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My Poly Gel Nails do not last as long, what am I doing wrong?

Poly Gel Nail enhancements are the perfect solution for strengthening and extending your natural nails. With the correct nail preparation, our Poly Nail Gel can provide a long lasting set of beautiful nails.

Our Glowtips Poly Nail Gel has been extensively trialed with professional nail technicians across the UK.

We hope that with these tips and tricks shared by professional nail technicians, that you can achieve long lasting Poly Gel nails.

Lifting? Bending? Breaking? Bubbles?

Below, we’ll explain reasons as to why this may be and ways to help you master the application technique.

1) EXCESS SLIP SOLUTION

Our slip solution is alcohol-based as it enables easy sculpting of the Poly Gel without the product sticking to the brush. We advise to only use the slip solution in small amounts to sculpt and shape the Poly Nail Gel into the dual form.

If you have used more slip solution than needed and the Poly Nail Gel is still wet, give it time to dry, before pressing onto your natural nail. Dependent on the amount of excess slip solution used, drying time can vary from 1 to 5 minutes. To reduce waiting time, use a fan to dry the slip solution.

Please note, even the slightest amount of slip solution remaining on the Poly Nail Gel dual form will interfere with the bond between the base coat on your natural nail and the Poly Nail Gel, reducing the strength of the bond. As a result, your Poly Gel nails will have visible bubbles, indicating a premature lifting coming its way.

Once you have applied the dual form onto your natural nails, we recommend applying from your cuticle and pressing the dual form down towards the free edge of your nail. This method of application will assist in removing air bubbles and will cover the whole nail surface.

If you are using Poly Nail Gel as an overlay on your natural nails, when applying the Poly Nail Gel onto your nail, avoid applying slip solution on the base coat as it can cause bubbles and prevent bonding of base coat to Poly Nail Gel. It is advised to apply a small amount to sculpt the Poly Nail Gel over your natural nails. The slip solution should not be applied onto your natural nail, but the Poly Nail Gel only.

Cure your Poly Nail Gel nails using a UV LED nail lamp for 30-60 seconds. If your Poly Nail Gel nails are not fully cured, we would recommend leaving it under for 2 minutes, no longer.

Repeat this for all ten nails, then file and shape.

Please note that vigorous filing of the nails can also weaken these newly formed seals.

2) INADEQUATE BASIC NAIL PREPARATION

When preparing your nails for Poly Nail Gel, we strongly recommend that you buff your nail, cleanse the surface of your nails and dehydrate them. This enables the gel base coat to grip onto your nails solidly once cured. Only use a small amount of slip solution as an excessive amount can leave the Poly Nail Gel nail wet and may not grip onto the base coat when sticking the Poly Nail Gel nail form onto your natural nail. It is important to ensure the Poly Nail Gel is fully cured and not too thin, as it can bend or pop off if not applied correctly.

The essentials of nail preparation before applying Poly Gel nails include:

  1. The nail surface free of oily substances like cuticle oil or lotion
  2. The nail surface is buffed to remove shine and enhance grip to base coat
  3. Application of a nail dehydrator and PH balance solution
  4. Use applicable base coat for applicable Poly Nail Gel kit, do not mix products

Artificial nail enhancements such as acrylic or gel powder extensions, dipping powder or Poly Nail Gel nails all use the same nail preparation to ensure the longevity of the product applied on your nails.

Failing to prepare nails can cause premature lifting. If you have not prepared your nails properly, an example could be that the base coat may not grip onto your natural nails and thus causing the Poly Nail Gel to not grip on.

3) MASTERING TECHNIQUE AND AFTERCARE

There are a variety of things to consider when creating your own nail enhancements, particularly if you are a beginner, this includes:

  1. Nail preparation (importance of prep and prime)
  2. Appropriate amount of product (and never excess!)
  3. Nail shape and apex – to elongate nails and prevent breakage/ bending
  4. Nails aftercare and things to NOT do with your nail enhancements

 

If your Poly Gel nail enhancements are long and do not have an appropriate apex, bending and further breakage can occur. We would highly recommend looking up photo references as a guide on sculpting your Poly Gel nails. In additional, the dual forms we have provided should assist with creating an apex. The aim is to create more of a body on the area of the natural nail, up until the middle point before thinning out the tip. If your Poly Nail Gels are too thin, breakage can occur.

 

This is by no means an exhaustive list of things to NOT do with your nail enhancements, although suggestions include:

  • Wearing gloves, to prevent premature lifting and damage to the nail enhancement – particularly if you are in contact with harsh chemicals such as bleach and other cleaning products
  • Not using the nail tips to open cans or even as tools! This can bend and shuttle the nail enhancement and can also contribute to damage to your natural nails
  • Do not apply excessive force onto nails as the pressure can force the Poly Gel to lift from your nail bed causing damage to your nails
  • Do not pick or bite the Poly Gel nails off as it can cause damage to your natural nails

 

Other tips and tricks recommended by the professionals:

To assist with the longevity of your Poly Gel nail enhancements:

  • Allow the slip solution to dry completely
  • Develop a good shape-filing skill: as you do your Poly Gel nails at home, you now know that your fast and strong filing action can weaken the Poly Gel seals, you should start to file your Poly Gel nails differently. 
  • Do not forcefully and vigorously file your Poly Gel nails, it is advised to file in one direction – please see online ‘one direction filing technique’

 

POSITIVITY & PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!

We all need to learn and figure out our own technique, and this is a matter of patience and willingness to learn. It is no surprise that applying Poly Gel nails may be difficult for someone with no nail enhancement experience, and it just takes time and practice. Please do not be discouraged! We’ve ensured there is enough Poly Nail Gel in our kit to create at least 10 full sets, giving you time to practice and master the application of Poly Gel nails.

Please watch our tutorial video below and follow our step-by-step guide. We promise you'll be a seasoned pro in no time!