How to Maintain Healthy Nails? 6 Tips for Gel Polish Lovers

Gel polish has many benefits over regular nail polishes. It provides a glossier look, bears wear and tear, and lasts longer than regular polishes. But maintaining healthy nails with gel polish is a major concern. Here we have 6 proven tips to maintain healthy nails with gel polish.

Tip 1:  Use an LED lamp instead of UV lamp

There are two main types of lamps for gel polish manicure, LED lamp and UV lamp. A lot of gel polish lovers don’t know the actual differences and pick randomly. Here are some facts you should know:

As you see, LED light is better for health concerns as well as shorter curing time. Lagunamoon LED Lamp is one of the best LED lamps for both DIY and salons. While a lot of lamps on the market are only 36W, Lagunamoon LED Lamp is 48W and guarantees to cure your gel polish fully within 60s for each coat, and it protects your nails and skins against severe UV exposure.

Tip 2:  Don’t peel but soak to remove

Another tip for healthy nails for gel polish users is to NOT peel the gel. After a week of wear, some of the gel polish might start lifting off and it’s so tempting and so hard not to pick them off. However, it can damage nail health in two ways.

First partially peeled nails can get bacteria through the water, which can cause serious damages to your nails. Second, peeling often results in damage to the upper layer of nails.

The best option is to use acetone to remove the gel if you’re not a professional manicurist. Always apply acetone soak to remove your gel polish and never peel directly. 

Bonus tip: try to limit the acetone to only soak your nail surface instead of the whole finger in order to keep your skins from getting too dry. Try Lagunamoon Nail Remover Wrap for easy nail removal without hurting your nails or skins.

Tip 3: Re-hydrate Your Nails & Cuticles Regularly

Gel polish can cause dehydration of the nails and cuticles. If you are a gel polish user, you need to make your nails re-hydrated, so that your nails are not easy to break or become brittle over time.

You can use moisturizers to avoid dryness, or use cuticle oil, which is a moisturizing product made up of vegetable oils and vitamins. Adding a few drops of cuticle oil to your nails and cuticles in between your manicures will make a huge difference. It helps to re-hydrate and repair the nail bed as well as the cuticle edges; moreover, it can increase the circulation around your nails, stimulating nail growth, and help improve the health and appearance of your nails.

There are plenty of options on the market, here are some recommendations from Amazon:

We also highly recommend Lagunamoon Cuticle Oil Pencil, you can easily place it in your purse and apply it to your nails and cuticles whenever you feel the needs to. 

Tip 4: Try Not To Leave Gel Polish On Too Long

Since a good gel polish can be worn for weeks without chipping, some people will leave them on until they “naturally” comes off. However, this will not only lead to weakened nails but also introduce potentially harmful bacteria, according to celebrity manicurist Skyy Hadley. Once the the gel begins to lift, even just for a tiny bit, it allows moisture to get under the gel and possibly lead to bacterial growth, eventually it might cause nail diseases.

It is highly recommended to remove your gel manicure after two to three weeks maximum to avoid the above issues. 

Tip 5: Check Ingredients of Your Gel Polish

Not all gel polishes are equally good for nail health. Therefore, read the ingredients and pick your gel thoughtfully.

If a gel polish contains the below formula, it can cause inflammation and other deseases.

Formaldehyde is a chemical that is a component in plywood and particleboard, and is often used as a preservative, sterilizer and embalmer. This chemical is added to nail polishes that are also considered "nail hardeners." Formaldehyde has been considered a carcinogen, linked to nasal and lung cancers, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Dibutyl Phthalate, or DBP is added to nail polish to make it more flexible and less prone to cracks, chips and other annoyances. This chemical however, has been linked to reproductive issues and has been banned in Europe. While it is still approved for use in the in the United States, many women choose to avoid it.

Toluene is used to help keep nail polish smooth and even when applied. However, this chemical has been linked to issues affecting the nervous system with symptoms that include dizziness, headaches, nausea and eye irritation. Toluene has also been linked to birth defects and developmental problems in children whose mothers were exposed to the chemical during pregnancy. To date, toluene has also been banned by the European Union, but not by the United States.

Avoid the gel polish brands that still contain the above harmful ingredients. If you are looking for a non-toxic one, try Lagunamoon gel polish since it’s toxin-free, low odor, vegan, and cruelty-free. Your health should always be a priority.

Tip 6: Give Your Nails Some Break

Removing and applying gel nail polish can cause a lot of wear and tear on your nails, you should give your nails a break between gels to protect them from dehydration and breakage.

It will not only let you examine the natural condition and health of your nails but also help recover. Uncovered nails can exchange oxygen easily while polish and gel block them. Therefore, avoid getting gel manicures back-to-back, give them a 3-4 days break in between gels!

Keep healthy nails

Gel polishes are way better than traditional nail polishes. But like nail polishes their extensive use can wear away the natural beauty and health of your nails. Therefore, we should keep these simple tips in view to keep healthy nails.

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