You've probably heard about Structured Manicures by now, and most certainly you've had a gel manicure. This is a totally different service than just a traditional manicure and I'm going to go over everything you need to know about why structured manicures are taking over the nail world.
Structured Manicures are more than just a pop of colour. They provide a polished and professional look, with clean lines and precise application to make the nails look as natural as possible by building up the apex with a strong layer of soft or hard gel.
What is the difference between soft and gel may you ask? Great question, hard gel is lightweight, yet strong and durable. It is a tightly woven structure which cannot be soaked off with acetone. Soft gel can be soaked off by acetone, it's not durable enough for an extension but does provide enough strength to natural nails that are short-med length. Then there is your standard gel polish which is also called shellac, which isn't entirely accurate as shellac is just a brand of gel polish by CND. Gel polish is a runny consistency and is thinner compared to the building soft and hard gels. Gel polish does not add strength to the nails like the building gels are designed to do. Gel polish is just a longer lasting, smudge proof nail colour. All of these gels need to be cured by a UV lamp, where your standard manicure that uses regular lacquer does not.
There is a lot to know, but thankfully that is why I am here. The different type of manicures you can get are determined by what is best suited for your lifestyle. If you are harder on your nails you will most likely want to choose a structured manicure as they last 3-4 weeks, sometimes even longer. Although I do not recommend this, when your nails grow out after 3-4 weeks the grown out product will cause stress on the apex (middle of the nail) and will only cause damage. This is not the technicians fault, there is a reason we recommend things. If you go over this duration for reasons, such as trying to save money - I can assure you, you will be spending more as this will require more work for your technician, which will result in spending more time fixing broken nails and more time filing off product that has lifted. Not to mention the main reason you get a structured manicure is to grow out your natural nails, if you keep trying to prolong your service - the nails won't hold up like they are suppose to in the recommended time. Trust your technicians recommended time to re-book, we know what we are talking about!
If you are a nail girly who is not hard on your hands and you want something that is a level down from that you would likely chose a gel manicure. These will last 1-2 weeks depending if you are using gloves to wash dishes, using cleaning chemicals and hydrating your hands with cuticle oil regularly. Gel polish requires a perfect smooth nail to have the lasting results it states to have. If you have any ridges or damage to your nails it would be best to add a bonding base coat to make this last better. Your nail technician should know by looking at your nails, what the best product for you is - to achieve the results you want.
Finally the standard manicure with regular polish, this will last maybe two days if you are lucky. Regular polish does not last, it's more for events I like to say, where you might just want your nails to look good for the day or two. You can take this off with nail polish remover at home. So you save money by taking it off yourself but it will not last like a gel manicure or structured manicure - so it's worth the extra cost, I promise you.
IF none of these work for you, then there is artificial nails or extensions, which once upon a time I used to do with gel, I however like to offer the more natural approach by growing out your nails with soft gel. There is also acrylic that other technicians offer with extensions - that most people have heard of and is still a very popular service in todays world that people get done.
As you can see there is several types of nail services today that are offered and why it's so very confusing for most clients to know what exactly has been on their nails. If you get acrylic done, they can use a gel top coat - making people believe all they have on their nails is gel polish. When in fact it is not, trust me I've tried to soak off acrylic when I've heard this, while working over another technician's work and it's always very frustrating that some tech's do not explain what is being applied at the time of the appointment. FYI you can't soak off acrylic - in most cases it has to be filed down with an e-file. If you do soak it off you'll be there for 30 minutes, it was never fun trying to explain to clients in the past that you in fact do not just have gel polish on and the removal would take up their entire appointment.
It is why it is important to have strong communication with your service provider and client about what is happening, to direct them once the product grows out and what to do going forward. Whether that is informing them to come back and remove it or soaking it off yourself at home. It is always recommended if you have a gel product on to NEVER pick it off, this will only cause damage by peeling off a layer of the nail. This will cause ridges, which you'll most likely have to wait to get another gel manicure appointment until the nails are healthy again or you would be upgraded to a structured gel manicure to have a strong base for the gel polish to adhere to.
Structured Manicures are not indestructible, if they last 4 weeks or longer, honey you have a great nail technician and your home care is on point. This looks different for everyone as there is so many factors where nails can be oiler than others, lifestyle and if people are taking care of them at home. Proper home-care is just as important and that is by using gloves when doing anything with your hands such as dishes, gardening, cleaning etc. Making use of your cuticle oil daily, any-time your nails are in water, the gel becomes dehydrated - the more hydrated the better. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate. Our nails are jewels not tools, we can make them withhold a-lot but sometimes you go to war with your nails and while are work is good, they are not going to hold up if you are abusing them.
Are structured manicures BAD for your nails? The answer is no, everyone will be different. Some people may not be able to have gel on their nails due to an allergy or perhaps maybe they have to oily of nails for them to last, which is why some chose acrylic. The term "giving my nails a break to breathe" is a term that is not relevant or true. Your nails don't breathe, the only way damage can be done is a tech over-filing with an E-file which btw we are human, sometimes it just happens. Please speak up if you feel heat during that time! We don't feel it, we just see it! Lastly and so important is to make sure that gel for structure is being cured properly. The UV lamp that cures the gel MUST be a professional one, if the gel is not cured this is where people will start to get nail allergies, fungus and stuff you just don't want. It is why going to a professional is always recommended. It is why we went to school and finding someone who cares about the nail health and is sterilizing tools is also something to look for. If I ever see something I don't feel is right - I will always tell my clients that we can't proceed with the service and I will recommend home-care to get back to healthy nails.
Structured Manicures do take longer as it's a step-by-step process into building the apex up to get a nice natural looking structure without it looking bulky, but the results are always worth it. Seeing my clients retention is always worth it. Taking 2 hours or longer is very standard for this service. We must remove every bit of dust and cuticle by exfoliating with our e-file and this takes time! After all nails are a luxury service - this is not an in and out service and I very much hope it's not, as its so important to take all the necessary steps to create a flawless and beautiful structured manicure. There is a reason my clients keep coming back, because they last and I take extreme pride and care into making sure I'm keeping their nail health in mind by taking my time.
There is so many beautiful things you can achieve with a structured manicure, by keeping it simple with just having a clean manicured look with the building gel or by applying a gel polish over top to create fun designs and more. Your natural nails are grown out to beautiful lengths and so many people think my clients nails are fake! They last a long time, they are smooth and just overall glamourous.
I hope this helps you decide on what to choose, what nail services are out there and what to look for. Keeping my client's educated is one of my favourite things. There will always be learning curves, never ending education, trial and errors and I am just so thankful my nail clients have been with me through this journey. I used to not like doing nails, as I would always have those texts of "my nails chipped" and it would constantly give me anxiety, and I don't do crazy nail art. I always felt I was never good enough when I did gel extensions. Then I fell in love - when luminary (a type of soft gel) came out to then being - the structured manicure on my treatment list. It opened up a totally different perspective to my nail world to a more holistic approach to doing natural nails.
I finally feel proud of my sets and everyday I will become better and better. I can't wait to be that nail tech who has been doing structured gel manicures for 10 years, I'm only on my third year and have seen so much progression during those years. I can only imagine where I'll be in the next seven years. Thank you to my dear nail clients for believing in me, for understanding I am human and working with me when I've had to troubleshoot and find new products that work better. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for always staying loyal.
I appreciate you all so much!
XX LYSS
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