Splitting nails after ACG

[melbee]

I have a client who text me saying that her nails are split and have chipped a bit, she is due her appointment on Thursday for an 'infill' of ACG in french.
I dont want to continue using the ACG on her, I would sooner remove the remaining ACG, then assess her nails.
I am concerned that by removing the ACG this will dehydrate her nails even more, so I was planning to gently buff down to the last bit, then coat cuticles etc with solar oil before acetone in a cotton wrap and warm mits.
I was going to suggest Shellac instead of ACG, as maybe this is kinder to her nails if she a 'dry nail' person anyway.
Can I shellac her nails if they are not too bad, or should I just tell her to let them grow out for a bit and coat them with an opaque enamel for the time being?

 

[Vetty]

I have a client who text me saying that her nails are split and have chipped a bit, she is due her appointment on Thursday for an 'infill' of ACG in french.
I dont want to continue using the ACG on her, I would sooner remove the remaining ACG, then assess her nails.
I am concerned that by removing the ACG this will dehydrate her nails even more, so I was planning to gently buff down to the last bit, then coat cuticles etc with solar oil before acetone in a cotton wrap and warm mits.
I was going to suggest Shellac instead of ACG, as maybe this is kinder to her nails if she a 'dry nail' person anyway.
Can I shellac her nails if they are not too bad, or should I just tell her to let them grow out for a bit and coat them with an opaque enamel for the time being?

Why would you assume the ACG is the cause? 'My nails are split and chipped' could mean anything in my experience, from the client having knocked a corner off to grating the edges along with cheese!!

I don't use ACG but have no reason to believe it is a low quality product. Only you know if you are buffing her nails and causing any dehydration, I don't believe one product is 'kinder' than another - how the Tech and the client treat nails can be 'kinder' or not!!

I would (a) assess the condition of her nails and the ACG, (b) soak it off with cotton wool/foil, (c) reapply using the product of my choice and talk to the client about what she has/hasn't done between appointments.....

Hth's

 

[melbee]

HI,
I just assumed ACG is the cause as I have had one person who complained of this before. I use ACG sucessfully on lots of clients, its truly a great product.
This client has never had enhancements nor anything else, she was just NNO. After reading through some of the threads on here about splitting nails, I guess there are just some people who dont get on with either ACG or shellac. (or any other gels for that matter) Maybe because their nails would naturally split just past the free edge anyway, or maybe its just the chemical makeup of their nails.
Im just flapping a bit about what to do with the remaining ACG left on her nails, and how to make them look a bit prettier without doing further damage ?

 

[JuicyLucy]

I don't use ACG, I use Gelish and Gelicure. Personally, the first thing I would do if I were you is to switch from using acetone for soak offs to a removal product - much kinder. D-Solve is the best I have used. I assume you are wrapping to remove rather than soaking in a bowl.

I would repair her split nail with fibreglass or silk and then reapply ACG. One split nail (that can happen any time for any reason) is not a reason to stop using the product.

 

[Vetty]

HI,
I just assumed ACG is the cause as I have had one person who complained of this before. I use ACG sucessfully on lots of clients, its truly a great product.
This client has never had enhancements nor anything else, she was just NNO. After reading through some of the threads on here about splitting nails, I guess there are just some people who dont get on with either ACG or shellac. (or any other gels for that matter) Maybe because their nails would naturally split just past the free edge anyway, or maybe its just the chemical makeup of their nails.
Im just flapping a bit about what to do with the remaining ACG left on her nails, and how to make them look a bit prettier without doing further damage ?

One person complained vs lots of successful clients - logically I would say it's a client problem not a product problem.

Don't flap! Soak off the remaining ACG, look at the natural nail, shorten if needed and reapply if the client wants you to. If you're not reapplying, oil, tidy up free edges, remove any cuticle - generally moisturise and make prettier!

Good luck.

 

[melbee]

thanks, Im quite new to paying clients, its taken me nearly 2 years to build up my skills and confidence!
I never soak in a bowl, only wrap and I have only every soaked off once, the other times I just buffed and rebalanced.
She says 3 of her nails have 'split right down' but until I see them I cant be sure, but she will have 2 weeks worth of re-growth at least.
She said she was texting to warn me that they look bad, gulp. I am very reluctant to buff her new 2 week regrowth in order to apply silk or ACG again, which is why I thought maybe I could coat in a french shellac?
Is D-solve different to acetone?

 

[waffle4]

I don't use ACG, I use Gelish and Gelicure. Personally, the first thing I would do if I were you is to switch from using acetone for soak offs to a removal product - much kinder. D-Solve is the best I have used. I assume you are wrapping to remove rather than soaking in a bowl.

I would repair her split nail with fibreglass or silk and then reapply ACG. One split nail (that can happen any time for any reason) is not a reason to stop using the product.

Great advice from Lucy. Also, Cnd have just bought out a new nourishing remover and it really does stop the nails getting so dehydrated when wrapping off if you think dehydration is one of the issues. Hth x

 

[izzidoll]

thanks, Im quite new to paying clients, its taken me nearly 2 years to build up my skills and confidence!
I never soak in a bowl, only wrap and I have only every soaked off once, the other times I just buffed and rebalanced.
She says 3 of her nails have 'split right down' but until I see them I cant be sure, but she will have 2 weeks worth of re-growth at least.
She said she was texting to warn me that they look bad, gulp. I am very reluctant to buff her new 2 week regrowth in order to apply silk or ACG again, which is why I thought maybe I could coat in a french shellac?
Is D-solve different to acetone?

I am confused here....are we talking Artistic Colour Gloss Gel Polish...or a soak off gel system by ACG ?

I think the answers given have all been about gel polish....yet if you are buffing and rebalancing then surely that cannot be the case.

Could you please clarify before we start to give you information that could be wrong and misleading.

 

[melbee]

You can buff and infill the Artistic Colour Gloss, and then the white needs 'rebalancing' but I maybe using the wrong terminology sorry to confuse. Its only recommended once though.
I've done this very sucessfully since I bought their whole system last year. I've never had any problems with chipping or soak offs. I would have thought this is less damaging to the natural nail as no soak off in acetone.
Whats the new nourishing remover by CND? I may pop for some tomorrow

 

[izzidoll]

Thanks for clearing that up. I never do infills with Gelish and always remove and redo, hence my confusion lol
I use Gelish and find their remover is much kinder to nails than acetone. Doesn't ACG have their own remover?

 

[melbee]

I bought everything in their kit, but I have long since ran out of their remover. I got a lot of 'retail remover kits' in little packets which are basically like tissue papers with pre cut foils, but no remover or instructions. I normally refer people to their website for home removal and give them a little kit to take home, I didnt recon much of the remover kits though!
I live around the corner (literally) from CND so I would try their remover if it would work with a gel polish and its not just the same as the 5ltr acetone I have, rather than re order from ACG as I need it for Thursday.

 

[geeg]

I bought everything in their kit, but I have long since ran out of their remover. I got a lot of 'retail remover kits' in little packets which are basically like tissue papers with pre cut foils, but no remover or instructions. I normally refer people to their website for home removal and give them a little kit to take home, I didnt recon much of the remover kits though!
I live around the corner (literally) from CND so I would try their remover if it would work with a gel polish and its not just the same as the 5ltr acetone I have, rather than re order from ACG as I need it for Thursday.

According to the feed back all over FB and here on SalonGeek.com, the new CND Nourishing Remover, although more expensive, is amazing .... It is faster and it is moisturising, which sounds like the thing you need. If you are around the corner then I would certainly at least try a small bottle and see for yourself but by all amounts so far, the CND Nourishing Remover is a WINNER. It is infused with Macadamia and Vitamine oils and gently removes Shellac in less than 10 minutes.

 

[Looksatfoxes]

My clients have been using ACG constantly since its launch and have not had one client experience damage caused by it. They all use Dadi Oil in thier aftercare i can tell when they dont i also point out its thier money they waste when aftercare is not followed. There are many reasons why a client is having this problem why do we jump and think its the product? we must all have good prep and removal standards and manage our clients expectations of what ever product we choose to use on our clients. Xx

 

[geeg]

http://www.salongeek.com/nail-geek/201083-general-questions-re-uv-cured-colour-coats-answered.html

 

[melbee]

I wasnt blaming ACG personally, I was referring to clients who have gels on their nails then experience splitting. From what I can gather, these type of clients DO exist. I have also acknowledged the fact that indeed, certain clients just dont get on with gels. I was more in flap about what to do regarding the state of her nails, like can I / should I recoat with shellac? - so I dont have to buff the new 2 weeks of regrowth - or should I just tell her to give them a miss altogether.
I'm just off to CND for some of their new nourishing remover. Back in 10 mins!

 

[MissOwen]

I wasnt blaming ACG personally, I was referring to clients who have gels on their nails then experience splitting. From what I can gather, these type of clients DO exist. I have also acknowledged the fact that indeed, certain clients just dont get on with gels. I was more in flap about what to do regarding the state of her nails, like can I / should I recoat with shellac? - so I dont have to buff the new 2 weeks of regrowth - or should I just tell her to give them a miss altogether.
I'm just off to CND for some of their new nourishing remover. Back in 10 mins!

If she suffers from splitting nails in general, then yes, the ACG may not be suitable for her.

If its just a one off, then there is no reason why you cannot try again, try taking down the length to limit the possibility of splitting and chipping again.

Is she using a good quality cuticle oil? This will make a huge difference in the health of her natural nails, keeping them hydrated and help to prevent splitting etc.

If you are only lightly buffing the nail enough to remove shine, this wouldnt damage her nails. Its something nail techs have been doing for a long time for enhancements and other services without causing drastic problems.

You seem very concerned about soaking the nails off. Don't be. This will only temporarily dehydrate the nails and less so if you use a good quality remover (plenty have been suggested above) and you will soon rehydrate them after her service is complete.

If she suffers from peeling nails regularly then i would say both ACG and Shellac will come across the same issues and will likely chip.

What you need to do, is access her nails and discuss with her what the cause of the splitting and chip was and then go from there. Dont be scared of your products though! Soaking off is part of the service and is not going to send her away with destroyed nails.

Also, keep calm, i think you're panicking and it may be a simple case of the client being careless with her nails :Love: xxx

 

[geeg]

I wasnt blaming ACG personally, I was referring to clients who have gels on their nails then experience splitting. From what I can gather, these type of clients DO exist. I have also acknowledged the fact that indeed, certain clients just dont get on with gels. I was more in flap about what to do regarding the state of her nails, like can I / should I recoat with shellac? - so I dont have to buff the new 2 weeks of regrowth - or should I just tell her to give them a miss altogether.
I'm just off to CND for some of their new nourishing remover. Back in 10 mins!

There is no reason that would prevent you from using Shellac, but do make sure she oils regularly with Solar Oil; use that fab new Nourishing Remover and let us know how you like it. Take the split nail down to remove the split if you can and I'm sure all will go well as the damage grows out.

Indeed there are many clients experiencing exactly what you describe particularly when the natural nail is buffed every few weeks as directed by the manufacturers. We are also seeing it when nail techs are impatient and prize off the product before it has fully released from the surface of the nail plate (double trouble) and scrape away at it until it has been removed.

 

[lisa.sharrock]

I was just going to ask have you given her the correct aftercare advice?

Which is to use regularly a cuticle oil, whether it's Solar Oil or Dadi Oil, it must be used regularly, say 2 - 3 times per day. But as we all know clients aren't always keen to follow our advice!

I'm confused as to why you're not removing and reapplying??

I use D solve to remove both ACG and Shellac and it's absolutely fine with both products, but I have just placed an order with S2 for their new Shellac remover

I use ACG & Shellac regularly but have never infilled, I always do a complete removal and new set.

I would remove her existing set and assess the damage, if there is minimal flaking, then gently buff this away, keep nails shorter than normal and reapply but also ask your client to ensure she uses her cuticle oil regularly.

I must admit, I'm a bugger for not following my own advice and need to be much stricter with the solar oil and resist the odd peeling session.

 

[Looksatfoxes]

I wasnt blaming ACG personally, I was referring to clients who have gels on their nails then experience splitting. From what I can gather, these type of clients DO exist. I have also acknowledged the fact that indeed, certain clients just dont get on with gels. I was more in flap about what to do regarding the state of her nails, like can I / should I recoat with shellac? - so I dont have to buff the new 2 weeks of regrowth - or should I just tell her to give them a miss altogether.
I'm just off to CND for some of their new nourishing remover. Back in 10 mins!

Some Clients may experience splitting when wearing gel but what I'm saying Don't blame the product first and like has been said no need to flap until you have seen her nails. There is nothing you can do until then, be confident in what you do. I will be interested in hearing how the new shellac remover takes off ACG. (I never infill ACG my clients like working through all the colours ) good luck xx

 

[melbee]

well, reports on the new CND remover.
It removed the ACG on my daughters thumb as quickly as acetone, yet the skin around her thumb was not all white and dry. I normally coat the surrounding skin with solar oil to help with a removal, but none needed and the skin looks good.
She keeps smelling her thumb as it smells so nice! like melon cocktails. Im impressed.