Make it last
AFTERCARE
01
Give it the first two hours
Lacquer stays soft longer than it looks. Skip the dishes, the gym bag and the grocery haul right after your appointment.
02
Cuticle oil, nightly
One drop per nail before bed. Flexible nails bend instead of snapping, and gel stays sealed at the edge far longer.
03
Gloves are not optional
Dish soap and cleaning products are the fastest way to lift a gel edge. Wear gloves and your set gains a week.
04
Nails are not tools
No opening cans, no scraping labels, no prying anything. Use a knuckle, a key or a spoon instead.
05
Never peel a lift
Peeling gel takes layers of natural nail with it. If an edge lifts, call the spa and come in for a proper removal.
06
Rebook on a rhythm
Gel manicures at two to three weeks; enhancements at two to three weeks for a fill. Growth at the cuticle is the signal, not chipping.
The short do-not list
PLEASE
DON’T.
Almost every damaged nail that walks into a salon got that way from one of these five things.
- Peel, pick or bite a lifting edge — that is natural nail coming off with it.
- File or cut an enhancement shorter yourself; the balance of the set changes.
- Soak in acetone at home without a plan for the nail underneath.
- Use nails as a screwdriver, a can opener or a label scraper.
- Ignore soreness, redness or heat around a nail — call the spa.
When something goes wrong
CALL BEFORE YOU FIX IT YOURSELF.
A chip in the first few days, a lifted corner, a broken nail on one hand — these are repairable, and they are far cheaper to repair than to undo. Call the spa, describe what happened, and bring it in.