A good set should see you through to your next appointment looking just as it did when you left. Most of that is down to how it was done, but the rest is down to you. These are the habits that make the most difference.
Use cuticle oil every day
If you do one thing, do this. A drop of cuticle oil rubbed into the skin around each nail keeps your cuticles soft and your natural nail flexible. Flexible nails bend a little instead of cracking, which protects the gel or BIAB on top. Keep a bottle by your bed and use it before you go to sleep.
Wear gloves for chores
Hot water, washing-up liquid and cleaning sprays are hard on nails. They dry out the skin and can weaken the bond at the edges, which is where lifting starts. Rubber gloves for the washing up and cleaning will add days to your set.
Your nails are not tools
It is easy to forget. Opening cans, peeling labels, scraping stickers off and prising lids are all ways to chip a nail or lift an edge. Use the side of a finger, a coin or a spoon instead.
Never pick or peel
If an edge lifts, it is tempting to pull at it. Please do not. Gel and BIAB are bonded to the top layer of your nail, so peeling them off takes that layer with them, and your nails end up thin and sore. If something lifts, file the edge smooth, keep it dry and book in to have it fixed.
Be careful in the first day
Gel and BIAB are fully set when you leave, but your cuticles have been worked on. Avoid very hot baths, saunas and fake tan on your hands for the rest of the day.
Fake tan and sunbeds
Self-tan can stain the skin around your nails and some light shades of gel. Wear gloves when you apply it, or wipe your nails straight away. On a sunbed, UV can slowly change the shade of some gel colours, especially whites and pale nudes, so if you tan regularly, a slightly deeper shade will hold its colour better.
You do not need a top coat
You do not need to paint anything over gel or BIAB, and ordinary polish remover can dull the shine. If your nails look dull towards the end, a drop of cuticle oil buffed over the surface brings back some gloss.
Book your next appointment early
Gel manicures last around two weeks, and BIAB three to four. Booking before you leave means you will not go too long between appointments, which is when breaks and lifting happen. If you are not sure how often you need BIAB, our infill guide explains it.
And if something does go wrong between visits, get in touch. It is always easier to sort out a small lift early than a broken nail later.
Time for your next set?
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