mySKiN&CO

I didn’t know that the nail polish had to be removed a certain way and I started peeling the polish off… my nails look weird now.. did I ruin/damage them?

I peeled one nail off. And I noticed a fine layer of the nail was pulled off too. That worried me.

Did you tear away a layer of the nail like I did?

What does it look like?

Don’t worry Stephanie. As Heather has noticed, you would removed a fine layer of your natural nail while peeling off your Gelish. You wouldn’t have damager your nail per se, but just weakened them slightly.
So for now you would need to strengthen your own natural nails. Just apply almond or olive oil to your nails and cuticles. Whenever you can (at least before going to sleep), rub in the oil and massage it in. This should work with your current nail length – just in case, to bring the strength back, file your nails a bit shorter than usual.
Don’t apply Gelish again until you see that your natural nails are back to normal. Your nails should start looking better in a couple of days.
I assume that your nails look a bit rough to the texture, when you say that your nails look weird, no?
Let me know how this works out, and don’t hesitate to comment if you require further information.

Stephanie, I am assuming that you only peeled one nail off. How did you remove the Gelish from your other fingers/toes?

If you peeled off all the Gelish, then follow the advice I gave to Stephanie. Also you might want to SLIGHTLY AND GENTLY buff your natural nails using a soft buffer.

Hope this helps?

yes, u are not supposed to peel it off. If you do so you will weaken ur nail & the only way for ur nail to get better is to let it grow out. During this period ur nail will break n tear a lot easier~ 

You are right Bibi. A bit of almond oil will help. And keeping your nails short till your nails strengthen.

I have trouble getting the polish off even after soaking it for 15 minutes and then soaking again another 10!  Don’t want to scrape and cause damage to the nail.  Should I put the acetone/foil wrapped finger in the UV light to heat and up and help for removal?

Amy, thank You for your question. I don’t know if you are doing this step – but before applying the cotton wool soaked in acetone and then tightly wrapping the foil around each individual nail, get a block buffer (it’s like a white harsh buffer) and buff the top of the nails. You will notice the shine going off the nails – this will help break the seal and the acetone can actually penetrate the colour. Another thing to make sure when applying Gelish is that the coats have to be really thin – this is for curing purposes as otherwise it won’t dry properly for you. But then also, if you have a thin Gelish application, it will be much easier to remove. Try these steps Amy – and keep me updated.

You are right Bibi. A bit of almond oil will help. And keeping your nails short till your nails strengthen.

Don’t worry Stephanie. As Heather has noticed, you would removed a fine layer of your natural nail while peeling off your Gelish. You wouldn’t have damager your nail per se, but just weakened them slightly.So for now you would need to strengthen your own natural nails. Just apply almond or olive oil to your nails and cuticles. Whenever you can (at least before going to sleep), rub in the oil and massage it in. This should work with your current nail length – just in case, to bring the strength back, file your nails a bit shorter than usual.Don’t apply Gelish again until you see that your natural nails are back to normal. Your nails should start looking better in a couple of days.I assume that your nails look a bit rough to the texture, when you say that your nails look weird, no?Let me know how this works out, and don’t hesitate to comment if you require further information.

Stephanie, I am assuming that you only peeled one nail off. How did you remove the Gelish from your other fingers/toes?
If you peeled off all the Gelish, then follow the advice I gave to Stephanie. Also you might want to SLIGHTLY AND GENTLY buff your natural nails using a soft buffer.
Hope this helps?

Thank you Claire.  I did buff them first.  The application was at a salon and I’m not sure if it was Gelfish or another brand.  I had this done at a salon 2 other times and my memory seems to tell me that they put my nails wrapped in acetone soaked cotton and foil under the UV light then the gel came off and they easily removed excess with the stick.
I have not bought my own kit to remove and start afresh but cannot get this layer off without scraping roughly and thought the light might heat up the acetone and help in the removal.   Is this OK to try or a no-no?

Amy, I am so happy that you are trying to do the right thing for your nails.
You don’t need to buy any special kit to remove Gelish (or any other soak-off gel polish) – you only need cotton wool, strips of foil and acetone. Amy, make sure that what you are applying is pure acetone.
Now, with regards to UV light. UV light in itself does not cause any heat, so by doing the procedure you mentioned, you won’t be heating up the acetone. We use the UV light to ‘cure’ (which is actually to harden) the gel polish, as otherwise it won’t ever dry. You can read more about UV here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet
Amy, you can either try to research to see exactly what was put on your nails and go from there, or else (as it might be that you don’t have the soak-off gel polish, but the normal gel polish) try buffing a lot the gel polish, then apply cotton soaked in acetone, then keep buffing. Continue this cycle till the gel has been removed. Be as gentle as possible to your nails. Then after removing keep your nails short till they strengthen, and apply almond oil.
Keep me updated Amy!

Amy, I am so happy that you are trying to do the right thing for your nails.
You don’t need to buy any special kit to remove Gelish (or any other soak-off gel polish) – you only need cotton wool, strips of foil and acetone. Amy, make sure that what you are applying is pure acetone.
Now, with regards to UV light. UV light in itself does not cause any heat, so by doing the procedure you mentioned, you won’t be heating up the acetone. We use the UV light to ‘cure’ (which is actually to harden) the gel polish, as otherwise it won’t ever dry. You can read more about UV here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet
Amy, you can either try to research to see exactly what was put on your nails and go from there, or else (as it might be that you don’t have the soak-off gel polish, but the normal gel polish) try buffing a lot the gel polish, then apply cotton soaked in acetone, then keep buffing. Continue this cycle till the gel has been removed. Be as gentle as possible to your nails. Then after removing keep your nails short till they strengthen, and apply almond oil.
Keep me updated Amy!

I used the special gelish remover to soak off my gelish. OMG! Not only did it take way longer than 15 min. but my nails were broken and paper thin afterwards. I had to cut them all down and start over again.

Alanna, I’m sorry to hear about your bad experience with removing Gelish. It doesn’t usually happen – Gelish usually makes your own natural nails stronger, and grow more without breaking. I am not aware that Gelish have their own remover, unless you are referring to the cleanser which is used to clean the nails.
Alanna, next time around use a normal nail polish remover WITH Acetone (can buy from the drugstore / pharmacy). This works, and you won’t damage your own nails.
For now keep your nails short till they become stronger, and massage almond oil. Can also apply a clear nail-polish to give them some protection.
Hope all this helps Alanna.

Thanks so much. I love the manicures, but get annoyed with regrowth and can’t always get to the salon right away. My manicure was starting to lift and I have no time to get there. I used this method and it worked like a charm. DOing one hand at a time (cause once the foil was on I couldn’t do the other) Was done removing in less than a half hour. No nail damage and no residue.

Thank You for your suggestions Julie. I am glad that you have managed to take the best out of Gelish – long-lasting colour with the benefits of strong nails, and NO nail damage. Yes, you are absolutely right with removing gelish – also, I would add – DOING ONE NAIL AT A TIME – remove one foil and work on it. Do not remove all the foils at once, as otherwise the acetone would dry by the time you get to the nail, making the gelish harder to remove.