How to choose the best gel polish?
Gel polish is considered to be a hybrid of nail polish and gel for the nail surface. It simultaneously has the properties of both varnish and gel. It has bright colors and performs a decorative function - as a varnish. Lasts for a long time (up to 21 days), protects and strengthens nails - as a gel remedy.
It is impossible to save on the purchase of a long-term remedy and auxiliary products for the care of hands and nails.
If you plan to apply the product at home, then you need to purchase not only a good gel polish, but also other special tools and materials:
It is impossible to save on the purchase of a long-term remedy and auxiliary products for the care of hands and nails.
If you plan to apply the product at home, then you need to purchase not only a good gel polish, but also other special tools and materials:
- Disinfectant.
- Lint-free napkins.
- Cuticle processing tools (manicure machine, scissors, wire cutters, cutters, saws)
- A lamp for polymerization (curing) of the material.
- Orange sticks, pushers.
- Primer, dehydrator,base coat, top coat.
- Liquid for removing the sticky layer.
- Cuticle oil and nourishing hand cream.
What is gel polish: composition, difference from shellac
Initially, gel-lacquer coatings were called shellacs. In fact, shellac (from the Netherlands. Shellak - "natural resin") the company CND (Creative Nail Design) named its products. Shellac is a substance secreted by female insects that parasitize trees in India and Southeast Asia. It is used in the chemical industry for a variety of purposes, even eaten.
The use of shellac in the nail industry has made a real revolution. Fashionistas from all over the world had the opportunity to use a rich palette of gel-lacquer coatings that held steady on the nails for up to three weeks, did not exude an unpleasant odor, besides, the waiting time for the color coating to dry was significantly reduced due to drying in an ultraviolet lamp, while the coating was easily removed.
Initially, gel-lacquer coatings were called shellacs. In fact, shellac (from the Netherlands. Shellak - "natural resin") the company CND (Creative Nail Design) named its products. Shellac is a substance secreted by female insects that parasitize trees in India and Southeast Asia. It is used in the chemical industry for a variety of purposes, even eaten.
The use of shellac in the nail industry has made a real revolution. Fashionistas from all over the world had the opportunity to use a rich palette of gel-lacquer coatings that held steady on the nails for up to three weeks, did not exude an unpleasant odor, besides, the waiting time for the color coating to dry was significantly reduced due to drying in an ultraviolet lamp, while the coating was easily removed.
Why can't you save on buying gel polish?
All manufacturers are constantly striving to improve their products, but consumers hear only a few well-known and proven brands whose products do not harm nails. Which gel polish is better? How to choose a really safe product?
Gel polish contains:
Gel polish contains:
- A film-forming agent that hardens under the influence of ultraviolet rays and forms a strong film on the surface of the nail. It is this substance that characterizes the quality of the product: ultimate flexibility, resistance to external influences and deformation.
- Photo initiator. This substance is responsible for the spectrum of which rays the product will freeze better - under the influence of ultraviolet radiation or LED. The polymerization rate depends on the same substance.
- Methacrylates (esters of acrylic acid). They are responsible for the consistency of the product.
- Special additives, fillers and types of pigments that give certain properties to lacquers (viscosity, plasticity, color saturation). Silica prevents the pigment from settling, and bismuth chloroxide gives a pearly sheen.
Which gel polish is better?
The rating of nail products is known to any professional manicure master. Many of the most popular brands have proven themselves well and are heard by most. Let's tell you more about them. Comparison will allow you to make your choice.
The rating of nail products is known to any professional manicure master. Many of the most popular brands have proven themselves well and are heard by most. Let's tell you more about them. Comparison will allow you to make your choice.
A brand that regularly replenishes its assortment with trendy products and seasonal shades. In addition to the popular gel lacquers, Louis Philippe has developed a line of preparation pedicure, cosmetic and skin care products at his own production.
Technology of applying gel polish
Many women are willing to pay for the services of salon masters only because after the gel polish coating procedure, their hands remain well-groomed for at least 14 days. This saves a lot of time, especially since gel polish and manicure make hands attractive.
With proper application, the coating holds firmly on the nails, does not peel off and does not chip off. But to do this, you need to comply with certain conditions and procedures:
With proper application, the coating holds firmly on the nails, does not peel off and does not chip off. But to do this, you need to comply with certain conditions and procedures:
- The nail is being prepared for applying the base product. First you need to treat your hands very carefully with an antiseptic, sand the nail plate, give it the right shape with files with an abrasiveness of 150-180 grits, make a high-quality and clean manicure. Most often in salons, masters offer hardware manicure or manicure in a combined technique.
- Then the nail plate is degreased, a dehydrator (bonder, drying agent) is used, a primer is applied (this stage is optional, the use of a dehydrator and primer is determined by the condition of the client's nail plate and the subsequent selected coating).
- We apply the base. As it, you can use a native base for a specific product, a biogel or a colorless gel polish. The base looks like a transparent viscous resin: the agent aligns the plate, gives it the desired shape. The base is applied from the cuticle to the tip of the nail, before reaching the nail rollers, seal the end of the nail and the sides of the protruding tip. The base is dried in an ultraviolet lamp for up to a minute, an LED lamp, a hybrid lamp - for 30 seconds (calculations are given for a professional lamp with a power of more than 48 watts). A lot depends on the lamp power, the lower the power, the longer the polymerization process takes. It is the competent coating of the base that allows you to avoid chipping and peeling of the material.
- Gel colored product is very carefully applied in one or two layers: each is dried in a UV lamp for 60 seconds.
- It is fixed with a top coating that gives additional gloss and does not allow the coating to be scratched during wear. Dried in a lamp for 60 seconds.
- A special liquid removes the sticky layer, if necessary (most of the modern top coatings do not have a sticky layer).
- Cuticle oil is used.
- Hands are wiped with a napkin, then a nourishing hand cream is applied.
Pros and cons of gel varnishes
The advantages of the funds are quite obvious:
- Good varnishes last up to three weeks: they do not chip off, do not roll off, do not lose color saturation. The color palette is diverse: you can always choose a gel polish to taste.
- They are easy to apply and do not flow or lubricate when applied.
- They do not weigh down the nails and protect them from the aggressive effects of chemicals, hard water.
- The nail plate looks well-groomed and beautiful without correction every two days.
- The products do not have a pungent smell, are not allergens.
- If you have weak and fragile nails, first you need to determine the cause and cure them.
- If you are allergic to some components of the products.
- If the nail plate is in a painful state, there is a fungus on the nail.
What else is important to know? It is better to apply the gel product yourself after studying special courses or passing training in professional schools for the preparation of nail service masters. In the future, you will be able to cover the nails with gels yourself, saving on salon services and not asking for forums "Advise how to apply gel polish". Not knowing the subtleties of cuticle treatment, you can damage the nail plate or simply distribute the product carelessly on the nails. Many people believe that the funds should be soaked and removed from the nails with a film. In fact, the upper layers are perfectly cut off by the cutter of the manicure machine, and the nail is processed and covered anew. If you use a softening agent, then keep in mind that it will affect the nail itself and the surrounding skin, which is harmful. The nail plate remains wet for a while after the coating, and even the bonder does not dry it sufficiently. After removing the gel polish in this way, you should wait until the nail dries naturally, and only then you can apply another coloring coating, having previously treated the surface. There is an opinion that it is not recommended to wear gel for more than two weeks: then it should be removed. This is not true. The nail plate grows by several millimeters every month, and is completely renewed in 4 months. There is no need to give nails any "breaks" and "rest". If you want to apply the product to the nails not only of the hands, but also of the feet, we recommend buying a lamp with a removable top and replaceable inserts. Currently, the products of many brands contain a lot of coloring pigments, as a result of which the product does not harden well in a conventional ultraviolet lamp, so we recommend hybrid lamps of a new generation. In general, it should be remembered: in ultraviolet rays, you need to dry your nails 2 times longer than in an LED lamp and a hybrid lamp. |
