncured gel tended to peel. Over cured tends to chip easily.
Overcuring does not necessarily depend on the time of the cure, as even when a gel is cured correctly, it is only 90% polymerised. That's because as the polymer chains are created and get longer and longer, it becomes more and more difficult for them to connect to other chains.
So over curing is more about the heat generated during curing that can cause heat spikes and potentially affect the properties of the cured gel by curing too fast. Over curing is like trying to bake bread at a much higher temperature, to save time.
So over curing is more about the heat generated during curing that can cause heat spikes and potentially affect the properties of the cured gel by curing too fast. Over curing is like trying to bake bread at a much higher temperature, to save time.
NancySyd
Well-Known Member
This was just posted on Doug Schoon's FB page:
Received an interesting question today, that I’d like to share.
Question: "I’m using the correct lamp for my UV gel, but having a problem with the thumbs properly curing. Can I move the thumb closer to the led bulb and cure a little longer than the 30 seconds recommended? I know this can release too much heat, but can this cause other problems?"
As this NT points out, the risks of “over curing” is excessive heat spikes- which can lead to onycholysis and nail bed infections.
When NT’s are careful to avoid heat spikes, curing longer under the UV nail lamp is NOT likely to cause other negative issues.
Many are concerned about over curing, when really they should be worried about “under curing”, which is one of the most important problems in the nail industry. This problem can lead to serious allergic reactions for techs, killing nail careers and driving many out of the business due to their adverse skin reactions to products.
As I explain in my books and videos series, “under curing” can causes many to become allergic to nail products, so this must be avoided… yet it commonly happens because many are unaware of the potential for serious allergies to occur. What you don’t know CAN harm you. Learn more and protect yourself.
Received an interesting question today, that I’d like to share.
Question: "I’m using the correct lamp for my UV gel, but having a problem with the thumbs properly curing. Can I move the thumb closer to the led bulb and cure a little longer than the 30 seconds recommended? I know this can release too much heat, but can this cause other problems?"
As this NT points out, the risks of “over curing” is excessive heat spikes- which can lead to onycholysis and nail bed infections.
When NT’s are careful to avoid heat spikes, curing longer under the UV nail lamp is NOT likely to cause other negative issues.
Many are concerned about over curing, when really they should be worried about “under curing”, which is one of the most important problems in the nail industry. This problem can lead to serious allergic reactions for techs, killing nail careers and driving many out of the business due to their adverse skin reactions to products.
As I explain in my books and videos series, “under curing” can causes many to become allergic to nail products, so this must be avoided… yet it commonly happens because many are unaware of the potential for serious allergies to occur. What you don’t know CAN harm you. Learn more and protect yourself.
NailtechJoe
IN:@thenailmaestro
As an addition in his recent f2f series vol 2, Doug Schoon also mentions that overcuring can cause enhancements to become brittle.
