Tips and Tricks: Preventing Lifting and Chipping

It seems that most people encounter one of two issues with Soak Off Gel.  Either it doesn’t bond to the nail and they experience premature chipping and/or lifting, or it bonds so well that removal becomes a nightmare.  Thankfully, there are tricks to combat both of these issues!  I’ll tackle soak off issues in another blog post.  Today, let’s focus on preventing lifting and chipping. 

What causes lifting and chipping?  If you have not completely removed the cuticle from the nail, you are more likely to experience lifting.  If you have oily to normal nail beds, you are more likely to experience lifting.  If there are flaws in your application process, you are more likely to experience lifting.  If you are using the wrong base gel for your nail type, you are more likely to experience lifting.  There are a lot of factors that can lead to lifting and chipping. 

 

Cuticle Removal

If you haven’t been doing cuticle work, the cuticle can extend down the nail plate, and it often blends into the nail so that you can’t really tell it is there.  When you apply gel polish over the cuticle, it can’t bond and results in lifting.  There is a common misconception about where the cuticle is located on the nail.  The cuticle is NOT the skin around the base of the nail.  That is the eponychium.  The cuticle is dead skin tissue that grows down onto the nail.  Rather than try to recreate the wheel and go into the “how to” of cuticle removal, I’ll direct you to the pro.  Check out this FingerNailFixer Cuticule Work Video.

I prefer Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover and a spoon style cuticle pusher. 

Oily Nail Beds

Natural oils on the nail will create bonding issues for any base gel.  Most systems come with a bottle of prep, cleanser or dehydrator that is designed to remove oils from the nail.  However, for those with oily skin and nails, these products alone simply don’t get the job done.  It is crucial that you remove all oils from the nail before applying your base gel.  My secret weapon?  A grease fighting dish detergent.  Not one of the formulas that has moisturizers built in.  Simply one of the original formulas that is made for dishes, not hands.  I use the classic blue Dawn.  This is a trick I stumbled upon by accident by doing a manicure shortly after washing dishes.  It was the first time I got more than a week of wear!  So now it has become a part of my manicure routine.  After completing my cuticle work and shaping my nails, I grab my Dawn dish detergent and a nail brush and give my nails a quick wash and scrub to remove any residual oil. Which reminds me, I need to pick up another bottle of Dawn. 

You can also use an oil fighting soap, but I have found most of those leave behind added moisturizers that can interfere with the gel’s bond to the nail.  Be sure to keep it quick, though.  You don’t want your nails to absorb too much moisture from the wash.  I scrub and rinse both hands in less than 1 minute.  Give your hands time to dry completely before proceeding with your manicure, being careful not to touch your skin and pick up additional oils. If you use this trick, be sure to moisturize well when you're finished with your manicure.  If you've ever washed a sink full of dishes by hand, you know that dish detergent can cause dry skin.

 

Application

There are two application mistakes that generally lead to lifting.  Polish on the skin around the nail and failure to properly cap the free edge of the nail. 

1) Neat and tidy application isn’t just about the look of the final result.  When gel polish overlaps the skin around the nail, it will cause lifting.  Stop your polish just shy of the skin around the nail.  And if you mess up, clean it up before you cure.  I use a stiff concealer brush and 91% isopropyl alcohol to clean up any mistakes before curing. 

The brush I prefer is the Elf Concealer Brush that can be found at Target for $1.  Elf makes two concealer brushes.  This white one, and a black one.  I love the black one for pigment work, but it's not as good for clean up.  This is what the white one looks like in the package:

You can use any stiff, short bristled brush.  You can also use the cleanser that came with your gel starter kit instead of isopropyl alcohol, but the isopropyl alcohol is cheaper and works great.  Just be sure you get 91% or higher.  Dip your brush in the alcohol, blot any excess on a lint-free wipe or paper towel, and carefully run it along the edge of the nail near the skin.  Be sure to frequently wipe and redip the brush as you clean to avoid spreading the polish around. 

Clean up every coat of gel before you cure.  Base coat, color coats, and top coat. 

2) You must cap the free edge of the nail with every coat of gel you apply, from your base coat to your color coats and finally your top coat.  Think about how you use your hands on a daily basis.  When you have an itch, you scratch with the free edge of your nail.  When you turn a page in a book, the free edge of your nail may drag along the page.  When you pull on your pants, the free edge rubs against the fabric.  When you type, the free edge of your nails may hit the keys.  If you stop the gel at the top of the free edge, all of the friction from day to day life will peel the gel back.  So cap that free edge with every coat!  When looking straight down on the tips of your nails, you should not be able to see natural nail. I'm using Ink Glacier on top of my current mani to demonstrate in the following pictures.

By the way, there is NO way to take a flattering picture of the tips of your nails.  Hello fat fingers!

I’ve had a few people ask how to cap the free edge without getting polish all over the skin under the nail.  When you hear people say to “cap the free edge”, what they really mean is apply gel to the very edge of the tip of the nail so that it overflows very slightly onto the underside of the nail.  If you look at the underside of my nails, you will see approximately 1 mm of polish overflow along the tip. 

I always cap the free edge before applying the gel to the surface of the nail rather than capping at the end.  This prevents pooling at the tip of the nail.  Here’s how I do it:

1. Wipe the brush against the inside of the bottle neck to remove excess polish.  Your brush should not have a drop of polish at the end like you will when you polish the surface of the nail.  The bristles will hold enough to effectively cap the tip when the polish has been wiped from both sides of the brush.  If you have just finished applying color to a previous nail, you can use what is left on the brush to cap the next nail before you reload the brush to polish the nail surface. 
2. Holding the brush perpendicular to the tip of the nail, place the side of the brush on the outside corner (for square nails) or outside edge (for round nails).  Use the side of the brush and run it along the tip from the edge to the center.  Repeat from the opposite corner/side of the nail.  If you have shorter nails, use your thumb (or finger if you're polishing your thumb) to gently pull back the skin on the tip of the finger.
   
3. Polish the top of the nail as usual.
4. If you had too much polish on the brush when you capped the nail, it may have pooled on the underside or touched the skin.  Use your clean up brush to take care of that before you cure the layer. 

Base Gel and Bonder

If you have tried the above tips and are still seeing lifting or chipping, you may be using a base gel that is not formulated for your nail type.  Of the seven that I have tried, I found that some work better for oily nails and some work better for dry nails.  For example, Gelish Foundation and Red Carpet Manicure Structure Base Gel tend to work very well with oily nails but will bond so well with dry nails that removal becomes extremely difficult.  Ink Base and Couture Base tend be more likely to lift on oily nails but work very well with normal to dry nails.  I personally use Kiss Base Gel.  It is the perfect balance of staying power and easy removal for my nail type.  So if you are still experiencing lifting after correcting the issues I mentioned above, one option is to try a different base. 

Another option is to use a bonder.  Bonder is a thin liquid that is applied to the very tip and free edge of the nail before applying your base gel.  It leaves behind a sticky layer that allows the gel to really grab the nail.  There are several bonders for soak off gel polish on the market, but this becomes very tricky territory.  For example, Gelish PH Bond is not a bonder.  It is a dehydrator and pH balancer.  OPI BondAid is also a dehydrator and pH balancer.  Sensationail kits come with “Gel Primer”.  This is a bonder.  FingerPaints Gel Polish Chip-Free Bonder is also bonder.   Then there are also products labeled as bonders that are intended for use with hard gel or acrylics.  Those will make soak off difficult.  See, confusing.  So be careful ordering a bonder online.  I have personally used both the Sensationail Gel Primer (available as part of the essentials kit at several drugs stores and large retail stores) and Fingerpaints Chip-Free Bonder (available at Sally Beauty Supply) with great results.

I hope this helps!

~Michelle