The beauty industry has come a long way in recent years. No one cares anymore about how long hair takes years to grow (you can grow it in a salon in a few hours), or about the fact that the varnish stays on your nails without chipping for only a couple of days (you can cover your nails with a more durable coating).
Most likely, every girl knows or at least heard about what gel polish is. But not everyone knows that when covering nails with this tool, it is important not only the quality of the materials, but also strict adherence to the technology of working with them. Otherwise, you will certainly have to deal with questions about why gel polish swells or why it does not stay on the nails for the promised three weeks. Many women are faced with a situation where, after a few days of wearing socks, the coating begins to chip off the tips of the nails or peel off in a large layer near the cuticle.
If you domanicure by a novice master or you decide to do a manicure yourself, then you need to pay attention not only to the quality of the materials used, but also to strict adherence to the application technology. Nevertheless, there are often cases when girls are unhappy with the result, and they need to figure out why the gel polish is swollen.
What causes bubbles on the coating
The reasons why gel polish swells after application to the nail plate can be conditionally divided into the following two groups:
- Quality and individual characteristics of the products used when applying gel polish (properties of the base, top, colored polish, the quality of the brushes for applying them, the power of the lamp for drying the coating).
- Technology for applying materials to nails (observance of the order of applying layers of base, colored gel polish and top, drying time of each layer, thickness of the applied layer, etc.).
It should be remembered that there is only one correct answer to the question of why gel polish swells. It swells due to the fact that it was not dried enough. But there can be quite a few reasons why it did not dry out. At the same time, if you did not dry one layer of gel polish, and then fixed it with a top that dried well in the lamp, then bubbles may appear on the coating only the next day.
Which materials affect the quality of the application?
In order for the coating to be of high quality and to please you as long as possible, you need to choose proven manicure productsmanufacturers. Experienced manicurists say that it is preferable to use a base coat, color gel polish and top coat from the same manufacturer. Such products interact well with each other and allow the coating to stay on the nails longer without chipping and peeling.
If you use a low power lamp to dry, then you should not be surprised why the gel polish swells up with bubbles. It simply does not have time to dry enough and when applying subsequent layers, it begins to gather in wrinkles and bubbles. In order to offset this factor, it is necessary to use a lamp with more power. If this is not possible, then you just need to apply it in a thin layer (so that it dries faster) and increase the drying time of each layer.
In addition, you should pay attention to the expiration date of the gel polish and its density. Old or too thick varnish is quite difficult to apply a uniform thin layer on the nails, so it does not dry well. If it has a rather liquid consistency, then it will quickly drain onto the side rollers even before you have time to dry it. That is, preference should be given to gel polish of medium consistency, which will be convenient to apply and dry. Gel polish of medium density is perfectly distributed over the nail plate and forms a perfectly smooth coating when spreading.
Features of gel polish application technology
In order not to have to figure out later why the gel polish swells, you should observe when applying itthe following rules:
- The material is applied in thin layers and each of them is well dried. If the density of the coating with a colored layer does not suit you, then it is better to make several thin layers than 1-2 dense ones.
- Do not shake the contents of the bottle or shake it immediately before application. This encourages the formation of bubbles, which can cause the gel polish to lie unevenly on the nails and begin to peel off quickly when it dries. In order for the varnish to be uniform and at the same time fit well on the nails, the bottle should be shaken or shaken before the start of the manicure. During the time that you remove the old coating from your nails, do a manicure and polish the nail plate, air bubbles (which formed in the base, gel polish or top when shaking) will have time to rise up and disappear.
- It is necessary to respect the drying time in the UV or LED lamp. It is better to slightly increase the drying time, which is indicated in the instructions for a certain type of coating (that is, if it is written on the bottle that the varnish dries in 30 seconds in the LED lamp, you should hold it in the lamp for 40-45 seconds). If you want to determine why gel polish puffs up in a lamp, then first of all look at the characteristics of your gel polish drying lamp. Most likely, it will turn out to be low-power, that is, the process of material polarization in it is too slow.
- Remember that polishes with certain pigments dry out worse, taking a little longer to dry completely than products with low pigmentation. UsuallyDark nail polishes (close to black), white gel polish and some pastel colors are hard to dry.
If you want to figure out why gel polish swells on your nails immediately after you have done a fresh manicure, you must first analyze whether all the features of applying gel polish were observed by you.
Basic rules for quality nail coverage
- The nail should be smooth. Before applying the coating, it should be sanded with a nail file with low abrasiveness or a special buff.
- Each layer must be well dried.
- It is advisable to give preference to the base, gel polish and top of the same manufacturer. If there are materials from different manufacturers, it is better to first check their compatibility. To do this, you should gradually cover the nail plate with a base, colored varnish and top on one finger and evaluate the result.
- Before manicure and gel polish, it is advisable not to wet your hands for at least two hours. Also, hands should not be wet for two hours after a manicure.
Gel nail hacks for beginners
- To apply colored polish, use a flat brush instead of the round one that comes with the jar of gel polish. In this case, a layer of varnish can be applied in a thin layer, and it will not spread, so the question of why the gel polish swells after drying will become irrelevant for you.
- If the material has a fairly liquid consistency and quickly flows offnail, then apply color gel polish gradually. After you have applied varnish on 1-2 nails, place them in the dryer, and paint the next ones after the previous ones dry.
- Shake the jar of material in advance before proceeding with the manicure. This applies to both colored gel polishes and the base, top coat.
- Dry each layer in the lamp a little longer than indicated in the instructions for varnish.
- Before applying the next layer, make sure that the previous one is completely dry. At the same time, it will not work to determine the drying of the varnish by touch, since a sticky layer still remains on it. In order to check the drying, it is recommended to use an orange stick or any other manicure tool that has a thin sharp tip. With the sharp edge of an orange stick, gently press the coating in those places where it dries the longest. Usually such places are closer to the lateral nail ridges, this is due to the fact that it is in these places that the material flows from the convex part of the nail plate. Manipulations with the orange stick should be done carefully so as not to damage the gel polish coating if it is not yet hardened enough.
The formula for successful gel polish coverage
To briefly summarize everything written above, we can derive a simple conditional formula that will help you avoid basic mistakes when applying varnish:
smoothly polished nail plate + gel polish, base, top from one source + application of thin layers+ adherence to the drying time of each layer=a smooth, shiny gel polish that will last at least 2 weeks on nails.
Neat manicure is an integral part of the image of a modern woman. Therefore, follow the simple tips above and delight others with well-groomed hands!