My gel polish story - A warning to others!!

  I thought this would be a good place to share my story, and my warning so no one makes the same silly mistake as me! I'm sorry it's long but if you use gel polish, or are considering getting your own set up then you need to read this! As you've probably noticed Gel Nail Polish has become super popular in recent years, and it's no surprise why with its perfect finish and amazing staying power, but boy do the professionals charge a pretty penny for a gel mani!

 About a year ago I decided to invest in my own gel polish set up because I could get all the basics for not much more than 3 salon gel manicures. I was completely new to gel polish so I googled and googled, and watched tutorial after tutorial to learn how to do it, it all seemed simple enough, but it turns out I wasn't asking quite the right questions and I missed some very vital information!

 After about 6 months of amazing gel manis my hands started getting quite dry and cracked, I figured it was just another eczema flare up from too many cleaning products, it didn't even cross my mind that it could have been from my gel polish. My hands progressively got worse and worse over the next month, dry, cracked, bleeding, incredibly tender and peeling, until one day I removed my polish for the last time only to discover my skin had begun rejecting my nails because of the polish! The whites of my nail tips were now over half way down my nail bed! My hands were so ugly and embarrassing! I kept them painted in regular nail polish to hide how nasty they looked, it took months and months and months for my nails to grow back to their natural position and for my hands to recover. 

 Devastated at the thought of having to give up my gel polish set I thought I would try a more reputable brand of Gel Polish purchased from a NZ retailer, assuming it could only be an odd reaction since I had enjoyed my gel polish for 6 months before having any problems. Again, I reacted quite badly. Within an hour I thought they might have been feeling a little itchy, I ignored it since it was bed time and I thought it was all in my head. I woke up in the middle of the night to scratch my hands furiously but promptly fell back asleep (oops! haha), only to wake with red, swollen, itchy, tender and blistering fingers. I could not get my polish off quick enough! Three weeks later and my hands were still dry and tender, and the skin had started peeling from my fingertips - it was horrible! 

 I have done some more research and since found some very important information which I hadn't come across initially before my purchase.

 Gel Polish contains many known allergens, which is why it shouldn't touch your skin, however once cured in your lamp and the tackiness wiped off carefully, most of these allergens are gone, or pose a very low risk. I am no health professional or scientist but the information I have found suggests what I, and others, have experienced with gel polish was an allergic reaction due to over exposure, or sensitization, to uncured polish.

 My fatal mistake was going cheap on my eBay lamp, although I had researched lamps and choose a lamp that claimed it was very high powered and cured all polishes, and it appeared too, it wasn't truly cured, gel polish will appear cured even when it's truly only cured as little as 40%! And eventually my body decided enough was enough, that was a harmful product and it was going to start rejecting it, much like the type of reaction you would get from touching poison ivy. It turns out, each brand of polish is created to cure at a certain UV wavelength, and not all polishes will cure at the same UV wavelengths, nor do all lamps or bulbs put out the correct wavelengths for all polishes, which is why the manufacturers tell you to use their particular lamp with their polishes, and here I was thinking it was all marketing just so you buy their expensive lamp, boy was I wrong!

  Now that I have developed this allergy, that's it I'm allergic for life, no going back now! I have had to part with my beloved gel polish kit and hundreds of dollars of polish, and it all could have been avoided had I just purchased the lamp recommended by the polish manufacturer. 

 I never could have imagined my at home gel polish fascination could do so much damage to my hands and nails which really effected my day to day life with constant pain every time I bumped a finger, or grabbed something too firmly. I wish I had been armed with all of this information when I decided to jump on the Gel Polish band wagon so I wouldn't have developed such a severe allergy - I'm also now finding I get reactions to cheap soaps (ie mall bathroom soap) and I think this could have stemmed from my gel allergy!

 I have now found a happy medium, I can use CND Shellac gel polish as it is the only hypoallergenic brand available. I have been using it for a few months now and the quality and finish is amazing with no reactions. I would highly recommend CND shellac polishes and LED lamp if you are looking to invest in a gel set up. The price may be high but it's worth every cent in my opinion! If only I had bought CND in the beginning!

 I'm also now finding many fake CND shellac polishes around, it erks me to no end! These polishes are not hypoallergenic and there is no telling what's truly in them, or if they will truly cure in the CND lamp. Please do your research and buy from reputable sellers cause you have no idea what you could really end up with!

 Further to this, I have even seen some nail franchises using cheap knock off $5 gel polishes as if they were genuine! I can guarantee they were knock offs cause they were polishes I had owed with my first set up which were all dupes purchased off eBay. While it is possible these polishes could cure in their UV lamps it is impossible to tell. These products can be dangerous and can cause you harm because you have no idea what is in them! 

 All in all, do your research! Whether you are buying a gel set up, or going somewhere to get a gel manicure, make sure you are purchasing, or they are using genuine reputable brands and curing polishes in the correct lamps from the same manufacturer! There is so much science behind gel polish, it shouldn't be slopped on like regular polish by anyone who can hold a brush! Hopefully by sharing my story I can help others make smarter decisions! 

Wow, thank you for sharing. This was fascinating to read and I'm very surprised that I have never heard anything about it before. It sounds incredibly painful and scary! I don't use gel polishes but thank you so much for the warning. I'm glad you have got to the bottom of this and I hope you don't have any further issues xx

Oh yikes  - what a terrible experience pink-kumera! I'm glad you found a solution though!

Oh you poor thing! Sorry you had such a bad experience. Thanks for sharing all that. I don't use gel polish nor have I had a gel polish manicure, I have only used the Sally Hansen miracle gel polish which isn't proper gel polish which requires curing. But I will keep this in mind.

Wow, thanks so much for sharing your expereince with us.  I use gel polishes, but just the ones that use a top coat, not the ones that need to be set under a light, so i am safe! But it is good to know, just incase i ever go down that road. 

I was jealous of all those that have long enough nails to get this done, I never considered that this would be an issue and certainly never considered wavelengths to be an issue. Wow.
On the plus side I hope everything keeps getting better for you.

Sounds like you had quite an ordeal. Thank you for sharing this and making me more aware of it.

Thank you so much for sharing! I had no idea that this could happen, and it sounds so scary and painful. Hope it all gets better for you.

Wow! Thanks for sharing...all the best x

Thank you for sharing so sorry you had to go thru this turmoil.
I was so unaware of gel polish I didn't even know it needed to cure and I've gone and purchased some. I'll have to wait before using it.
I'm glad that you've been able to source what does work for you.

What an ordeal! so glad you found your happy medium and such a shame the market is flooded inferior product.
Thank you for sharing with us all, it's better to be forewarned.
xx

CND Shellac polish is amazing!! I've had it done twice professionally and it's just so gorgeous. Gel polish sounds awful, I mean I have Sally Hansen but as that isn't set with a lamp it wouldn't be a problem, hopefully. Can you use those ones? Your poor hands, that sounds like such an awful experience. I hope your hands heal up nicely x

Thst is so scary! I had no idea either about gel polish. Thanks for sharing with us.

I've been lusting after gel polish for a long time... now I know to be wary!

Thank you for sharing your story - that was quite an informative read and one that I know a lot of us will benefit from.

I never even thought about lamps being manufactured differently to only cure a certain amount?! I love getting gel manis but the cost to maintain them has gotten a little crazy over the years.

I'm glad you have found a safer alternative that works for you x

Gosh thank you for sharing this your story. I have never used a gel polish but if I ever try one out and love it I'll be careful to make sure sellers are geniune.

Oww that sounds incredibly painful. Thank you for sharing. I don't think I'll be bothering with any gel nails now and I was actually getting curious about them too.

This is a real wake up call and you have really suffered in the process.I think you would need to be very careful which nail clinic you used as well as not all clinics use good products.Thank you for letting us all know.

So interesting. Many things say to do an allergy test and I NEVER EVER do. My eldest daughter had her eyelashes tinted with no allergy test either- I might make a point of going being more vigilant- especially for my girls- I'd hate to be responsible for giving them a life long allergy!

Now I'm wondering if because of the polish allergy if you have noticed any other products you're allergic to that contain the same ingredients but never would have thought to be related? Does that even make sense?

Wow, thanks for sharing hun xxx. Such an interesting read so sorry that you had to experience what you did to find this out. Unfortunately too many people are out to make a quick buck at the cost of comfort and morals. So glad you were able to find an alternative that works. The brand sounds great xx

Wow I really didn't expect anyone to read this so sorry for the delayed response haha but I'm glad I could warn you guys! Im definitely not here for sympathy haha it was my own stupid fault being a cheap skate! But I honestly thought "how hard can it be?", because I didnt  understand the science behind it, I don't think many people really do but it's the kind of information that should be out there especially with the amont of at home kits popping up everywhere!


When I reseached it all before my first purchase I was only finding information I wanted to find really, and I missed all this science buried deep down in the depths of the internet, but I'm glad I've now been able to pass this on to others!


My intention was not to put anyone off Shellac or Gel polish because I absolutely love the stuff, I could not live without it and I cannot reccomend it highly enough! But I think everyone should be armed with this information to make informed decisions when it comes to gel polish, or even just to make everyone more aware of what they're really getting done when it comes to any sort of special cosmetic application (ie lash tinting or lazer etc). Not everyone would nessecarily develop an allergy to uncured gel polish, and it took me a while to develop it myself, but it was due to repedative over-exposure, some people may never get affected, others could have a massive reaction from the second application.


I actually do own the Sally Hansen miracle gel and I'm fine with that, and regular polish, its just something in the UV light cured polishes that no longer agrees with me. I didn't mind the sally hansen polish, but it's got nothing on real Shellac! I always, ALWAYS smudge my nails when they're freshly painted haha I don't have time to wait around for it to dry with a preschooler! Also with my job I'm rough on my hands and even the sally hansen gel stuff chips within a day or two. But my shellac stays on for 2 weeks minimum, and looks gorgeous the whole time! (even after spending a day scrubbing concrete block walls with a fresh polish it stayed 100% in place with no chips!)

I actually shared a pic on the wall the other day of my most recent spongebob shellac manicure hehe so in love - it makes me smile every time I look down!

That was a really scary read! Wow it's a shame your hands reacted so badly to the nail polish. I don't wear gel nail polish that often and even if I do it's usually done in a nail salon. Now I'll be extra careful if I do try it at home. Thanks for sharing!

I feel for you. Thank you for sharing. Hands are hard to hide :(
I think what you have been through and how well you have written and explained everything, you have definately helped many ladies. You made it all make clear sense.

Hello. I am a newbie in nails industry. After 23 years, I've retired from old job, and I am looking forward to start working as a manicurist. This is my hobby since I was young. Can you recommend me which are the best products? What gel polish, nail lamp, scissors etc. should I use? Please advise. Thank you!

@zoeycarter, in order to work as a nail technician / manicurist, you need to do the relevant training and qualify as a nail technician / manicurist.  During your course, you will be advised by your educator of what products to use, what chemicals and ingredients are restricted (illegal) to use in NZ, what you are and are not allowed to do, etc.  Each training facility uses different brands, and each brand of professional product has different methods of application, curing time, etc.

When people use products that they haven’t been trained to use, they run the risk of damaging clients nails, performing procedures they shouldn’t be doing (like cutting cuticles), which opens the client up to risk of infection or worse, and can even burn a client’s skin or nails through incorrect use of products.

Also, most reputable nail supply places that sell salon products don’t sell to the general public, you will need to prove that you are a qualified nail technician / manicurist.