A well-applied gel polish looks like day one for three weeks. If it lifts early, the reason is usually one of these seven.
1. Moisture or oil left on the nail plate. Applying hand cream just before is the most common cause: the product bonds to the cream, not the nail.
2. Product flooding the cuticle. When gel polish touches the skin, it starts lifting from that point as the nail grows. Applied properly, a hair's width of margin is left at the edges.
3. The free edge not being capped. If the front edge isn't sealed, water gets in from there. Gel polish that lifts from the tip in three weeks almost always points to this.
4. Thick layers. One thick coat is less durable than two thin ones. A thick layer doesn't cure evenly under the lamp; the inside stays soft and cracks.
5. The flexibility of the natural nail. On very thin, flexible nails the layer takes micro-cracks with every bend. A strengthening base or a thin gel overlay solves it.
6. Hot water and detergent. Dishes, cleaning and long hot showers are gel polish's number one enemy. Gloves visibly extend its life.
7. Using nails as tools. Opening boxes, peeling labels, scraping at something. A knock on the free edge leaves an invisible crack; lifting starts a few days later.
Going dull is a separate issue
If the colour holds but the shine goes, the cause is usually not the top coat but sun and chemical contact. Hand sanitiser, alcohol-based products and UV dull the top coat over time. A clear protective coat every two weeks delays it.
Don't force the removal
Lifting a raised edge and pulling takes the top layer of the nail plate with it. That's the reason behind most "my nails got thinner" complaints two weeks later. If lifting starts, cover the nail until your appointment and let the removal be done properly.
We also offer gel polish as part of our home service.
