7 Reasons Why Your Gel Polish Is Peeling

• 6 min reading time

Help! My gel polish won't stay on!

7 Reasons Why Your Gel Polish Is Peeling Off Your Nails

It's probably happened to you... you just applied gel polish and it all flakes off the same day. Very frustrating!

It's really annoying when you've done your nails and you think you'll have beautiful nails for 2 weeks. You've spent a lot of time choosing a color and painting your nails. And then everything comes loose again.

How long does gel polish last and why doesn't my gel polish last long?

How long does gel polish last is a question we often hear, how long gel polish lasts depends on various factors, the condition of the natural nails and the skill of the person applying the gel polish. It is always possible that gel polish does not stay on properly. There are various reasons why this can happen. Below we explain the 7 most common reasons for your gel polish to come off.

1. Preparation not good

A well-known saying goes: a good start is half the battle. And that is not without reason. Good preparation is incredibly important for the adhesion of your products. First file your nails into shape and use a cuticle pusher to carefully push back your cuticles. Then you can remove the loose skin with a buffer file. If you do not do this, the gel polish will not adhere properly and will therefore come loose. Finally, make sure you degrease your nails properly. Do not degrease with a cleaner but with a dehydrator. With a good degreaser, such as a dehydrator, you will see that the nail turns a little white when you rub it over the nail. That is a sign that the nail plate has been properly degreased.

2. Applying too thick paint

One of the most common causes of gel polish coming off is applying it too thickly. Gel polish should always be applied in very thin layers, the thinner the better. You should actually make sure that there is almost no polish on your brush. Each layer must be cured separately. If the color is applied in 1 thicker layer, the gel polish will not be cured all the way through, which will give you the so-called cheese soufflé effect. The top is then cured, but underneath the gel polish is still soft. Gel polish with a lot of pigment is particularly sensitive to this, for example the very dark colors such as black and dark green. Applying it too thickly and therefore not curing it properly will ensure that the gel polish will not adhere optimally and will quickly flake off again. In addition, there is also a chance that you will develop an allergy in this way.

3. Not accurately painted

In any case, it looks much nicer if the gel polish is not in your cuticles. But it is also important for the adhesion that you do not touch the cuticles. As soon as there is a little outgrowth, the gel polish around the cuticle will come loose and air will be created. The gel polish will chip there and you also run the risk of bacteria nesting under the gel polish. Here too, there is a chance that you can develop an allergy if the gel polish regularly ends up on the cuticle and/or skin.

Help, the gel polish is still sticky

A question we often get is: I put the gel polish in the lamp according to the instructions but the gel polish is still sticky. Then they remove this sticky layer with cleaner. And that is exactly not the intention. There is a reason why the gel polish is still sticky. The sticky layer ensures that the next layer, the top coat, will adhere better.

4. Quality of the lamp

People often use a nail lamp for a very long time. And although the lamp will probably still work after a year, it is better to replace your lamp after a year. The power of the lamp will have decreased by then, which means that products will no longer harden as well as when the lamp was new. This causes the same problem as when you apply too much polish. The gel polish has not hardened through and through, which means that it will not adhere properly and will come loose.

5. Hands placed incorrectly in the lamp

Sometimes people do not place their hand properly in the lamp. Too far in the lamp or not far enough, so that the light from the lamps (diodes) does not reach the entire nail. This is a common problem, especially with the nails of the thumb. If the entire hand is placed in the lamp, the thumb will always be tilted slightly, so that the side does not harden properly. We therefore always recommend hardening the thumb separately and placing it flat in the lamp so that the light reaches the entire thumb.

6. Unsuitable lamp

In the past, UV lamps were mainly used, then LED lamps came onto the market and nowadays you mainly see combined UV/LED lamps. Some products, such as the Pure line (white bottles) by Victoria Vynn are not suitable for the UV lamp. You must therefore harden these in a LED or combined UV/LED lamp.

How long should gel polish be left under the lamp?

Even though it may sometimes seem like the polish has hardened properly, this will not be the case if you use an unsuitable or outdated nail lamp. So, especially if you have a UV lamp, check carefully whether the product is suitable for your lamp. Or better yet, treat yourself to a new UV/LED lamp. You can get a new lamp from 25 euros, with the added benefit that the hardening time is considerably shorter. In a UV lamp this takes 2 minutes, in a UV/LED lamp 30 to 60 seconds, depending on the product chosen.

7. Aftercare not good

It is of course always important to take good care of your nails, but after applying gel polish it is extra important. The nail must remain supple. If the nails are not taken care of properly, they will dry out, which increases the chance of them coming loose. So keep the nails supple by using a good cuticle oil at least 3 times a day. Do not use your nails as tools, so do not open cans with your nails and make sure that they do not come into contact with aggressive cleaning agents. Are you going to polish? Always wear gloves to protect your nails and your manicure.

Does your gel polish often or quickly come off? Then go through the steps above to see if one of the 7 reasons applies to you. Of course, it is also possible that your natural nails are extremely thin, which means that a piece will chip off more quickly. In that case, a flexible (rubber) base could be the solution.