Gel polish is a universal decorative coating, which is now most often used to decorate the nail plate, however, an ultraviolet or LED lamp is necessarily used to dry it, which is why the procedure is most often carried out in the salon.
At the end of the session, the nail service master most often prescribes recommendations for a lady, how long you cannot wet your nails after gel polish to prevent damage to the decorative coating until it cures completely.
Why can’t you wet your nails after gel polish?
After visiting the salon, many ladies have questions about whether it is possible to wet their nails after gel polish, and what this can lead to, since most of them believe that polymerization of the wet base in the lamp leads to its complete solidification.
Mostly nail technician recommend avoiding direct contact with water and a humid environment for a short period after applying the gel polish to prevent smearing of the base.
The main reason is that the composition that is applied to a woman’s nails has polymers and fixers, the first of which freeze in a minute when drying in the device, and the second freeze spontaneously in air. Because of this, it is not recommended to wet your hands in order to prevent damage to the result of the manicure.
More specifically, after visiting the salon, the lady is not recommended:
- Wash your hands (you can use an antiseptic);
- Perform household work using chemical components;
- Visit the bathhouse or sauna;
- Swim, swim in the pool;
- Exercise (due to perspiration).
Moisture that enters the delicate area when you wet your hands after a manicure gradually accumulates in the lateral ridges and the structure of the nail bed, which leads to the gradual appearance of shellac chips, microcracks, and base separation from the nail.
Also, keep in mind that quite often after you wet your hands, without following the instructions of the specialist, a small air cavity appears between the natural nail and the artificial gel polish. It is practically invisible and does not cause discomfort to the client, but it is dangerous because moisture that gets into it often leads to the emergence of pathogenic microflora, which develops into a fungal infection.
Since a humid environment is favorable for the development of pathogenic bacteria, it is often quite difficult for ladies to restore the health of a natural nails after not following the instructions of the nail technician.
How long you should not wet your nails?
The period during which the client is not allowed to wet their hands usually depends on the quality of the compositions that were used in the salon and applied to the nails, since they have different drying times.
Most often, it is recommended to refrain from wet procedures for 2-3 hours. Most polishes completely freeze during this time, so the lady don’t need to worry about integrity of work. However, when working with shellac, this time is reduced to 1-2 hours due to the improved formulation and the small amount of thinners in the formulation.
For other recommendations regarding water and hand care after visiting the salon, time limits are also prescribed:
- It is allowed to visit the pool or water park 10-12 hours after completion.
- Going in for sports, subjecting the body to physical stress can be done in 5-6 hours.
- Visiting the bathhouse or sauna (due to high temperature and humidity) is allowed only after 1-2 days, since work begins to deteriorate quite often in these places, especially if you sit in them for more than an hour.
The ban applies to any water, regardless of its temperature. Additionally, keep in mind that it is not recommended to wear gloves during this time, as they can provoke perspiration, and this is also a humid environment.
For ladies with an increased index of sweating of the palms, it is recommended periodically use a dehydrator to degrease the surface. You can replace it with diluted rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover, but be careful with the formulations not to damage the sensitive skin of your hands. Sometimes you can use an antiseptic, but be careful – it should not contain oils, esters or other fatty components.
Conclusions
To preserve the quality of the decorative coating made by the technician during the session, after visiting the salon, the girls are prescribed some restrictions regarding the prohibitions when it is possible to wet their hands after applying shellac. If you ignore the rules of the master, there is a risk of smearing the work, since it does not completely freeze in the lamp. Besides, sometimes this attitude to advice leads to premature convergence of gel polish from nails.
