Its been a trending subject this month: Can cuticle oil help with product chipping at the free edge. Follow our take on this common issue in nail salons in a series of Instagram posts and reels that we are doing this month.

Not a fan of Instagram then just keep on reading.

Here is why cuticle oil cant help with this issue:

The argument in favor suggests that moisturizing the nail plate helps to improve overall nail flexibility meaning that it is less brittle and bends together with the gel coating . Many Nail technicians also suggest that the dryness of the hands, nails, and cuticles, especially during colder months, is what causes nail enhancement to lift.

But unfortunately the above is not very accurate or practical:

• Prep solutions, liquids, soak off with Acetone and UV led gel coatings are already very dehydrating to the natural nail plate. This is the case all year round.
• Some nails are naturally more flexible and thinner, often without any prior damage.
• Some nails are damaged with incorrect removal and incorrect product choices.

Our General Recommendations are:

If you have clients with chipping at the free edge then we strongly recommend:

• Avoid using "all in one" brush on builder products as these are extremely dehydrating to the natural nail plate.
• Never using a file under 180 grit file on the natural nail , E-file sanding bands and especially metal nail prep E file bit to etch the natural nails.
• Switching to hard gel if they work for your clients or to Apex Build if the clients nails are short to medium in length.
• Ensure you remove up to 80% of old product at every infill.
• Avoid soak off with acetone.

Spot Overfilled and Damaged Nails

Lets take a look at the images below, these are real photographs of nails prior to product application.

Short Nails

These are the nails which we have to be extra careful with, they have already lost their primary keratised layers and have began to deform in the most crucial areas. They are loosing their lateral structure and the growth points are not leveled. We can see a substantial dent on the ring finger on the left.

Our recommendations

On nails like these, we would do a treatment of Smart Base for the first two appointments. But here is a crucial part: these nails will unlikely have issues with adhesion, but they will chip at the free edge as they are far too thin and flexible. So we would work in a technique called "free edge lamination" as per the Smart Base Application Guide. This technique works well with Smart Base or Apex Build.

On short damaged nails, we would always opt for Smart Base as it has been specifically formulated for damaged nails and now also has added vitamin E, which is encapsulated into the polymer network during the curing process and doesn't lose its properties during wear. Here are some product recommendations for these nails:

CREPE (COVER) - £16.50 BUY NOW

RUBBER BASE COAT - FIBRE - £11.99 BUY NOW

These products can be safely used by Nail Techs trained in gel polish application. Meanwhile, Apex Build would be best suited for Nail Technicians trained in sculpting products.

VELOUR - £16.50 BUY NOW

Long Nails

How about these nails? This is a perfect candidate for chipping at the corners, and we bet it will happen on the left-hand side; you see how the left side is beginning to take on a rounder shape, and if you saw it side-on or under, you could probably see the edges beginning to turn into a tight pinch with the edges pointing downwards and inwards.

Our Recommendations

This is most likely a result of incorrect product choice for this nail length. Luckily, at least from this angle, the stress points seem okay. However, if we opt for BIAB here, you will see an onset of the earlier mentioned problems and finally lateral onycholysis in a few months. So we recommend pro care hard builder gel or a dual sculpting technique.

COOL CLEAR 15g/30g - £30.05 BUY NOW

OVAL GEL NAIL ART BRUSH 10 - £9.99 BUY NOW

XL Long Nails

This photo is a perfect example of the infamous brush-on builder gel "journey", which, as we always say, should definitely be less traveled. These are natural nails grown out with soak-off builders. The length is far too long for what the nail bed can handle, and on top of that, strengthened with a flexible product that continues to add pressure and micro-trauma to the nail bed. The damage to the nail plate can be clearly seen on the middle and ring fingers.

Our Recommendations

Advise the client to shorten the free edge and overlay with pro care hard gel, speed sculpt, or acrylic gel.

STRAWBERRY DELIGHT - £22.50 BUY NOW

ACRYLIC GEL - ROSE PETAL 30gr - £15.00 BUY NOW

ACRYLIC GEL BRUSH / SPATULA - £9.99 BUY NOW

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