Gel polish wrinkles in the lamp, what should I do?
Not so long ago, modern women were able to feel the convenience of manicure using gel polishes. This product not only has unique properties for long-lasting preservation of its original appearance, but also provides additional protection of the nail plate from aggressive environmental factors. Gel polish is applied like regular varnish, but to acquire additional durability of the coating, it must be dried in lamps using UV or LED rays. Manicurists often ask a question. Why does gel polish wrinkle in the lamp? In this article we will try to cover this issue in detail.
Why does gel polish curl up in the lamp?
Gel polish shrinks when drying for a number of reasons:
- Application of gel polish with high pigmentation.
- Incorrect use of the technological process.
- It is necessary to change the bulbs in the UV/LED lamp.
- The bulbs have reached the end of their shelf life.
- The base is not suitable for this gel polish.
Gel polish rolls off when applied, as highly pigmented bright varnishes lengthen the period of light polymerization. In this case, it is necessary to increase the drying time of each layer. In ultraviolet lamps for at least three minutes, in an LED lamp for at least one minute. Gel polish wrinkles when applied in a thick layer. To comply with the technology, you need to spread the varnish in a thin layer. The applied composition must be distributed from the cuticle to the free edge. The durability of the final coating depends on the thickness of each layer. Gel polish in a lamp shrinks if you do not fix it in the lamp immediately.
When using bulbs multiple times in a lamp, you need to control the light intensity. When the bulbs expire, even with prolonged drying, the varnish will not be able to dry. The layers of the top coating will have time to gain the required hardness under a weak light bulb. The lower layers will remain viscous, which will make the gel polish wrinkle when drying. Be vigilant and do not forget to replace lamps promptly. The average shelf life of lamps, when used in a beauty salon, will be from three to six months. The power of UV radiation in UV lamps should be 36 W, in an LED lamp - 20 W, at this power gel polishes do not wrinkle when dried in the lamp. Low power lamps significantly lengthen the drying period and may not cope with highly pigmented shades and when using gel extensions. A UV lamp, if you replace the UV bulbs in it with LEDs, can be converted into an LED device. It is better to replace 9 W bulbs with more powerful ones.
The base coat makes your nails healthier and smoother. After applying it, the gel polish will not shrink. The manicure remains in its original state much longer when the base is applied, and the nails are protected from the pigmented composition of the gel polish. The base coat contains a sticky layer, which does not need to be removed before applying gel polish, so that the gel polish does not roll off the base. The sticky layer provides the base, color layer and top coat with additional durability. If the varnish is applied to a base made by another company, it may not dry well, which will cause the coating to curl.
Why does gel polish wrinkle when drying?
Despite the fact that most ultraviolet or LED lamps are universal and suitable for drying any decorative coating, sometimes difficulties arise with their use.
The reasons why gel polish wrinkles when drying may be related either to the composition you use or to the quality of the device itself.
Reasons related to the lamp
Most often, when girls notice problems while drying the coating, they believe that the cause is a malfunction of the device used to dry the manicure.
Indeed, quite often the problem lies in the quality of the device, namely in one of three points:
The minimum power rating for an ultraviolet lamp is 38 W, for an LED lamp – 20 W. However, do not overdo it - too high a setting can lead to burning of your hands when performing a manicure, which sometimes leads to burns.
By choosing the right device that will evenly dry the decorative coating, you will prevent it from drying out too much, which leads to premature removal of the work, or under-drying.
Reasons associated with gel polish
Much more often, the applied composition begins to wrinkle if there are any problems with it. Not all women take this parameter into account, although it quite often negatively affects the health of the nail bed.
The main reasons for damage to decorative coatings due to the quality of the pigment:
It is important to always pay attention to the conditions and duration of storage of gel polishes, their quality before use, because often girls neglect this, believing that nothing bad can happen.
Damage to the condition of the manicure is a minor side effect, but such careless attitude to the composition can lead to damage to the health of the nail plate. To rehabilitate it, you will have to perform restorative procedures and increase local immunity, which can take up to several months until a healthy nail plate grows.
The subtleties of manicure, if the gel polish rolls off when applied
To ensure gloss on the tone coat, the varnish must cool to room temperature. In this case, the gel polish does not roll off on the base.
The brush with which the gel polish is distributed is sometimes not suitable for applying it along the cuticle. In this case, a thin and elastic brush is used.
When drawing a clear pattern, do not try to apply it on top of the dispersion layer of the base. The pattern will shift. You can achieve accuracy by removing the sticky base layer. To prevent this from affecting the color scheme, spread the top coat over the base and dry each layer well in a lamp.
Using low-quality brushes leads to difficulties in drawing. Use branded brushes in your work. It is better to use natural material or a high-quality brush made from synthetics.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION! To seal the edge of the nail, use a thin brush.
Applying the base in two layers will even out the nail. To prevent the gel polish from wrinkled when drying in a lamp, the first layer is made very thin and dried thoroughly. The next layer is slightly thicker and spreads evenly. The finger is turned with the nail down, parallel to the floor. This will allow you to get perfect coverage and prevent the gel polish from shrinking in the lamp. The dried gel nail, when small wrinkles form on it, is covered with a glossy top. The top is applied quickly, immediately fixed under the lamp for a few seconds and only then dried. This will allow the gel polish to not curl up when applied.
Polymerization of the top in an LED lamp contributes to strong heating of the surface, since hardening occurs quickly. The thickness of a matte tone is always thicker than a glossy one. The heating temperature depends on the thickness of the layer. To prevent the client from experiencing discomfort and to prevent the gel polish from shrinking when drying, try to make the layer as thin as possible and prepare the client in advance for possible unpleasant sensations.
Sometimes gel polish curls up due to poor-quality polishing of the surface of the nail plate; when drying, the gel polish begins to shrink, which affects the quality of the manicure. If gel polish is applied multiple times, then curling of the gel polish on the nails may occur as a result of poor drying of each layer.
NOTE! The varnish may curdle after its expiration date.
If the top coat applied to the colored gel polish is distributed unevenly, then cover the nail in two layers. Applying the tone in one thicker layer will not correct the situation, but will only lead to shrinkage of the gel polish after drying.
Transporting gel polish can lead to uneven distribution of the product over the nail. You need to wait for the product to settle. The composition in the bottle must not be shaken. Before starting work, roll the bottle between your palms. This simple trick will prevent the varnish from curdling.
Gel polish is available in bottles with darkened glass, since the composition is very sensitive to sunlight, so that it does not shrink when drying, store it in a dark place, away from sunlight.
Manicure professionals apply gel polish with smooth movements. This allows you to apply the product in an even layer and avoids shrinking of the gel polish.
If, when getting a manicure, you adhere to the recommended technology and use a high-quality base and tone, the coating will last on your nails for several weeks. Knowing these little tricks will allow you to improve your skills and provide you with regular clients. The problem of gel polish shrinking on nails when drying will disappear by itself.
Useful tips
If you want a bright, amazingly beautiful, fashionable and spectacular gel polish manicure to stay on your nails for two to three weeks and at the same time not lose its original appearance, aesthetics and integrity of the coating, then take note of a few very simple, but extremely effective advice.
Lovers of traditional French hairstyle using white gel polishes should refrain from visiting the solarium. The fact is that intense ultraviolet radiation can cause a change in the original shade of the gel polish, causing the appearance of yellowness. By the way, ordinary household processes also lead to a similar effect, for example, peeling vegetables with bright natural colors (beets, carrots). Therefore, when working in the kitchen, it is better not to neglect the use of gloves, which will protect not only your hands, but also the gel polish on your nails. Self-tanning creams, various detergents and other household products can also cause yellowing of the jacket. By the way, many masters successfully use a little trick, applying a top-finish coating not only to the front surface of the nail plate, but also to the back. In this way, it is possible to achieve relative tightness and prevent natural dyes from entering the nail from the outside.
Those representatives of the fair sex who love to soak in a hot bath will also have to make certain adjustments to their habits. Manicurists unanimously say that the nail under gel polish is reliably protected from the influence of the external environment. This is true, but only partly. What happens to the nail plate in hot water? It seems to expand and heat up, transmitting all these changes to the gel polish, which, being an artificial material, is not able to adapt to such temperature changes as successfully as a natural nail. As it cools down, your nail regains its normal shape, but gel polish, despite all its elasticity, finds it increasingly difficult to return to its original state each time. Therefore, if you want your manicure to look for a long time as if you just left the master, do not overuse bathing in hot water. Keeping your hands in cold water for a long time also does not help maintain the ideal appearance of your painted nails.
Forget about correcting the shape of your nails throughout the entire period while you are wearing your manicure. The gel polish coating will simply lose its integrity. No nail files - this rule must be followed strictly, otherwise you are guaranteed chips after a very short time. Why? The answer is obvious - by filing, you violate the protection of the gel polish “pie” at the end of the nail (the highest risk area). As a result, what in the language of professionals is called “end sealing” is completely leveled out and the manicure quickly loses its durability.
In other words, despite the obvious advantages of gel polish over other decorative coatings, its beauty and long service life, we must not forget that good results are achieved only if they work with high-quality material using the correct technology, without breaking anything or missing out. We hope this article will be useful and answer questions that concern many novice craftsmen.
Photo of nail polish coating
Even more photos at the link: Gel polish photo.
Peeling of gel polish due to general health condition
Manicure on thin, weakened nails fades very quickly
- Weak, sick nails . An important, but not often encountered, factor in nail peeling is unhealthy nails. If a person has suffered from a serious illness and has weakened immune resistance, this affects the condition of the nails. Another common reason is nail plates damaged by frequent manicures.
- Excessive hand sweating always leads to early peeling of the nail coating. It is quite difficult to deal with it; the main thing is to treat this problem with understanding and not demand the usual durability from the coating.
- Pregnancy , treatment with hormonal drugs leads to unexpected reactions of the body, including peeling of the manicure.
Do not forget to carry out regular procedures to restore and strengthen the nail plates: baths, compresses, paraffin therapy sessions.
How to remove dried gel polish
- Liquid, non-polymerized streaks of gel polish can be easily removed with a semi-dry thin or flat brush dipped in a stick remover. You can also remove leaks with an orange stick or an eyelash microbrush.
- How to fix cured gel polish after a lamp. We proceed as follows:
Remove the stickiness from the dried gel polish. We separate the coating that has dried to the skin using a scalpel or hatchet-shaped scraper/pusher.
- We remove small streaks on the roller with a neat sawdust using a flame cutter until it is clean; if small burrs appear on the skin, remove them with tweezers.
- The cuticle stickiness can first be trimmed with nippers, and the remainder can be finished off with a milling cutter.
- Some craftsmen find it more convenient to get rid of dried streaks using a small-diameter ball cutter.
Afterwards, we remove the dust and perform the remaining layers with a slight overlap of the processing area with a milling cutter.
This guide is intended solely to help beginners and occasional problems with pros. It is normal to constantly progress and not allow the coating to bleed.
