Over exposure to Acetone

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Missy G

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Good afternoon, I’m concerned about one of my regular clients who has gel polish every 7-10 days as she can’t keep them on longer as her nails aren’t in good condition.. she is also a hairdresser.. my concern is the amount of exposure her fingers are getting with the acetone every time I soak them off .. what’s your thoughts plz ?
 
Acetone is naturally produced by your body to a very small degree so it's quite unusual to become allergic to it. I was aware of it many years ago in the printing industry as they heavily used acetone but it was in huge amounts compared to relatively small amount we use for gel polish removal.

If you are concerned then ensure the best protection procedures for your client. Use only the foil method rather than soaking in a bowl of acetone. Protect the skin with a layer of cuticle oil before wrapping. Use as small an amount of acetone on the pads as possible. Ensure the are only soaked for the recommended time. If all else fails I would suggest Gel Polish is not the solution for this client. Whether that would improve with the natural nails in better condition before the Gel Polish only you can tell. If she is not taking care of them sufficiently between appointments by following after care recommendations then these issues need addressing. It cannot always be the fault of the tech or products, clients need to take some responsibility and actions too
 
I would look into a system that doesn't require removal every time.

With my current system, I file off my gel colour, prep the natural nail regrowth, and apply base coat, just like an infill. When using a coloured base coat, I put down a layer of clear base first, so I can file back to this and keep and eye on nail health.

Some tech are put off by systems like this as they usually require you to etch the natural nail with a 180/150 grit file. But if you consider that you only need to do this one (because you only prep the regrowth at the next appointment), the damage could be less than buffing the same spot of nail every 3/4 weeks.
 
This was my thought , but I’ve tried every system with her in the past .. she can’t keep them on for no longer than a week to 10 days mostly .. a file off gel will just lift , and as a hairdresser herself it’s really annoying for her when she’s working with hair , so she’ll end up picking them , which I’ve told her is probably removing layers of her nails..
 
It's always a struggle to get gel polish to stay on a hairdresser's nails because of the nature of their job.
Either they need to move to acrylics or just wear normal polish and re-do every week.
 
Yes , she said she preferred having acrylics the other day which I use to do a couple of years ago for about 11 years, but unfortunately I came to the decision after the first lock down for several reasons I didn’t want to do acrylics or any kind of extensions anymore , I only offer gel polish now .
 
This was my thought , but I’ve tried every system with her in the past .. she can’t keep them on for no longer than a week to 10 days mostly .. a file off gel will just lift , and as a hairdresser herself it’s really annoying for her when she’s working with hair , so she’ll end up picking them , which I’ve told her is probably removing layers of her nails..

What about a builder gel? I work in a salon and do builder gel overlay/extensions for our hairdressers. They usually come back every 4 weeks, no lifting. We have managed 7 weeks in the past (not recommended, but these things happen!), again no lifting at all.
 
I would try a “rubber” type base, there are a few around now, colour top coat and then file back to the rubber base rather than soak off each time. I have a dog groomer client and have had success with her this way xx
 
builder gel
I started using CND Plexigel Shaper or Builder under all my Shellac clients. No lifting. I can wrap the shaper and polish for full removal OR file off color and fill with the builder.
 
I would say it is never a good idea to over expose skin to solvents. You can degrease the skin leading to dermatitis. In a chemical lab they would never allow solvents on skin.

Tim
 

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