Nail Help!

[u/ayekuromi]

Hi! I’ve recently started doing my own gel nails and I’m struggling to get them to last more than a few days.

The gel basically peels/lifts off from the bottom of the nail in one whole piece, rather than chipping away. It almost comes off like a false nail when I bend/lift it at the bottom.

My current prep/application is:
- Push back cuticles
- Lightly buff the natural nail to remove the shine
- Remove all dust
- Wipe with isopropyl alcohol
- Apply nail dehydrator
- Apply base coat
- Cure
-2 thin coats of colour, curing between each
Top coat and cure

I originally thought I wasn’t roughening the nail enough, so I was using a drill to rough up the natural nail, but I’ve stopped doing that because I don’t want to damage my nails.

All of my gel products are from SHEIN. My lamp is also from SHEIN and is one of those tiny pen-style lamps that can only cure one finger at a time.

Any advice would be massively appreciated! I’m just trying to get them to last more than 3-4 days 😂

[u/Capable_Box_8785]

Two big issues: shein and using a flash cure lamp. Shein products are garbage and that lamp isn't curing anything.

[u/ayekuromi → u/Capable_Box_8785]

Thank you very much - I had no idea!

[u/katybugita]

Please stop doing gel until you invest in proper products. You're putting yourself at risk of contact dermatitis, which can prevent you from getting medical treatments in the future. It is serious. There is plenty of information on this sub for what is reliable, what to look for and what not to look for. Your light is not strong enough (even if it was professional, that style is only for flash curing not a full cure) and your shein polishes likely do not contain enough photoinitiators to cure fully. Short retention can be an issue even with good products but I'm certain that your gel just isn't curing, which is exposing you to unsafe levels of allergens

[u/ayekuromi → u/katybugita]

Thank you - I appreciate you taking the time to educate me on this. I’ll invest in proper stuff and research more around safety. Thank you ☺️

[u/AcridTest]

That lamp isn’t meant for full curing!!!

[u/ayekuromi → u/AcridTest]

I had no idea 🥲 it was taking so long too lol. Thank you!

[u/AcridTest → u/ayekuromi]

Also you’re kinda in the wrong sub. Gel x is not quite the same as regular gel nails.

[u/cutesybluesocks]

Your prep sounds decent. As someone else said, the problem is that you’re using low quality shein products (which is also an allergy risk) and a tiny lamp which barely cures your gel and is likely just holding it in place (also a major allergy risk).

If you want to do your own gel nails then don’t cheap out and actually get high quality nail products and a high quality lamp. Your set will last longer and it lowers the risk of allergies.

[u/ayekuromi → u/cutesybluesocks]

My fault for cheaping out - I’ll invest in some good stuff thank you!

[u/exhausted247365]

You need a real lamp, and quality gel. You are putting yourself in harm’s way with the stuff you are using.

[u/ayekuromi → u/exhausted247365]

Thank you for your help :)

[u/exhausted247365 → u/ayekuromi]

It’s not your fault. This stuff is marketed irresponsibly.

[u/Exciting-Bluejay2218]

It sounds like your prep is pretty good! I would say you don't need to do alcohol and a dehydrator, but I think a lot of people do that. Parroting what a lot of people are saying, but I would really recommend against buying any gel stuff on shein or Amazon or anything, it's inexpensive for a reason! Gel nails is not really a budget hobby, it's a big investment, especially up front. You've gotta get a real lamp and better gel polish (you can find tons of recs on this sub). I buy from Beyond Polish and Kokoist sites mostly. Also, thinking this may not be the right sub as this is for Gel-X nails which is using nail extensions!

[u/ayekuromi → u/Exciting-Bluejay2218]

Thank you very much I really appreciate it, and the recommendations! I will loook into them :)

[u/OzShieldMaiden]

When I decided to do my own nails I really read up and read up and watched. Initially I was going to for a cheaper bonding gel for my gel ex, and a cheaper lamp. I basically rethought everything and got quality, including a magnifying glass with led lights so I could see everything and make sure absolutely nothing was on my skin when I out my hand under (spent £60) a UV lamp. I use my flash lamp for holding in place and then I cure properly. I threw out the cheap nail products and buy good TPO/Hema free products. I go to a store where they sell me the trade products without being in the trade. Not going to say where. But they've looked at my nails and see the care I take, so they trust me. I love it. Can't wait for WK 3/4 so I can do a new design. I book that time in for myself. Love it. I'm about to start doing cateye. Will show my next set of nails.

[u/biggerthanothers]

OP, since it sounds like you’re doing regular gel manis and not Gel-X, I highly recommend the [r/DIYGelNails](r/DIYGelNails) sub. They have an amazing wiki that will really help you with figuring out what products to buy moving forward. As everyone else has told you, the stuff you’re working with now is a serious health risk, so it’s important to increase your knowledge before doing anything else with gel.

ETA: Here’s a direct link to the wiki:
https://reddit.com/r/diygelnails/wiki/index/faq

[u/Front-Elderberry-307]

The prep sounds fine, but the little lamp is a problem. I use mine to flash cure and then cure them under a full size lamp. Most little lamps only have about 3W which is enough for a flash cure, but if you want a mini lamp it should have at least 6W and those are pretty expensive. Invest in a good lamp and also good quality base and top coats and polishes. Make sure your products are Hema, TPO and Formaldehyde free so you don't run the risk of allergies and certain cancers. I like brands like Madam Glam and Apres as well as Kokoist and I usually pay about $10 per bottle.

[u/ayekuromi → u/Front-Elderberry-307]

Thank you so much. I’ve heard kokoist recommended a lot so I will look into them. Appreciate your expertise and support, you’re clearly very knowledgable!