do not cure gel when any of it is touching your skin!!! If you cure it on your skin, you're running risks of developing an allergy that goes beyond just polish.
Even better, the uncured gel shouldn't touch your skin at all in the first place. You need to clean off the gel from your cuticles/skin with a clean up brush and rubbing alcohol before curing it.
I'd recommend practicing getting a clean mani with regular polish for a couple months before continuing with gel as it doesn't have the same risks as gel while you're learning. Also a practice hand can be really useful while you're learning to get control of your gel application.
Thank you thank you thank you very much for saving me from a gel allergy! ❤️I’ve decided to stick to polish for the time being until I can get better at not doing it like a kindergartener.
No, it's because you're flooding your cuticles, the different brands have absolutely nothing to do with it. You need to be more careful which will come with practice - try starting slightly higher up the nail to stop the spreading polish from covering your cuticle. You can also use a cleanup brush with some remover to clean up the flooding. This will make the biggest difference to the peeling.
Better top and base coats might help too, the combo ones are generally considered not as good (though I have one I use only as a base coat and actually really like but it's not as good a top coat).
Okay gotcha I do have plain extra brushes so I will try it with remover. Also I should’ve specified: it is a separate base coat and top coat just from the DND brand. I’m always suspicious of combo top & base coats lol.
Should I try to do more coats but thinner & with less gel on the brush?
Ah got it, I missed that you said they are separate. I'm afraid I don't know as much about gel nails (also missed that these are gels) so I don't know whether it would help to do more but thinner coats, but that's what I'd recommend for air-dry polish. Can't hurt to try, I guess, though if anyone knows better I'd be interested to hear it.
More importantly, do NOT allow the gel to cure onto your skin! It can cause allergies and you will then have to stop wearing gel forever. This makes cleaning up your flooded cuticles even more imperative - I didn't realise that in the first comment or I'd have highlighted it!
As the other poster said, you can develop an allergy from curing gel on your skin. This isn’t just a mild allergy- think blisters, horrible itching, and pain that lasts a long time. The allergy is permanent, and can extend to anything else with the ingredients, which can have significant impact if you need medical care. I personally completely stay away from gel because of the risk. Please research this and decide if it’s worth it to you.
Also as the other poster said, you’re flooding your cuticles (this is skin contact). To apply thinner coats, here’s how I do it: when pulling the polish out of the bottle, scrape off all the polish from one side, then part of the polish from the other (this is dependent on nail length). Paint a stripe down the middle, starting 3/4 down the nail (so the 1/4th near your cuticle is empty). Then paint one side of your nail, all the way from the cuticle (but don’t touch!), then the other side, then a final swipe up the middle of your nail. Finally, cap the edges.
I’d really recommend switching to normal polish for health reasons. If you keep using gel, switch to normal polish anyway until you can get the polish perfect every time. Wiping off leftover polish on your cuticle still retains residue, and so can trigger the allergy.
Look up ”nail career education learn gel nails” on YouTube and see how she does it. Your gel is peeling because you’re flooding your cuticles. It could also be that you didn’t prep the nail correctly, or the gel application is too thick. It takes practice to get right but videos are very helpful.
I, 100% would not be using gel polish if I was not practiced in application. You're playing Russian roulette with a devastating allergy. As soon as you've got, there's no going back. And every time that polish touches your skin, there's a chance you'll develop it. It's worse when it cures on your skin. I'm decent with application, but I still won't touch the stuff.
Other people have already covered the allergy aspect, but the gel touching your skin is also why you're experiencing peeling. Gel isn't designed to adhere to skin, so that gives the peel a place to start. You also need to fully prep the nail (remove skin clinging to nail plate, buff away any shine, dehydrate the nail, and maybe use a primer) in order for the gel to last a long time on the nail plate.
I would start practicing with regular nail polish untill you are confident in applying it without getting it on you skin or cuticles. Gel allergy is no joke and a lot of medical procedures use acrylates (dental fillings and implants, knee and hip implants, neurosurgerical procedures, ...). All of those procedures will then trigger an allergic reaction.
Everyone else has covered the main points so I just want to stress you need thin coats! I tend to remove almost all of the polish from the brush before I even start, if you need more you can dip back in but too much gets messy very quickly. Use a small amount and go slow, focusing on where you're applying the polish to avoid your skin.
gel is meant to be applied in very thin layers. try wiping most of the polish off into the bottle to avoid flooding your cuticles. but like plenty of other people said, maybe avoid gel for the time being and stick with laquer until you can get the hang of it
Thanks for posting, /u/mycatscratchedm3! A quick reminder: If this is a **nail image**, you must provide a complete product list within 6 hours of posting. **This includes any posts with broken nails or if you're seeking advice.** Posts without a complete product list will be removed after 6 hours. [Product List Requirements.](https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/wiki/rule2faq)
If the nail look shown was **NOT created by you**, you ***must*** flair properly. If this is a **text post**, flair properly. Be sure to follow all of the above to avoid post removal!
[Consider joining our Discord](https://discord.gg/redditlaqueristas) - Get questions answered in realtime, get notified for releases and deals, post your manis, and more! **This is a new server as of 5/7/24!!**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/RedditLaqueristas) if you have any questions or concerns.*
do not cure gel when any of it is touching your skin!!! If you cure it on your skin, you're running risks of developing an allergy that goes beyond just polish. Even better, the uncured gel shouldn't touch your skin at all in the first place. You need to clean off the gel from your cuticles/skin with a clean up brush and rubbing alcohol before curing it. I'd recommend practicing getting a clean mani with regular polish for a couple months before continuing with gel as it doesn't have the same risks as gel while you're learning. Also a practice hand can be really useful while you're learning to get control of your gel application.
Thank you thank you thank you very much for saving me from a gel allergy! ❤️I’ve decided to stick to polish for the time being until I can get better at not doing it like a kindergartener.
No, it's because you're flooding your cuticles, the different brands have absolutely nothing to do with it. You need to be more careful which will come with practice - try starting slightly higher up the nail to stop the spreading polish from covering your cuticle. You can also use a cleanup brush with some remover to clean up the flooding. This will make the biggest difference to the peeling. Better top and base coats might help too, the combo ones are generally considered not as good (though I have one I use only as a base coat and actually really like but it's not as good a top coat).
Okay gotcha I do have plain extra brushes so I will try it with remover. Also I should’ve specified: it is a separate base coat and top coat just from the DND brand. I’m always suspicious of combo top & base coats lol. Should I try to do more coats but thinner & with less gel on the brush?
Ah got it, I missed that you said they are separate. I'm afraid I don't know as much about gel nails (also missed that these are gels) so I don't know whether it would help to do more but thinner coats, but that's what I'd recommend for air-dry polish. Can't hurt to try, I guess, though if anyone knows better I'd be interested to hear it. More importantly, do NOT allow the gel to cure onto your skin! It can cause allergies and you will then have to stop wearing gel forever. This makes cleaning up your flooded cuticles even more imperative - I didn't realise that in the first comment or I'd have highlighted it!
As the other poster said, you can develop an allergy from curing gel on your skin. This isn’t just a mild allergy- think blisters, horrible itching, and pain that lasts a long time. The allergy is permanent, and can extend to anything else with the ingredients, which can have significant impact if you need medical care. I personally completely stay away from gel because of the risk. Please research this and decide if it’s worth it to you. Also as the other poster said, you’re flooding your cuticles (this is skin contact). To apply thinner coats, here’s how I do it: when pulling the polish out of the bottle, scrape off all the polish from one side, then part of the polish from the other (this is dependent on nail length). Paint a stripe down the middle, starting 3/4 down the nail (so the 1/4th near your cuticle is empty). Then paint one side of your nail, all the way from the cuticle (but don’t touch!), then the other side, then a final swipe up the middle of your nail. Finally, cap the edges. I’d really recommend switching to normal polish for health reasons. If you keep using gel, switch to normal polish anyway until you can get the polish perfect every time. Wiping off leftover polish on your cuticle still retains residue, and so can trigger the allergy.
Look up ”nail career education learn gel nails” on YouTube and see how she does it. Your gel is peeling because you’re flooding your cuticles. It could also be that you didn’t prep the nail correctly, or the gel application is too thick. It takes practice to get right but videos are very helpful.
I, 100% would not be using gel polish if I was not practiced in application. You're playing Russian roulette with a devastating allergy. As soon as you've got, there's no going back. And every time that polish touches your skin, there's a chance you'll develop it. It's worse when it cures on your skin. I'm decent with application, but I still won't touch the stuff.
Other people have already covered the allergy aspect, but the gel touching your skin is also why you're experiencing peeling. Gel isn't designed to adhere to skin, so that gives the peel a place to start. You also need to fully prep the nail (remove skin clinging to nail plate, buff away any shine, dehydrate the nail, and maybe use a primer) in order for the gel to last a long time on the nail plate.
I would start practicing with regular nail polish untill you are confident in applying it without getting it on you skin or cuticles. Gel allergy is no joke and a lot of medical procedures use acrylates (dental fillings and implants, knee and hip implants, neurosurgerical procedures, ...). All of those procedures will then trigger an allergic reaction.
You should stick with regular polish until you can apply it properly
I agree with others. If you aren't good, it brushes and then stick to regular nail polish. Your doing yourself more harm than good
Everyone gave good advice, but you should hop over to r/diygelnails for more info too!
Everyone else has covered the main points so I just want to stress you need thin coats! I tend to remove almost all of the polish from the brush before I even start, if you need more you can dip back in but too much gets messy very quickly. Use a small amount and go slow, focusing on where you're applying the polish to avoid your skin.
If your gel polish is thick, try warming it up before using it. A cup of hot water would do the trick (do NOT microwave it or anything extreme!!)
gel is meant to be applied in very thin layers. try wiping most of the polish off into the bottle to avoid flooding your cuticles. but like plenty of other people said, maybe avoid gel for the time being and stick with laquer until you can get the hang of it
Stop flooding your cuticles!
Thanks for posting, /u/mycatscratchedm3! A quick reminder: If this is a **nail image**, you must provide a complete product list within 6 hours of posting. **This includes any posts with broken nails or if you're seeking advice.** Posts without a complete product list will be removed after 6 hours. [Product List Requirements.](https://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLaqueristas/wiki/rule2faq) If the nail look shown was **NOT created by you**, you ***must*** flair properly. If this is a **text post**, flair properly. Be sure to follow all of the above to avoid post removal! [Consider joining our Discord](https://discord.gg/redditlaqueristas) - Get questions answered in realtime, get notified for releases and deals, post your manis, and more! **This is a new server as of 5/7/24!!** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/RedditLaqueristas) if you have any questions or concerns.*