Gel Nails?

melbelleup

Okay, so I called my salon today to set up my bridal party hair styled and make up. I have never had my nails done and want to for my wedding. Apparently they only do gel nails.. which I know nothing of nails at all. Anyways, I get that gel nails are like acrylic but healthier for your nails. My question is, what exactly is gel nails? She told me to make sure I have a nail tip when I go, which is not that big of a deal since I grow my nails out. Is it just a coating applied to your regular nails? So, the nail length would be whatever length I have them at? Sorry, I'm extremely confused and tried google with no luck lol.

ETA: to clarify.

HisGirlFriday13

I actually have gel nails right now! It's a special polish that cures under a UV light. It lasts longer than regular nail polish without chipping. I love having the gel mani done.

melbelleup

@HisGirlFriday13, so is it just a coating on top of your regular nails? so it doesn't make your nail longer? Then they design it? I was hoping for a french glitter ombre.

HisGirlFriday13

Yep! They put a base coat, that cures, a coat of polish and that cures, another coat and that cures, then a top coat.

Anything you can do with regular polish they can do with gel, so your French glitter ombre should be no problem.

melbelleup

Ooooh!!!! Okay, that completely makes sense. So I will make sure my nails are grown out for it. Thank you for making this less complicated than the girl on the phone lol

HisGirlFriday13

Welcome! I can (try) to post a photo, if you promise not to judge the fact they're grown-out and need to be redone. I have an appointment Friday.

Senecaf

I love it. FMIL got a Gelish brand kit on Amazon and does mine all tge time. I don't know if its healthier than acrylic or nails though.

The gel makes your nails hard so its a great option for those of us thst use our hands roughly. So they grow better!

melbelleup

Cool I just do my own usually, base coat, paint, top coat no issues. I usually chip my own pretty often though when bored... I'll have to fight the urge. My nails are pretty strong, but when I want to grow them I just base coat them and let them grow.

Swazzle

I love gel polish! I go every 2-3 weeks for a gel manicure. A regular manicure chips in 1 day for me. I'm not sure why you need to have any length your nails, though. Mine are super short (I am a reformed biter but I don't like the tapping of my nails on the keyboard or phone so I get them cut when I go) and I never have a problem. 

melbelleup

Swazzle said:

I love gel polish! I go every 2-3 weeks for a gel manicure. A regular manicure chips in 1 day for me. I'm not sure why you need to have any length your nails, though. Mine are super short (I am a reformed biter but I don't like the tapping of my nails on the keyboard or phone so I get them cut when I go) and I never have a problem. 

I don't think I have to, but since I wanted a french tip look she told me to make sure I have some sort of nail. I don't even cut my nails short short, so I won't have an issue. My FI cuts his nails to the pink. I couldn't imagine that lol

Swazzle

melbelleup said:

Swazzle said:

I love gel polish! I go every 2-3 weeks for a gel manicure. A regular manicure chips in 1 day for me. I'm not sure why you need to have any length your nails, though. Mine are super short (I am a reformed biter but I don't like the tapping of my nails on the keyboard or phone so I get them cut when I go) and I never have a problem. 

I don't think I have to, but since I wanted a french tip look she told me to make sure I have some sort of nail. I don't even cut my nails short short, so I won't have an issue. My FI cuts his nails to the pink. I couldn't imagine that lol

Ahh that makes sense then. H's nails are also insanely short. I like mine short, but not THAT short.

tmclawchick

I just got a gel manicure for the first time over 2 weeks ago and I LOVE it. I was a little skeptical, because I thought it'd damage my nails (I don't know why lol, I just did). Anyway, I don't know if I'll ever go back to a regular manicure now! It's super quick and you don't have to wait for it to try, they set after they're under the UV light. I'm closing in on 3 weeks and one finger is juuuuuust starting to chip a bit. I say go for it!

melbelleup

Awesome, thanks!!

cupcait927

I've gotten a gel manicure once and absolutely loved it! It lasted so long, didn't chip and looked amazing. I was working as a cashier in a grocery store at the time and with the amount my hands and nails got dinged, I figured I would end up ruining it but nope! I'd keep getting them but I'm cheap and can't bring myself to pay for regular manicures (though I'd love to if I didn't end up feeling so guilty about it!)

melbelleup

Awesome to hear ckel I'm getting them done the wednesday before my wedding which is a Saturday. Luckily, I won't be into too much hard work with them. My salon said the price would be $17 for just the nail paint and art style and then $29 for the manicure. I don't think I'm going to do the manicure though. I pretty much nail file my own nails and shape them so no reason.

daria24

I'm a big fan of gel polish as well, I usually chip a regular manicure within hours. Gel lasts a minimum of 2 weeks for me. Some salons here only have very very limited colors though, which sucks. But if your salon only does gel, hopefully they have a better selection.

The only thing I don't like is that when I remove the gel polish, my nails are thin and weak for a long time. I've never paid for the salon to take the polish off though, maybe if they do it you don't lose as much nail.

melbelleup

Speaking of which, how do you take them off? If I leave them on forever, do they eventually come off themselves?

Senecaf

They come off in peices/ chips or they grow out. Neither options is very pretty. You can remove them by scraping them off after an acetone soak. The removal is what can be damaging. The salon probably has a good process for that though.

melbelleup

Senecaf said:

They come off in peices/ chips or they grow out. Neither options is very pretty. You can remove them by scraping them off after an acetone soak. The removal is what can be damaging. The salon probably has a good process for that though.

Ugh... I'll just let it take it's course lol. I unfortunately don't live anywhere near this salon. Though, I will be back in town 3 weeks after my wedding, so maybe that could work. Maybe I'll get them done again for my brother's wedding lol.

pumpkinsandturkeys

I've been getting gel manis for a year now and I love them! If you find a place that does OPI Gel, it actually cures with a non-UV light, whereas acrylic always uses UV.

My gel generally lasts 3 - 4 weeks without chipping, unless I'm reeeeally picking at something with my nails (and even then, it's rare). Once a month, I go back to the salon and they soak a piece of cotton in an acetone solution and put it on the nail, and then wrap it in a special type of foil. After about 10 minutes, the gel starts to flake off and they're able to gently scrape it off with little to no damage to the nail underneath. I've heard of places grinding down the gel, but that's about as harmful to your nails as fake nails, so I'd avoid anywhere that does that.

photokitty

I HATE gel manicures. They ruin my nails - ate away at them and made my nail beds flake off. My nails were weak and too flexible after. This isn't the case for everyone, but I had terrible luck with them. It weakened my nails, but it is better for them than acrylic, but not healthier than plain polish.

jdluvr06

I've been toying with the idea of getting a gel mani. I like to garden and it does major damage to my usual nail polish. The only reason I haven't tried yet is because I sit down and do my own nails once a week and it has kind of become a ritual.

Senecaf

jdluvr06 said:

I've been toying with the idea of getting a gel mani. I like to garden and it does major damage to my usual nail polish. The only reason I haven't tried yet is because I sit down and do my own nails once a week and it has kind of become a ritual.

Get a DIY kit! It's not that hard, it just adds a little bit of time to your polish routine

GrrArgh

*SIGH*

was going in Friday to get redone

doeydo

I love gel polish! I go every 2-3 weeks for a gel manicure. A regular manicure chips in 1 day for me. I'm not sure why you need to have any length your nails, though. Mine are super short (I am a reformed biter but I don't like the tapping of my nails on the keyboard or phone so I get them cut when I go) and I never have a problem. 

I've never gotten my nails professionally done, but my nails always chip within the first 24 hours.  So gel polish sounds like what I should get when the big day comes, I guess.

JCbride2015

Another vote for gel polish.  I have soft nails that bend a lot, so regular polish chips, but the gel lasts.

I've been able to remove them at home without damage: soak cotton balls in 100% acetone.  Then put a cotton ball on your nail, wrap with a small piece of aluminum foil to hold the cotton on there, and just wait for about 10 minutes.  You can do one hand at a time, or get Fi to help you do both hands and be a foil monster.  After about ten mins, the gel should be almost completely lifted and curled up off your nail.  Just push it off with a wooden cuticle stick.

chkmeowt

photokitty said:

I HATE gel manicures. They ruin my nails - ate away at them and made my nail beds flake off. My nails were weak and too flexible after. This isn't the case for everyone, but I had terrible luck with them. It weakened my nails, but it is better for them than acrylic, but not healthier than plain polish.

I love gel manicures, but i hate how my nails get so flexible and flakey afterwards.

NYCMercedes

photokitty said:

I HATE gel manicures. They ruin my nails - ate away at them and made my nail beds flake off. My nails were weak and too flexible after. This isn't the case for everyone, but I had terrible luck with them. It weakened my nails, but it is better for them than acrylic, but not healthier than plain polish.

I agree. They are way too hard on my nails. Oh, and I have super strong nails, too. Regular polish chips by the next day, so I do my own when I need a mani. I only get the gel when I have a really important event.

kmmssg

For those of you who do these (that would be me too) - take it from a 53 yo who has been getting her  nails done for years and using UV lights to set the polish - USE SUN SCREEN!!!

I have been getting my nails done basically forever.  I can see the damage now when the UV lights are on and I also read an interesting article last year from a dermatologist about protecting your arms and wrists if you get UV light manicures.  I have age spots on my right wrist.  I know that I know that I know that I know they came from the UV lights.

Just before we start polishing I put sunscreen on my hands and wrists and they wipe any excess from my nails with alcohol before they start polishing.  PLEASE do this or you will have age spots years early too.

melbelleup

JCBride2014 said:

Another vote for gel polish.  I have soft nails that bend a lot, so regular polish chips, but the gel lasts.

I've been able to remove them at home without damage: soak cotton balls in 100% acetone.  Then put a cotton ball on your nail, wrap with a small piece of aluminum foil to hold the cotton on there, and just wait for about 10 minutes.  You can do one hand at a time, or get Fi to help you do both hands and be a foil monster.  After about ten mins, the gel should be almost completely lifted and curled up off your nail.  Just push it off with a wooden cuticle stick.

Thanks!! I'll have to remember that, omg... foil monster. It sounds so tempting!

Swazzle

doeydo said:

I love gel polish! I go every 2-3 weeks for a gel manicure. A regular manicure chips in 1 day for me. I'm not sure why you need to have any length your nails, though. Mine are super short (I am a reformed biter but I don't like the tapping of my nails on the keyboard or phone so I get them cut when I go) and I never have a problem. 

I've never gotten my nails professionally done, but my nails always chip within the first 24 hours.  So gel polish sounds like what I should get when the big day comes, I guess.

Do you type a lot for work? I always wonder if that's why mine chip so quickly with regular polish.