By Indira Kasaeva
My friends, family and colleagues know – if my nails look bad, my life is upside down. Which thankfully rarely happens, as a good manicure and pedicure is a personal life essential. I really pay attention to my nails and my two monthly appointments to my nail technician-turned-friend are SACRED. Naturally, I was given weak thin nails that chip normal polish the same day and break all the time – Gel manicure has been my saving grace. I’m incredibly blessed to have found an amazing professional who is brilliant at her job, and so I have been doing gel for over 3 years without ever stopping and my nails look better than ever. We sat down to discuss the most common myths out there and share the facts. So, hear you go, hear it from the expert and consider me and my nails as testimony to her words.
Myth Number 1: The More You Cut Your Cuticle the More it Grows
This is one I’ve heard from my childhood and honestly believed. Turns out, if you nail technician removes your cuticle just enough that it doesn’t get inflamed or bleed – your cuticle is just fine and will not be affected in any way. This is because the cut cuticle is dead skin and should be removed without touching the healthy skin that’s alive underneath. Meaning over time it regenerates making no changes to your cuticle growth.
Myth Number 2: Gel Manicure Damages the Nail
I heard many friends say this, and decline doing gel – but this comes from their experience with unqualified technicians and being irresponsible with monthly re-fill appointments. The Fact is: you simply have to do the re-fill of the gel manicure on time, which is one every 3-4 weeks. In this case the base layer of the gel, will not peel off and not loosen its grip, keeping your nails intact without any damage. My tip: Do your nails and immediately book your next appointment, your nails remain gorgeous and healthy, and you have one appointment less to worry about.
Myth Number 3: Taking Some Time off from Gel so Nails could Breathe
Hard truth: Your nails don’t breathe because they are dead cells. If you want to regrow your nails completely new without any gel applications, then you will have to remove the gel and keep your nails bare for 3 months – this is the average cycle for the nail body to completely regrow.
Myth Number 4: Manicure Should Match My Outfit
This is an old school fashion myth that was relevant some time ago but not in the current era of 2022. There is a whole world in the nail industry of fashion and trends. Every season trends change in various countries around the world. For example in the US and Western part of the world it was all about colorful designs the past season, while Eastern Europe and Russia had calm earthy colors in trend with minimalist designs featuring chrome elements. This also applies to matching nails and toes, in today’s fashion world – it’s old news. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
Myth Number 5: Gel Manicure is Gelish
“Gelish” is the name of one of the brands of a gel polish. It’s like calling tissues “Kleenex”. A gel manicure is a system which has several steps of applications: a gel base, gel color and gel topcoat. Calling it a “gelish manicure” is technically wrong, so be courteous to the professional terms, your nail technician will appreciate you more. Know your manicure lingo!
And my own final words, find a qualified professional and stick to them. It takes a couple of times to figure out your nails’ personal features, and once that’s sorted – your technician knows your nail and will work wonders, which will be good for you from an aesthetic point and for your nails being treated correctly and consistently. Here’s to a great manicure ALWAYS! For no matter how terrible we look and feel some day