Personal experience: I gave up gel polish after 7 years of use

Gel polish entered your beauty editor’s life somewhere in 10th grade. Then it became fashionable to study to be a nail artist, so almost all my friends did “nails” she. Every month, or even every three weeks, I went to the master to make a new design – sliders on all nails, an unusual design on the ring finger (so to speak, “under the ring”), ombre glitter and different types of rubbing. During my seven-year friendship with gel polish, I have tried perhaps the entire Luxio and One Tone palette, “glazed”, “chrome plated”, “rich girl” nails, but in the last few years the pendulum has swung towards naturalness (although in parallel with (Although, of course, there are also completely opposite trends). A trend emerged, such as the clean girl’s aesthetic (“clean girl”), the old-money style that encouraged restraint and accuracy, and finally skinning.

The concept of “skinification” comes from the word skin (translated from English as “skin”). Globally, this is a trend that is expanding our scope of personal care; It aims to provide the same care to the rest of our body as to our facial skin. Firstly, skinning affected hair care – we began to pay more attention not only to the strands of hair, but also to the scalp. And now I’ve reached my nails. British Vogue believes the next decade could be a time when we’ll be as jealous of the health of our nails as we are of our facial skin.

So, inspired by the new trend and the stars (like Emily Ratajkowski) who follow it, your beauty editor decided to usher in the natural era and ditch gel nail polish. We will tell you what it is.

Part 1. Life with and without gel polish

My favorite nail shape is almond. And it is impossible to do this with short nails, so for the last few years I have been using long nails.

When I left the salon with short nails, I realized that I had already forgotten how long my fingers were. No, they are not short, but long oval nails visually lengthened them. So it took me a few days to get used to my own fingers again. I know it sounds weird, but it’s true.

As the technician removed the gel polish, I could feel how thin my nails had become. They took on a whitish color and became very brittle. Of course, I asked the master why this was happening.

“Often such consequences occur due to non-observance of technology when applying gel polish to nails. And also when acid-based coatings are used. The problem with acids used in the production of gel polishes has been known since the appearance of the latter on the beauty market. Chinese analogues allow the coating to remain on the nails for a very long time, but this can often cause problems in removing such a coating. Penetrating into the natural nail plate, the acid destroys the structure of the nail. As a result, the client ends up with weakened nails that require long-term recovery. And of course, we must not forget that the cause of brittle nails may be an ordinary vitamin deficiency,” said Varvara Kotova, product and training manager of the Palchiki chain of manicure and pedicure salons.

Part 2. Chronicles of nail restoration

My next logical question was: “How to renew nails after gel polish?” Varvara answered this as follows: “Just as you can apply a medical coating that will help strengthen natural nails, be sure to use nail and cuticle oil every day, which not only moisturizes but also nourishes your nails. “They contain beneficial microelements and vitamins that help nails gain a healthy appearance.”

Therefore, after visiting the salon, I went to buy nail cosmetics. My shopping cart looked like this: nail oils, hand creams, nail polishes. After using all the products, I determined my favorites.

First of all, of course, it moisturizes and nourishes the nails. This category includes oils, lotions, serums, gels and balms. Secondly, these are strengtheners in the form of varnish. With them, the nails become denser and no longer break. Thirdly, these are hand creams. This is my must-have product for fall.

So what was my daily nail beauty routine like?

— I applied SVR gel care to my nails for the first two weeks. In general, one tube is designed for a three-month treatment period, which is sufficient for fingernails and toenails, provided that the product is used twice a day.

— I always apply nail oil or serum at night and cover the product with nourishing hand cream.

— I cut my nails almost to the root every week because they were so brittle.

— Two weeks later, I decided to apply strengthening varnish to my nails. This turned out to be a good idea because they became denser.

As a result, it took about two months for the nails to be repaired.

Part 3. The new reality

Now I can pick up a coin off the floor, I don’t have to find moisturizer under my nails every time I apply it to my face, I can wear my necklace, and my nails don’t clash when I’m on the phone. I am writing. I won’t have to fish for an empty window before the New Year. Life in general began to sparkle with new colors.

For some people, it is necessary to give up gel polish. For example, in hormonal and autoimmune diseases or due to an allergic reaction. However, after going this way, we can easily say that giving up gel polish is not scary. The important thing is to accept that your nails will become thinner and weaker in the first month, but this is temporary.