Oh my goodness Thank you so much for addressing this problem . During the pandemic I got into doing my own nails and I had no idea this could happen. I was creating all kinds of beautiful nails I was trying to break into this as a hobby passion of mine invested so much money time and unfortunately I developed an allergic reaction . Not knowing what was happening I kept re exposing myself . Finally went to dermatologist realized I had an allergic reaction . Then I began researching into products and investing more into products I thought I could maybe use and the problems persisted. Now I’ve decided to just take a break from all nail products until I can properly heal again my natural nail beds . It’s getting better slowly but I thank you so much for addressing this because about a year ago there weren’t any videos about this topic in-fact it was very difficult to find anyone to discuss the issue. Now I’m starting to see more and more people come forward addressing this issue. So thank you again . I’ll let you know how I do I’ve decided not to enhance or use anything for at least six months l. Not even press ons with regular glue as I seemed to be able to tolerate a bit better . Anyhow I’ll definitely check back and let you how I am . ❤️Praying things will get better and I’ll be able to find a product I can eventually work with .
I just recently found a way to do press on's with my extremely sensitive nail allergy. Background: After 10 years of getting acrylics, I became allergic (I found out in 2017). My allergy has progressively got bad. I cannot get acrylics of any kind (no polygel or dip powder), gel polish, press on nails (allergic to the nail glue), and most recently found out that I can't get lash extensions- and I found out the hard way by ending up in the ER. I also can't even get a pedicure b/c I can't even be in the same salon where people are getting acrylics or using gel polish because I developed an allergy to the particles in the air and inhaling them (and I went in with a mask during COVID). I was SO hopeless because I can't do anything "girly". I actually found and tested a method that uses nail guards to cover and protect the nail, to which I had NO reaction to and found a way to do press on's and make them last (2-3 weeks!). Key here is to not allow it to touch your skin or nail without the barrier PLUS take your time doing it. I recommend the nail guards for anyone who is also not allergic and just gets their nails done regularly, to prevent an allergy from forming and to protect their natural nails. Things needed: - Nail File - Acetone/nail dehydrator - Cotton Balls/Cotton Pads - Orly Bonder (Rubberized Coat) or any bonder of your choice (some bonders have acrylates in them so check ingredients to ensure they don't. Orly does not contain any acrylates of any kind) - Dashing Diva Nail Guard Kit (this is optional, please see more in Things to know section below- bought at Sally's or Online on their website. I believe Amazon also has them as well) - Nail adhesive tabs (I like the Kiss Tab To Go Super Adhesive Tabs) - Nail Glue of your choice (I like Kiss brand but I also saw that Dashing Diva also has the Fast Bond nail glue that I heard was good too) - Press on nails of your choice Steps: 1) Slightly buff nails with nail file. Also, slighty buff the inside of the press on nails too (the area that matches up to where it will go on over the nail) 2) Dehydrate nails with acetone and cotton pad/cotton ball. Do the same with the press on nails where it will go over your natural nail. 3) Use 2 coats of Orly Bonder over each of your nails. Ensure that it dries fully. 1 coat for me did not cut it or create that rubbery base coat that I needed. 4) Apply a strip of Dashing Diva Nail Guards to your nail. One side will stick to your nail, the other side will NOT be sticky. File down as needed to fit your nail. 5) This is where the adhesive tabs come in- apply the adhesive tab to your nail. I try to focus it on the middle, as they usually do not cover the entire nail for me. 6) On top of the Adhesive tab, apply a tiny dot (not even a full drop) of nail glue in the middle of the adhesive tab/nail, ensuring that it does not touch your skin, the cuticle, or would spill over your nail onto your skin. Let the drop sit for a second and slightly get tacky so it doesn't move a lot when you press the nail down. 7) Apply the nail on top of the adhesive tab with the tiny drop of glue. Press and hold the nail for about 30 seconds. THINGS TO KNOW: • I RECOMMEND DOING A PATCH TEST BY DOING 1 to 2 NAILS AND WAITING ABOUT 24 HOURS TO SEE IF YOU GET A REACTION. YOU WILL NEED TO APPLY THIS VERY CAREFULLY AND AVOID GETTING PRODUCT ON YOUR SKIN, AS YOU SHOULD WITH ALL NAIL PRODUCTS. • Optional: After applying your Orly rubber based coat, you can apply one tiny micro drop of nail glue on your nail and then the adhesive tab over it to secure the tab to the nail. Ensure that if you use the nail glue, it goes in the middle of your nail and is a TINY drop (I mean like micro) so that it does not come in contact with your skin or cuticles. However, I would recommend patch testing with this method. • The Dashing Diva Nail Guard contains acrylates copolymer. Most people are allergic to the monomers as opposed to the copolymer- if I am not mistaken and based on what I read, the copolymer is the finished version of it as opposed to the monomer which is the unfinished version of it (I am in no way a chemist nor scientist so please read up and don't quote me, lol). There are a lot of products that we use that contain acrylates copolymer (lipstick, mascara, eyeliner, skin care products, sun screen and even some popular face washes- I searched the ingredients of my face washes and most of them had them in there!). EWG (Environmental Working Group) has information on acrylate copolymer and will rate and list all products that contain it here: www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredients/700123-ACRYLATES_COPOLYMER/ • I tend to do my press on nails at night, after I clean and shower to ensure that they have plenty of time to set over night without getting wet, having to wash your hands and do too much moving. They last WAY longer that way. • I like to prep my hands by exfoliating them about an hour or 2 before and moisturizing my hands with a good cream or lotion (like CeraVe) and giving it time to set into my skin to create a good barrier. I have even heard of some people soaking their hands in olive oil and then washing them to balance out the moisture. Prepping your hands is a must. • If you don't want to do all of the steps above, you can just do the prep, apply the bonder, adhesive tab, and drop of nail glue on the adhesive tab and then the press on nail. That method worked good and the nail lasted me over 2 weeks as well, I wash dishes everyday and of course, shower, and bathe my kids. The nail didn't come loose at all. The dashing diva strips really protect the nail though. I hope this helps those of you who are in desperate need to be girly again and be able to get your nails done! Also, I hope this helps a nail tech who has a client that comes across the same issues I did. I am considering making a video covering this and going over all of the steps.
I have had allergic reactions to hair dye in the past, which just got worse every time I dyed my hair. I also tried all the natural, more gentle dyes as well. The very last time I dyed my hair (2 year’s ago) my body started to go into anaphylactic shock. If I hadn’t of taken a large dose of anti-histamine before my appointment with the hairdresser, I would have ended up in hospital. All allergies need to be taken seriously, including allergies on our nails. Thank you Anna, for shinning light on this subject. Love your channel 😊
Seeing these pictures confirms what I suspected- I’m allergic to the dip polish I was getting. It took a few applications for the allergy to fully develop and for me to figure it out. The nail techs never acknowledged that it was happening or suggested what might have caused it. I can actually do gel (at the salon) but my nails suffer if I do it too many times in a row. So I appreciate the great information you have and am taking much better care of the skin around my nails now. Thankfully I don’t think I have permanent damage.
Hi Anna, I love your videos and ironically my interest in nail care all started when I was diagnosed with a nail polish allergy. I had a skin patch test done by a board certified dermatologist and discovered I am allergic to tosylamide epoxy resin which is often found in many “air dry” nail polishes, such as Dazzle Dry, many OPI and Essie products (but not all) plus many more brands especially in the base coats. For example Essie Expressie does not have it but their original line does. One must read the labels carefully if allergic to a particular ingredient. So I would highly encourage anyone who suspects they may have an allergy to nail polish of any kind should get patch tested. They will also test for many other common allergens including many gel polish ingredients. Insurance should cover this type of testing.
I too have an allergy to gel nail products, soft gel mainly. I also had an allergy to Essie polish , the one that strengthens your nails, it just made around the cuticles itchy, but gel polish turns me into frankenfingers.
I am really enjoying these SOLO videos. Your experience and vast knowledge really shine through. I don't mind the length of the video when you discuss these somewhat difficult problems in such a serious and caring manner. You are the real star of The Salon Life.
I’m just starting to watch but so glad you are covering this . I have gone through this numerous times in my life, acrylics, bio sculpture, dip powder, gel polish - at salons. Not the salons fault at all, I’m just super allergic. Last summer was the worst - my nails were in way worse shape than hers and I was afraid they would be deformed forever. I had to go 4 months with nothing on them and it took until January before they were finally grown out and strong again. Now I just polish them at home myself with Vinylux and they actually look prettier natural than they did with extensions. Looking forward to the rest of the video.
Anna, I love you for making this video. A friend of mine had a reaction to gel polish and was told it was herpes virus (😱) and had this happen three times before she gave up gel polish altogether. More people need to be aware of this issue and I thank you for putting it out there ❤️
Hi Kiki. Believe it or not people can get herpes virus on their fingers or toes but i don’t think it would show up on all the nails all around the nail. It would be a cluster in one area not both hands. But the blisters can look similar.
Either way, your poor friend. I feel for her. And the sad thing is that it’s very preventable. Thankfully there are other choices like a regular polish. Hopefully she is ok with regular polish. Nothing will give you 100% assurance that it won’t cause reaction but I highly recommend Dazzle Dry (link in the description box). Longest lasting polish that dries absolutely fully in 5 min and it’s hypoallergenic too. Very gentle on the nails.
So happy I found you. I have had gel nails for at least 30 years. Just removed them as they would not hold more than a couple of days. I now have 3 nails which are more than 50% detached from nail bed. I am so discouraged but know that following your advice will help me be patient for the many months to come before they look even decent. Never again!
Thank you for your honesty and professionalism. I use only a gel base under regular polish, but I am going to now invest in a CND lamp and CND base, to avoid potential issues. Thank you, Anna! ......Purchased today using your affiliate link, of course!!!
Invest is a great word. I think so many of us (DIYers) bought what we thought was most economical when we started DIY during COVID. Now really investing. Taking classes through The Nail Hun to be safe and then also be able to buy Level 1 professional products!!! ❤
I will forever love you for creating this video. This exact thing happened to me, and you explained it so eloquently and easy to understand. I so appreciate you giving us the hard truth because Omgoodness gel polishes have been so beautiful, but I definitely got to the point where it hurt just to pick up or hold things and it finally hit me how serious this was. Took the gel off and it finally slowly started to dissipate. Thank you again, this video is a life changer on gel polishes. Sad but needed bubble bursting 😢😅.
I started getting those blisters on my fingertips and after researching i believed I had some sort of eczema. Then i did my nails and more blisters showed up and thats when i started researching allergic reactions to manicures and here we are. Had no idea this was possible thank you for your video!
Hi Deiyana! These products can be good when used properly. Sadly people don't know the ingredients can be highly allergenic and most companies don't insist on proper training prior to using these products. Once someone over-exposed themselves and ended up with an allergic reaction, it's for life and it can be quite serious.
Have you been to see a dermatologist for a proper diagnosis? I get these blisters and mine is pompholyx eczema. Nothing to do with my gel polish though
Thank you Anna for your passion and concern for your fellow human beings. This is a very important topic. I pray your message is heard by all who enjoy wearing nail polish. Prayers and Blessings, Debbie
I had this happen to me. Before the pandemic I did a “course” on how to do gel polish on yourself and thought I knew most things I needed to to start doing it on myself, so I started doing it. During the pandemic I started doing my nails more regularly and I developed this type of allergic reaction. Thankfully I went to the dermatologist and she prescribed a cream and I stopped using gel polish. I’ve tried doing my nails again after two years and the allergy appeared again. I even went to a salon that used different products and got the allergy again. I obviously stopped using them. But then tried doing my friends nails with two or even three gloves on and I still got the allergy!!! I finally got rid of the products and will never use gel polish again. Kinda sad because I loved it, but I’m thankful that I caught it early and didn’t get any permanent scars or problems. I loved the dedication you put into this video and how well you explained everything! I wish I had seen this earlier, had no clue! This needs to go viral!!! 🤍
I just wanted to make a small addition: there is no amount of low exposure or level of curing of gel that will protect you 100% from developing an allergy to acrylates (on top of no level of exposure ever being safe again once sensitized, of course). A well-cured gel just reduces the risk. A badly cured product makes it *more* likely by increasing the number of pathways and size of exposed skin area that these acrylates can contact to cause an immune response *somewhere* - but there’s still so many ways it can happen even in a fully cured gel, and not just from soaking it off or filing it off into dust and that dust settling on your skin, even if those make it so much more likely due to increase of contact surface. Even a fully cured (and properly cured) acrylate that’s not currently being removed can cause allergies - hence why people with properly cured gel nails don’t necessarily get allergies around the nail as the contact pathway in that area is made less possible from solidifying the product, but they can still get acrylate allergy just as much on other areas of the body that touch the fully cured gel. That’s for example allergic eczema on their eyelids from rubbing their eyes with their fully cured nails, or their lips when they put Vaseline on them with their gel nails (Vaseline being a hypoallergenic material that almost no-one reacts to, so not a likely culprit at all), or eczema on their ears from putting their hair back behind their ears so many times a day with their gel nails etc. Hell, allergic eczema of the ear canal is so common nowadays because surprise, those in ear earplugs many people use to listen to music or use as a headset since the rise of portable music players and modern multimedia phones? Contain acrylates! Responsible producers like apple will tell their customers about the acrylates in their headphones on their website so you don’t end up accidentally messing up your ear canal if you already know you have that allergy, and not all acrylates are the same risk, but every contact can cause a new development of an allergy anyways. That is to say: your headphones are most likely better hardened than your gel nails and can still give you allergies; so don’t ever dismiss the posssibility of a newly developing allergy to gels on the basis that they’ve been properly cured. Also, as a side note: if you do have a known acrylate allergy, you want to tell this to your dentist as well. There are modern tooth fillings made from acrylates and an acrylate allergy can lead to repeat/chronic lip inflammation, inner mouth and tongue sores as well as inflamed gums if gums touch the filling in those cases. Not all acrylates are equal (having an allergy to one doesn’t mean you’ll be allergic to all hundreds upon hundreds that there are in use, and the ones used at a dentist are usually very different and way less allergenic from the ones you use on your nails!), but your dentist should know regardless just to monitor for signs - because like Anna said, an allergy to one acrylate increases your chance of getting sensitised to even more things, including other acrylates.
Very good points! Everything in life is risky and nothing is 100%. But its important to know the risks, weigh out the pros and cons and make up your own mind. But most companies don’t tell people about the risks so majority people don’t even know they can be allergic. They think they are allergic to UV or something. Usually eyelids and lips get affects because the skin in this area is the thinnest. You don’t even have to touch that skin to react there. The microscopic dust settles on the skin and areas with thinner skin react. The fillings were always done (and I mean like modern times) from acrylates. Nail industry borrowed a lot from dentistry. First enhancements were done from a dental methyl methacrylate (MMA) liquid and acrylic polymers. Then they switched to more flexible ethyl methacrylate liquids.
@Schalenka Hase Thankyou for this information. Now I know why I get itchy ears when I use the in ear headphones. I also get the itching eyelids and behind the ears from tying back my hair as well when I use some nail products.
Just to add my experience….I had gel nails for a few years, never used anything but Shellac but I eventually had this same reaction. I asked if the lifting could be from Shellac and was told “no, she’d never seen it.” I assumed the itching and blisters were from an unclean instrument but always wondered. Stopped doing Shellac after it happened a second time. So glad to have my suspicions confirmed. I’m sad not to be able to have gel nails anymore because my nails are so full of ridges but grateful to know for sure that it’s not worth the risk. THANK YOU!!! I’ve watched your video on ridge fillers but if you could do any more to research the most effective (and safe) ones I could use with regular polish I’d really appreciate it. THANK YOU again for your wonderful channel and help! 🥰
I had this reaction from a cheap Amazon gel polish branded as "Syntus". Within hours, tiny hives all over fingers and fingertips. I used their base polish and the topcoat. After researching this brand, many others reported the topcoat was not fully curing. After removing ALL of this, allowing healing time and going back to my usual polish and topcoat, I have not had any problems. It really pays to use quality products.
Honestly the best/most informative video I’ve found on this issue and even though it’s a bummer that I can’t/shouldn’t do my own nails, I’m so grateful to actually know what’s going on. Have tried doing press on nails and still have a reaction, so maybe nail stickers? Having no nail polish is soooo much better than the pain from the allergy and is so worth it!
Thank you for this video, I'm trained and use professional products but have unfortunately encountered this when trying to save myself some money :( For anyone trying to recover from this: - Stop using all harsh chemical and nail products - Trim the nails as short as possible to avoid further damage - Use quality nail oil and moisturiser religiously - If you have any doubt of an infection see a doctor! Treat your nails like open wounds, they are incredibly susceptible to infection!
This video was very good to watch, thank you! I would like to do natural manicures like you do on your channel instead of gel at home since the only training I have is from watching YT. I have a few issues in the past from natural mani that I would like to ask about: 1. Yellowing nails. The natural polish always makes my nails yellow colored even with non yellowing top coat and then I’m embarrassed of the stain. I don’t want to buff it off every time and thin my nail. 2. Longevity lasts 1-3 days. I am a healthcare provider and wash my hands way more often than a regular person. All this water exposure can create lots of chips on a fresh mani by the end of a long day. 3. Nail break age. My nails grow when they have a hard layer protecting them otherwise they easily break frequently. They seem to be thin, flexible and peel sometimes. Hardeners make them completely crumble so I’ve learned never to use them. The only thing I can think of is to keep them very short and possibly covered with a protective coat of natural polish as your own nails are and seen in your natural nail videos. I like a small amount of length just past my finger tips to elongate and look elegant however these are some issues that have stopped me. Any advice and thoughts? Thanks so much! ❤
Thank you so much for talking about this ❤️ I had a very very bad allergic reaction a few years ago after I ignored itchy nails and a few little blister and was just switching the products for new brands. After months and a lot of gel experiments later I was finally allergic to every gel nail product under the sun and even some resin based superglues and crafting UV-resin. And my last allergic reaction was so bad, that my hole fingers were bloody and peeling almost to the Palm of my hands. I need to search for old pictures to send to you, so you can show people how much worse it will get if you just keep going. Please do Not ignore those warning signs, it is Not worth the risk! And thx again for sharing this, if I would have Seen this a few years ago it would have saved me so much pain and money!
Thank you so much for this video! Great information. I am a regular user of traditional nail polish and some friends and family had been encouraging me to try gel- I think I'll stick to lacquer :). I also know from courses I took in college that at least in the United States, cosmetics fall into a strange legal gray area. They are not foods or drugs, so their ingredients are simply not regulated. Even disclosure of ingredients or warnings about health hazards are not required for this category of products. We should all be very cautious- thank you for the warnings and for sharing photos of what this can look like :0
I hate gel polish. I dabbled in it a little bit, thankfully did not develop any allergies, but the thing I hated most about it is that it's so difficult to remove, requiring you to soak your nails in acetone, which dries my skin and nails out terribly. Also, using a dehydrator or similar product prior to applying the polish makes my nails brittle, sometimes to the point of permanent damage (splitting, peeling, etc.). So now I just avoid gel polish completely and I'll never go back.
Thank you Anna for all your advocacy work to help protect us from poor practice. I was so against gel and acrylic and their processes and then circumstances led me to begin going to a new salon and using gel. I guess you could say, my work in the garden and home means I’m quite hard wearing on my nails and in order for the nail not to split horizontally, I ended up with hard gel and not even realising the consequences. This was never explained to me! I guess I’m frustrated that the technician didn’t tell me how it would be removed if I wanted to stop - I guess she thought I wouldn’t stop. I’ve tended to go for a dark colour and then when the polish and builder gel was removed, I was shocked how dirty my nails were, even though I would use a nail brush several times a day. Then in order to get the dirt out, my now softer nails would split whilst I cleaned them in the salon and so the never ending hard gel process would continue. I had the hard gel removed last week as I wanted to go back to natural nails. My nail plate is scratched and the free edge is white, so I guess there’s some separation? I’m now using a natural polish brand that describes itself as containing natural ingredients, I’m in the UK. I can share details of this brand and/or ingredients, if you wish? I’d be glad to know your thoughts on the ingredients. I’ve been using CND oil, Vaseline and Neutrogena hand and nail cream for the last week, all of which I already have, but due to binge-watching your channel, I’ve ordered jojoba oil, wheat germ oil and cerave lotion and a glass cuticle remover. I already use a glass file. I’m keen to use an oil that can penetrate regular nail polish through to the nail bed. Apart from the scratched nail bed and a little hardness of the sidewalls, the condition of my proximal nail fold is ok, but I know I’m going to have to wait up to 6 months for the nails to grow out in order for the nails to get back to how they were before I started using gel every 3 weeks since last November. The last 6 months is a reminder to me never having gel or acrylics again 😳 I love your channel, it is so helpful. Thank you for all you do 😘
Thank you thank you thank you! I used to do gel manis for myself with a kit I bought. Not often but every once in a while. I had NO IDEA how dangerous it can be but I came across your video. I wasn't properly trained to do it and I could have messed myself up. After searching this subject I got rid of all of it. Not only that but I really dont even paint my nails anymore with regular polish. Even if the polish is entirely non toxic the nail polish remover upsets my nail beds and cuticles. I miss all my beautiful manicures but I can invest so much time and energy into other things. Once again, THANK YOU!!!
My husband had a reaction to my nails. I was using polygel as well as gel polish. I thought it was cured if the product was hard. I wish I knew then what I know now. I was also experiencing itchiness in other places on my body particularly my eyelids. It took a long while for me to realize it was the gel because my hands seemed ok. I was also experiencing just horrible allergy symptoms like itchy eyes and congestion. I always wore a mask when I filed it off, but it wasn't good enough. I feel so stupid now. I spent tons of money on those products too. I'm just glad I didn't experience permanent damage.
When I was in college 20+ years ago, I ended up at the dermatologist for a persistent rash around my eyes. I thought she was crazy when she said it was likely due to my nail polish, but sure enough, that was it!
Hi! Can I ask what brand(s) of gel polish you were using? I'm planning to stick to CND, Light Elegance or Bio Seaweed, but have been concerned about not only developing an allergy myself, but passing on on to my husband or kids. Thank you!
I’m watching all videos so that hopefully I learn how to do grow my nails healthy and correctly. Maybe once every 2 months doing my own nails with gel polish. I have had my nails gel polished only a couple of times a year, but unfortunately I have chronic illnesses that mean I get far too much back pain after for a few weeks. Hence the reason I do my nails at home now. First I’m trying to get my own nails healthy before putting gel on them again. Again thank you so much Anna. Xxxx big hugs 🤗
This happened to me 6 months ago and all of my nails came off after about 3 weeks, the nails are very sore to touch and some of the nails are raised and thick in places where they've grown back. During all of this, the fact that I had no nails meant that the skin around the nails kept splitting and I had to use suture strips to keep the skin together and heal - that took about 3 months to stop bleeding. Please be careful.
Same here! My nails became like tissue paper and peeled very low, I switched to press on nails until my nails grow back 😓 My skin was also extremely itchy on fingertips
Jim McConnell is an amazing source of information, I’ve watched several great videos with him in it. In my opinion CND, Light Elegance and Young Nails products are the best on the market. Not inexpensive but we’ll worth the money.
Your channel is such a treat because of videos like this. At home nails gel nails are super fun and cost effective but not when the products are shady with strange ingredients. Usually it is allergic reaction to HEMA that causes nail separation. I do my own nails at home too but I am CND shellac certified and its the only gel i would ever use because its user friendly and easy to remove.
Hi Frog! Thank you for your comment. HEMA is like the least of our worries right now. There are other and way more allergenic ingredients in some products. Please watch Jim McConnels video about allergens. He is a chemist and he knows what he is talking about. I included the link to his video in the description box
Thank you for taking the time to do this important video. I had done dip nails sporadically and dint have any problems with that, except this summer. The day I got the nails done, the nail tach told me she used a gel top coat so they will last longer since I was going to travel..a few days later I kept feeling some pain on my nails but I ignored the symptoms. I took the product on the third week and saw that my nails had started to lift, I noticed a couple of nails first but in a few days almost all of my fingernails were lifting. I cut them short and haven't used any nail polish and they have recovered after 2 months almost completely. So..even using gel top coat over the dip powder caused this problem.
Hi Yolanda! yes because there is always some skin contact. Was that a ni-wipe top coat? The no-wipe top coat cures almost fully but it has a tiny tiny sticky layer. When you put oil on that uncured residue gets rubbed into the skin and it's enough to cause allergic reaction in some people.
this video is very helpful! i got an allergic reaction from uncured polygel. after that i was allergic to literally everything even hema free gel polish. right now i just use regular nail polish and swore off all uv curable nail products. healthy nails are more important than cute designs. Also i had those small bumps but it spread through most of my finger like i had a HUGE blister and it took more than 3 months to fully heal after removing
Thank you so very much for doing this video I was wondering what was causing me to have this reaction when I’ve been getting my nails done since I was 16 now 39 and recently started to do my own nails at home. Watching this video you have answered every question that I have had and now I know that the reason this is happening to me is because my nails are extremely thin when I say extremely thin, I mean extremely so I’m gonna have to stop doing my nails for a very, very, very, very long time and allow my nails to actually heal properly and regrow my keratin level on my nails, which makes me very sad but now I am informed ❤
Your explanation is amazing! I think what she meant is that removing layers of the natural nails and essentially thinning them as well as removing and putting gel often is overexposing the allergen more excessively and will cause worsened reaction.
Thank you for showing such wonderful pictures of this! Also, wonderful info! I had an allergic reaction to a new gel product the other day. I’m in the 4th month of nail school. I immediately took the gel off and I’m wearing lacquer for now. I’m praying this isn’t permanent. I was being very careful but wasn’t wearing gloves. I’m a sensitive person and I think it was probably just a matter of time. Definitely more people need to be made aware of what to look for. I was guilty of buying pretty product that come from overseas. I hadn’t been educated on all of that unfortunately.
Hey! I've been using all kinds of nail polish since I was a child. (Extremely sloppily back then, but I don't get any on skin anymore) and luckily never developed an allergy to it! But because of your video, I'm going to discontinue using gel nail polish. Thank you for this important information!
Thank you for this great info! I love your content. Very informative. I listen to the whole episode! Not a nail tech- just do my own nails and appreciate all the great info so I can protect myself from any potential hazards. Keep up the great work!
This makes me so sad! My nails don't grow long without support from overlay products. Not only that, I used to be a nail biter and getting my nails done keeps me from nervously biting my nails and picking my cuticles. My hands are so gross now *sigh*. Thank you for the information despite my disappointment in hearing it lol.
I am so sad i didn’t find this video sooner, i took a nail tech class and started to try and do gel polish nails, i bought cheap gel polishes off amazon and cured them with an other brand uv lamp and the first time i did my own nails i reacted severely but i didn’t understand what was happening. And everytime i did my friends’ nails for practice i got reactions around my nails and also my eyes were super red. I am so annoyed too because i invested a lot of money in gel polishes and tools and i don’t think i should continue to touch it now that i saw this video, because i also had reactions with gloves, mask and eye goggles
Thank you it’s a pity we’re all don’t think to check out these products I’m 72 yrs now and I’ve not touched my nails since being a kid I had my nails done before Xmas thinking that it might help to strengthen my nails I’ve since found out it doesn’t so listening to you and learning about these problems is great
Hi happened to me after buying a new brand sold third-party through Walmart. Never with Opi which is my preffed brand. It was very afordable for six pack did say hypoallergentic, clean but it was abviously not. Research is important, I appreciate you pointing out companies buying in bulk and reselling. Now that makes sense. Thank you
So happy to come across your video. After years of getting gel manicure and/or gel over lay. I suddenly became allergic. itching that last days. I couldn’t figure out what was the cause. It was so bad 2 nails lifted. After almost a year of growing the bad nails out. I got a gel manicure and the itching began even worse. That’s when I figured it was the chemicals or light. That was enough for me. I’m now back to the good old air drying nail polish. Your video confirms my suspicions of it being gel products or the UV light. Thank you!!
So sorry to hear you developed overexposure! It’s an exposure to repeated contact with improperly cured (reactive) gels. If you were allergic to UV you would have the same reaction to the sunlight. UV/LED lamps emit light in 365 or 395 nanometer range. That’s the same range we are exposed to outside from the morning till sunset and this range penetrate the glass too so if you are in the car or near a window indoors you are exposed to this all day.
If anyone's curious, I believe Anna's talking about the indie brand Mentality. I know she wasn't naming names but I sure as hell will. Lab Muffin's got some possible theories on what it was that caused those allergic reactions but it more than likely seems like Mentality pulled something with their formula and decided to blame it on an actually reputable seller that they got the polish base from (Arminex, the parent company for Nubar polishes).
OMG! I get this with gel, acrylic, and even regular polish sometimes! Its just like hers but it also gets to the palm of my hands! No love has ever talked about it. I found out what it is on my own though. It's called Dyshidrosis! I'm not alone!!!!
If this happens after acrylic or gel or even polish then its allergic reaction to some of the ingredients in the nail products. Do you ever get it when not wearing any gel polish/acrylic/nail polish?
@@TheSalonLife nope. Its super rare with regular polish. Mostly with just gel and acrylic. Thanks for this btw. I'm able to tell my healthcare providers I have an acrylate allergy.
Thank you for covering this issue. I was getting this problem everytime I got them done. Each time it would get worse, and I was only getting them done every month but the healing process was unbearable. I had to stop recently. I was wondering if it was the uv lights, then now finding out it's the gel product, and the heat under the uv lights is basically cooking your skin with the heavy gel products. I'll definitely pass on this information. Thank you again!
The last couple of times I used ASP builder to bind my false nails, all my cuticles swelled and were itchy. Thank you for this! No more amateur usage for me
This is crazy to see since I have the same exact thing occurring to me. I am highly allergic to the point where I can’t even use press on nails. I had to wear bandaids on all my fingers and thumbs to hide the blisters. I had them around, under my nail beds to the point where I was crying. Thinking my nails were going to fall off. I have from now on only been using regular nail polish. On my toes, I can use gel polish with no issues. On a positive note, I save money on my hands but I do miss having long and crazy nails. But I rather be safe than sorry. Thank you again for this video. And thank you to the person who sent the photos. I don’t feel alone anymore.
2017 I got allergic to Orly Gel polish, I used base top and color. It started after maybe 2 months of on and off applications. I stopped for a while, just used normal polish and didn’t use gel polish for a while. Then used Gelish/ Harmony and their Polygel, was ok but didn’t use it much. Lately after long break of using only normal polish I got allergic again, I don’t use Gelish colors, but I am now allergic to Structure, Recovery, Foundation and Top it off. No lasting damage but nail lifting and peeling of the skin and redness. It’s healing off now. No Gel polish for me anymore, only normal polish now.
I watched this fascinating video with gratitude because I've not had to go through all this by trying home-based gel polish. I know I have Dazzle Dry as my ultimate nail polish system. DD is the perfect alternative to any kind of gel polish and I understand the science and research to prove this.
I wish I would have found this video earlier before I bought a bunch of gels from Amazon. I haven't had a reaction yet but I will have to make sure I am super careful. I am currently doing some nail rehab and taking a break because I let my nails get to weak.
I have very severe allergic contact dermatitis from cheap gel products on Amazon and my nails are so thin from over filing as I’m a nail picker, I struggle with not filing or doing something with my nails without having something on them. I can’t wear some nail polishes even but I emailed over to dazzle dry my list of allergies from allergy testing I had done no surprise hema. But dazzle dry doesn’t use any thing I’m allergic too so excited to get chance to wear color on my fingers again. Thank you so much for speaking about this, I really hope others speak to about this
HEMA is only in gel polishes, gels and liquid &powder systems (AKA. acrylic). There is no HEMA in traditional nail polishes. But HEMA is not the only allergen in these products. Usually people are allergic to few things.
Thank you for this information Anna! I used to do gel manicures at home and I was always terrified of something like this happening, but I always thought that as long as the polish didn't touch the skin I'd be fine, or at least that's what I read online. I still have some gel polishes and I'm tempted to destash them after watching this :/
Thanks for making this video! It's so unfair that we have to deal with this... I work with my hands (rough work, mind you), so regular polish just isn't an option for me. It would last literally five seconds. Oh how I wish I could just do my hands once a month and be presentable! The people who aren't allergic don't even know how lucky they are 😂😂
Thank you for posting this video .. I was never a nail person and thought something wrong with me so recently I start looking into gel nails as I thought it the safest way but u know what I do have very strong natural nails that grows very fast and what in the world am I thinking messing w my virgin nails 💅 . All it need is reshaping n art design there no need to put fakes stuffs on it when it not even my thing
I am having this same issue. My nails look horrible! I have lifting on several. I thought it was psoriasis. I would “over file” getting the old product off and then reapply new. Now it all makes sense….thanks for sharing
As a nailpolish junkie is know what you are talking about. The worst case of Chemical burn on a nail polish swatcher ever!Sadly i am allergic to gel polishes. Just like you talked about. Thank you for the video with sad news. But honest news. I know i will never try gel polish again. I have strong long natural nails now. Every day i put oil en lotion on my nails. I take good care of my nails and skin. Thanks again Anna💅🏼💅🏼
I have tried home gels years ago and yes I blistered, I actually put it down to using a cheap and nasty lamp. It was to painful to continue. It really is scary to think that these dangerous products are on the market. Your advise is brilliant and I am getting to learn so much about my nails and why they have problems. Thank you.
I went to a reputable salon…they claimed to use the light elegance products, but not sure what the heck happened to me there. I didn’t know, but I did ask many questions, most customers don’t and assume if highly recommended that they are professional…well there are so many variables, just like doctors…there are good ones and bad and one can really never tell until after the fact. I got an allergy, and I won’t ever use these products again. My nails were a mess. I don’t do at home stuff as good lord who know what you are getting. I believe because the science of this is complicated and complex, that people are playing Russian Roulette in their quest for beautiful nails. At first I was angry…still am that so many are unwittingly exposed to who knows what, but now I found your channel and have come to terms with it all, and I am following your advice. My nails have grown out healthy and beautiful over the past months (I know this by watching your channel) and I appreciate your videos to help me keep them that way. Your service here is invaluable even though I can’t have you do my nails. There is another woman, I believe she represents light elegance products here on you tube, but she is so smug and off putting I just can’t watch her channel, even though I agree with her. Your channel is thoughtful but truthful and it is appreciated, and your advice is simple and doable for us damaged nail sufferers. ☺️
I'm so glad I came upon your video. I have this problem and I thought I was allergic to the acrylic. I then tried testing polygel nails and had the same reaction. It is very painful and very very itchy. I also thought it could be the lamp. It just didn't come to mind that it could be the gel polish. My reaction this last time from trying the polygel just made me quit doing my nails. I still have these blisters but they have traveled down to the section above the upper nuckles and these blisters come and go and sometimes they are big blisters. I'm really scared to try anything anymore especially since you said that people can react to anything no matter what they try. Thank you so much for this video though, it was very informative and helpful!
Hi Karina! Well, its not a gel polish you are allergic to really but probably one or multiple ingredients that are in it. The thing is products like acrylic, gel etc share similar or same ingredients so once you develop allergic reaction to one you will probably be allergic to others
This is the exact reason I started using dazzle dry, because I started having allergic reactions. I tried a few more times with gel and then decided to go to regular polish. I started looking into fast drying polish and viola!
Absolutely fantastic video. This video is so needed! I’m in a bunch of nail related groups, mostly indie polish ones. One group is a mainstream nail art type group and it is amazing how many people are doing their own nails. I comment quite frequently telling them to only use the lamps recommended by the gel manufacturer and why. I tell them the dangers of contact of the skin with the gel and to go to a good nail tech. If they insist on doing their own nails, to get educated and practice on a fake hand first. I often quote you and recommending your videos. I’m in a FB group about nail allergies and boy are those stories sad and pictures scary. I’m going to post this video in as many groups as I can. I have to slightly disagree with you about indie polish. Most indie polish brands are very good. Some have been in business for 7+ years with no problems at all. I think Christie of KbShimmer has probably been in business for around 10 years. I can think of multiple others that has been making and selling polishes since at least 2014 and they haven’t ever cause problems. If an indie brand causes physical problems, most everyone in the indie community would eventually know about it. There are indie polish related groups that are really gossip groups. One even lets you post anonymously. I’ve been wearing indies for over 6 years and a lot of people a lot longer. I believe the brand you were talking about was Mentality polish. That was a rarity. Most indie brands are better made then mainstream. I’m very involved with indie polish community and in a LOT of fb indie polish groups. One group is indie buyer beware. Believe me, if there was an indie brand causing problems with nails, I’d know about it. I know about Mentality and that happened before I was buying indie polish.
Hey Sherri, Thank you for the lovely comment. We respect your opinion on the indie brands. You make some really good points. Hope you have a great day! :) - Anna/MSL
@@TheSalonLife I really and honestly love it when you give such good facts in your videos. It’s my opinion that you should keep giving them and should never worry about repeating yourself too much with any facts you give. People need to hear proper anatomical names and scientific facts about all things nail related. The subject of allergies is particularly important. It’s dangerous to have an allergy. Also, my experience is that once something like an allergy happens, it sensitizes your skin. So other things can irritate where they wouldn’t have before. Not being able to wear enhancements is something that is particularly important to me, as you might imagine, and I like to try to help others avoid nail and skin issues related to enhancements. Oh, and acrylics definitely did damage my thumbs matrix, and my nail techs were good. My body just decided it had enough. I so appreciate the time you put into this and all your videos, but particularly this one. When I comment on posts, I tell people I’m not a nail tech or an authority, but always say I get my information from Doug Schoon, tell his qualifications and I mention and link your UA-cam channel and mention some of your qualifications. (if there is a specific way you wish me to phrase your qualifications and something specific you want me to include PLEASE email it to me. I’m terrible with words and would keep it and copy and paste.) I give qualifications because I want people to understand that they should get information from experts and not just people on FB. Because there are so many people in various social media’s saying what to with nails, “use this lamp” or whatever, that one thing I want to get across is to get information from people who are trained and know what they are talking about. Your knowledge and wonderful passion (in the best way!!) comes across in the videos. That all may sound strange or weird, but it’s my opinion that if someone can take the time and effort to help others like you and MSL do, I should let them know how much I appreciate it and in your case, how valuable and important that help is. You and MSL have made an impact on my life and others, too.
I started having reactions to gel polish a year ago. The last salon I went to where I was a regular for a good 6 months, I got my nails done for new years, a few hours later my cuticles started itching really bad. I assume it was maybe something I touched and didn't realize, but I couldn't figure it out. The next day I notice little blister bumps formed around all 10 of my fingers, so I'm thinking it was because maybe their tools weren't clean. I thought maybe I'll just not scratch at it and let it heal itself. 2.5 weeks later it finally healed. I decided to let my sister who is a certified nail tech do my nails at home. After she was done, same thing happened but we couldn't figure it out why it's happening all over again because she always clean her tools. I took it off waited 2.5-3 weeks to do it again. Same thing happened. Went to the urgent care and the doc their said maybe its just gnat bites that I'm not aware of when I'm sleeping. He couldn't figure it out too because I still didn't think of the gel polish that was used every time. I did it one last time and finally realized I'm having an allergic reaction to the gel. Alitte bit of it got on my hand and that whole area bubbled up and was so itchy.
Yes me too! Bought a name brand product and it ate my nails. Thanks for bringing this subject up! 🎉 so yes I too research products before I use. The best ones are pricey but worth the price🎉 thanks
Gosh so happy I have seen your video. I started doing gel nails now, and I got a very bad blister on my fingers, I never told was the polish that was given me allergy reactions. Thanks for the video
I Feel vindicated. working in retail cosmetics and fashion I got gell as away to armour my nails as still have them look nice. I realised just how much they were damaging not just me but I thought about my manicurists and the environment too. In the midst of a career change just before Lock down I had commited to growing out my nails. Great vidis lots of great tips and advice.
I got an acrylic allergy dermatitis from the first time at a nail salon. They put way too long acrylics with that nasty glue and when I knocked my thumb the exposed flesh erupted into a painful blisters (and some other fingers) and my nail nearly come off. I researched and bought my own gel and polygels and have been doing all my other nails since. I use the cheap ones from temu and Ive never had a problem. 6 months later my thumb is still only 5mm and it may be a long time before there is enough nail to apply anything to but I will definitely stick with gel and polygel so I dont have to use that glue
Anna, thank you for this important & sobering information about gel polish. I haven't had gel polish. Never wanted it, but for certain I will never get it. Interestingly, you mentioned IBX in some videos, so I had to investigate. I came across a UA-cam video of someone doing ibx repair and strengthen treatments, she made a series of 3 "starts" over the course of a year and a half. There were no followups to show results. In her last "start" she said she started having a "reaction to something" and had to stop using that product. I watched her videos and it was clear to me what was wrong... she slathered the product all over and UNDER her nails including flooding the cuticles, dabbed the top of the nails only after removing from the heat lamp and then put all that in the uv lamp! Ugh. We can sometimes be our own worst enemies.
Thank you soooo much for this video!! I’ve been trying to find videos for this issue and get answers! I was doing nails for 4 months until I got a random allergic reaction and can’t even really enjoy doing custom press ons. Although it’s not as bad as a reaction to actually putting gel on, I’m still upset about not being able to do something I love. I was barely starting my nail business up and wasted so much money and time 🥺 but thank you for this to help me understand what even “under curing” bc I’ve only heard to cure it well when I have no idea what that even means. I was just self taught
Thank you for this! Please could you do a video as to why some gelpolish brands burn the nails when going under the lamp even with same brand lamps and another brand no problem!
Hi Michelle, I think she is talking about the exotermic reaction. All enhancement products create certain amount of heat when they cure. It has to do with molecules joining in longer chains and when that happens very quickly, so at the beginning of the cure, they release some heat. When it comes to UV cured gels this is not felt with a bonding gel but it happens with a thicker coat of builder gel. Some gels cure hotter then others. There can be few reasons, but mostly some gels are not formulated properly for the lamp they are curing with (lamp too strong causing overcuring) or too thick of a coat is applied or the nails are damaged and you can "feel" the heat through your nail plate on your nail bed. This can lead to painful burns.
Hi Gelanda, this is called an *exotermic reaction*. All enhancement products create certain amount of heat when they cure. It has to do with molecules joining in longer chains and when that happens very quickly, so at the beginning of the cure, they release some heat. When it comes to UV cured gels this is not felt with a bonding gel but it happens with a thicker coat of builder gel. Some gels cure hotter then others. There can be few reasons, but mostly some gels are not formulated properly for the lamp they are curing with (lamp too strong causing overcuring) or too thick of a coat is applied or the nails are damaged and you can "feel" the heat through your nail plate on your nail bed. This can lead to painful burns.
@@TheSalonLife thank you for responding. I use a brand that is very well know and never get a burning sensation with their potted gels or their gelpolish. However, i had a demo on a couple of nails with someone else with a different brand that i use and felt like my nails where on fire. Bear in mind that they were waiting for the same brand lamp that they using as the gelpolish so had to use a different lamp. Maybe that is why. Please continue making videos love watch them.
This was a very interesting and highly informative video.I use gel nails and had an intense allergic reaction to an American brand that I thought was due to hybrid gel and acrylic product. Now I understand better.
Hi Mariann! So sorry to hear about your allergy! I hope your poor fingers recovered and I hope that now you know how to avoid this in the future. Thank you for commenting 💕
I have been taking collagen & biotin to try to strengthen my nails. I had a Gel manicure once, and decided to try doing it myself. I bought the lamp and the gel. I hadn't gotten around to try doing it myself when I came across your video. THANK YOU. I will be throwing them out.
Biotin supplements have to be used with caution. In 2017 FDA put out a warning that biotin supplements can falsely lower troponin levels which are used to diagnose a heart attack.
Wow your video was so informative! Thank you so much. I started having allergic reactions to gel Polish about two years ago. It has been a nightmare. Numerous visits to the dermatologist, several medications. Because I love having nice nails, I’ve tried again and again. No success.
Thank you for this video. I had this happen to me a few years ago and I couldn’t figure out what caused the problem. I was experimenting with gel polish/gel lamp but I was also using a nail strengthener. I just assumed it was the nail strengthener so I stopped using it. Two weeks ago I decided to try gel polish again along with a builder gel and this happened to me again, but more so under the nail versus around the nail. 7 of my nails were red and inflamed. I had to cut my nails down and for now I am using an ointment to treat contact dermatitis and eczema. Thankfully the inflammation is gone and my nail beds no longer hurt. I had nail lifting the first time around too and that took me a long time to grow out. I still had it on two of my ring fingers even now. I am praying that I can stop the nail lifting. I will no longer be using gel polish or gel lamps on my nails. Thankfully all of the damage is closer to the free edge of my nails and not at the eponychium. I’m also using the CND solar oils to keep my nails hydrated. I’m keeping my nails polish free until I can get them to heal and the nail to thicken since they are paper thins.
Oh, wow. I've been thinking for a while about buying a really cheap gel polish kit to do on myself and I am so glad that I found this video before I did. I've also been thinking about getting certified as a nail tech, so instead until then, I'll stick to my full cover gel-x dupe nails for now, (since I have yet to develop an allergic reaction *knocks on wood*) and I've just been using regular polish. I found a really good gel-like quick dry top coat that saves me from ruining the end finish. Thank you, thank you for this information, I will stick to my regular polish for now until I can save up to get some good quality and trusted gel nail polish. Again... Thank you!
I’m interested in getting a gel x kit too. But would what it use to attach the gel x tips to our nails, that base gel/ glue layer also have the same ingredients that develop allergic reaction? Wish Anna could help to answer the question 💓 What is the product that you use to attach the gel x tips? Is it a base coat and glue that need to be cured under a UV lamp?
Also while I’m at it, I’ve just started doing gel nails at home and the gel polishes I got are from some proper Korean and Japan companies, not some unknown brands off Amazon or aliexpess. I hope these should be reasonably safer than some random rebottled products. I’m definitely going to look up more about the products I’m using though. Wonder if CND and OPI gel is a relatively less risky option out there 🤔 Since I’ve already own some gel polishes and not ready to throw everything away just yet, I’m thinking if I could invest in some safer base and top coat or use the gel on fake nail tips 💅🏻 Hope Anna could see this 🤞🏻
Hi Alana, very often when people change product but don't change the reason why they developed allergy in the first place, which usually is improper cure and or improper technique (and that is not limited to touching the skin during application) one eventually develops allergy to the new product too. HEMA is not a problem. Improper use of HEMA and too much HEMA is the problem. We've been using HEMA in the industry for many many years, I personally have been using HEMA based products for over 25 years. Not one client developed allergy and for years and years allergies were quite uncommon. Since the gel polishes hit DIY market and generally wide market the allergies became an epidemic. It's not the HEMA, it's improper use of HEMA, but the companies would rather demonise an ingredient instead of looking at blaming themselves for not being very clear that these products can be highly allergenic and should only be used after an extensive training. But sales to DIY are a bigger market than pro market so problem continues. I'm not blaming DIY at all. People are just trying to have nice nails. Very often quality of work in salons is very questionable and not very safe either. I'm keeping the companies who irresponsibly market these products to unaware public responsible for this mess.
Tha k you gor covering this topic and foe being on top of ur game with the chemical knowledge about polish ingredients and what is harmful and what is what.. 👍
This happened to me!!!! It went away in like 3 months!! I had exactly EVERYTHING that was on those pictures and WORSE! My fingers swole up soo bad where I had to go to hospital! My mails fell off! And my reaction was ALL over my body including my private! My reaction was from head to toe! I have more of my story but yes This is bad.
I started doing gel nails at home during quarantine like other ladies here and developed a horrible allergic reaction. I have always loved doing my nails, plus gel helped to grow my nails long so I decided to start doing at home. After doing my own nails for two months, i developed the reaction where my nails started lifting from my nail bed, had painful swollen red fingers, and blisters. The pain was so bad, I woke up in the middle of the night and had to remove my gel paint in the middle of the night. I did an extensive research, but there was not much information available nor the dermatology testing back when it happened to me. I wish I had found you earlier. After letting my nails heal for one year, I decided to try Orly brand. At first I did not get any allergic reactions so I started changing my nails frequently and developed an allergic reaction again but it was not as bad as previously. I completely stopped doing my nails for about two years. I researched and learned the right techniques to do it. Then I imagined I was allergic to HEMA and ordered European brand products which I started using with the right techniques and by God’s grace I have not developed any allergic reaction and its been 3 months. I decided to give Orly brand another try and I have no allergic reaction to it anymore which is very interesting. But I am definitely still allergic to gel polishes which aren’t at least 10-free and/or HEMA free. Although my allergy isn’t as bad as few years back, I just get small blisters which goes away after 3-4 days but I don’t put myself through that discomfort. You are God sent for putting all these information out for beginners like me who can still rescue themselves from this allergy.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! Allergies like these do not go away. When people go from one line to another they overexpose themselves to more and more allergens and they become allergic to more and more ingredients. Your body does not forget and by introducing allergen your body will recognise it faster. If the allergen is weaker it might take longer. But if lets say you are allergic to shrimp does it matter what kind of manufacturer makes the food with it? Does it matter where you eat it? Is it smart to eat "just a little bit of it" to see if the allergy went away? Your allergy is the same but you might not be exposing yourself to the same ingredients. Blisters is a bad sign. I would do a full stop.
These pictures show a very mild reaction to my nails … the skin on my fingers have split due to swelling on my fingers … I’m quite worried that I will loose 2 finger nails … that’s the end of gel nails for me … I work in a hospital so I need to be careful about infection … I wish I could send you pictures
I am shocked about all this information! I am really happy I never experienced anything like that. I do my own nails with regular polishes from as far as i can remember, and i had gel nails just once last year. I didn’t have a reaction, but i just isn’t for me. I filed them off on the 3rd day and it took me 5 months to grow my nail back to how it should be. Sad thing is that all nail artists say that gel nails is not damaging your nails. Even more, that it will make them better. I never believed in that.
Hi Paula! Properly, responsibly formulated products, used by trained and properly educated professionals are low risk. The problem is that these companies sell to anyone advertising that this is so simple just like polishing nails. Any lamp will cure. And that's what happens. I literally just got an email with pictures of a bad reaction someone is having, poor lady, and she didn't know why this was happening to her. One look and I knew. And I knew which type of product she used without her telling me. These companies don't educate, they don't talk about risks and these are serious reactions. This lady's nails lifted 50%-75% off the nail bed and there is a big gap between the nail and the nail bed. Her nails look deformed. It's very upsetting.
I hope so too!! I will contact the people who sent me pictures and ask them for an update :) That would be cool to make update videos. Great idea, thank you!!
I have done my own gel nails for 2 years, all of the sudden, after putting on a new set with a promoted gel from China, My finger tips turned blue. I thought I was having a heart attack. My heart was beating fast. I went to the ER, they didn’t know what it was, but guessed it was my Gel nails. My fingers started to swell, I left and went home to quickly remove the nail gel. Nails continued to get worse for 1 day, then turned around and stated to heal. Now they were red and blue, bruised looking. After 2 weeks now peeling, I found that a coating of new skin liquid bandage soothes the pain and keeps that air out of the damage. It’s just awful! I have pictures but I don’t know how to get them to you. 37:39
I have palmoplantar pustulosis so the blisters I got were very similar to the ones I usually get. Thinking I just had a flare up, I continued to do my nails and got a pretty awful infection in all 10 of my fingers. I got blisters all over my cuticles and bigger ones on the fingertips. I had to stop work and get a prescription cream from the doctor that cost $95 and wasn't covered by insurance. The infection is gone but my nails are not the same. And now I have all this gel stuff.
Im having this reaction and guess what else? The bottle of the blue joyti brand fell over and some got onto my ankle and part of the foot. 3 days later I’m still itching only where that color spilled on me! I must be allergic to all gel-related now. Im Done. DONE. Thank you for the video.
Took a class in allergies and washing hands after monomer filing with either gel or acrylic nails is important as the cuticle oil will make monomer penetrate skin and bond with proteins and create allergens.
The problem with gel is that it’s sticky and it doesn’t come off with washing. When the gel polish is properly cured and the sticky layer removed it’s safe to put oil on. With acrylic (liquid and powder) yes it would be q good idea to wash hands to wash off the dust (which won’t be cured properly yet) from the skin after shaping the acrylic.
A very popular brand of gel polish has been causing a TON of allergies. One tech had 13 clients have a reaction from this brand. When people started asking questions, there was threats and pushback. But day by day, more and more techs are coming to the group showing their clients reactions from this brand (especially their BIAB).
So true.. I also think exposure happens by cutting the PNF... And everyone I know is removing the skin... I am following a nail course and the Russian manicure is essential according to them..... I asked now if I can skip the Russian Manicure... I really hope so... but I do think that allergic reaction are also due to cutting the PNF
![Nail damage, HEMA fears, allergic reactions & what nail tech doesn't tell you. [Anna's Nail Advice]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/WNTmeMK7saA/mqdefault.jpg)
Oh my goodness Thank you so much for addressing this problem . During the pandemic I got into doing my own nails and I had no idea this could happen. I was creating all kinds of beautiful nails I was trying to break into this as a hobby passion of mine invested so much money time and unfortunately I developed an allergic reaction . Not knowing what was happening I kept re exposing myself . Finally went to dermatologist realized I had an allergic reaction . Then I began researching into products and investing more into products I thought I could maybe use and the problems persisted. Now I’ve decided to just take a break from all nail products until I can properly heal again my natural nail beds . It’s getting better slowly but I thank you so much for addressing this because about a year ago there weren’t any videos about this topic in-fact it was very difficult to find anyone to discuss the issue. Now I’m starting to see more and more people come forward addressing this issue. So thank you again . I’ll let you know how I do I’ve decided not to enhance or use anything for at least six months l. Not even press ons with regular glue as I seemed to be able to tolerate a bit better . Anyhow I’ll definitely check back and let you how I am . ❤️Praying things will get better and I’ll be able to find a product I can eventually work with .
Same story here. The only brand i can use is CND. The only real hypoallergenic brand.
hello, can u write if u find some hypoallergenic product for gel polish?
@@tikunanikolishvili4674 CND Shellac👍
@@Daantjuwh I've all CND shellac and developed the worst allergy and onycholysis ever😓
I have the same allergy. I gave all of my stuff away. CND Shellac was definitely not hypoallergenic for me!
12:00 led bulb lamp curing gel vs traditional uv bulb
14:50 how they determine if it’s cured
17:00 wipe the uncurled layer off with 90% alcohol
And don't rub side to side. Place the wipe on the nail and wipe straight down to the free edge and do NOT reuse the wipe on other nails.
I just recently found a way to do press on's with my extremely sensitive nail allergy.
Background:
After 10 years of getting acrylics, I became allergic (I found out in 2017). My allergy has progressively got bad. I cannot get acrylics of any kind (no polygel or dip powder), gel polish, press on nails (allergic to the nail glue), and most recently found out that I can't get lash extensions- and I found out the hard way by ending up in the ER. I also can't even get a pedicure b/c I can't even be in the same salon where people are getting acrylics or using gel polish because I developed an allergy to the particles in the air and inhaling them (and I went in with a mask during COVID).
I was SO hopeless because I can't do anything "girly". I actually found and tested a method that uses nail guards to cover and protect the nail, to which I had NO reaction to and found a way to do press on's and make them last (2-3 weeks!). Key here is to not allow it to touch your skin or nail without the barrier PLUS take your time doing it. I recommend the nail guards for anyone who is also not allergic and just gets their nails done regularly, to prevent an allergy from forming and to protect their natural nails.
Things needed:
- Nail File
- Acetone/nail dehydrator
- Cotton Balls/Cotton Pads
- Orly Bonder (Rubberized Coat) or any bonder of your choice (some bonders have acrylates in them so check ingredients to ensure they don't. Orly does not contain any acrylates of any kind)
- Dashing Diva Nail Guard Kit (this is optional, please see more in Things to know section below- bought at Sally's or Online on their website. I believe Amazon also has them as well)
- Nail adhesive tabs (I like the Kiss Tab To Go Super Adhesive Tabs)
- Nail Glue of your choice (I like Kiss brand but I also saw that Dashing Diva also has the Fast Bond nail glue that I heard was good too)
- Press on nails of your choice
Steps:
1) Slightly buff nails with nail file. Also, slighty buff the inside of the press on nails too (the area that matches up to where it will go on over the nail)
2) Dehydrate nails with acetone and cotton pad/cotton ball. Do the same with the press on nails where it will go over your natural nail.
3) Use 2 coats of Orly Bonder over each of your nails. Ensure that it dries fully. 1 coat for me did not cut it or create that rubbery base coat that I needed.
4) Apply a strip of Dashing Diva Nail Guards to your nail. One side will stick to your nail, the other side will NOT be sticky. File down as needed to fit your nail.
5) This is where the adhesive tabs come in- apply the adhesive tab to your nail. I try to focus it on the middle, as they usually do not cover the entire nail for me.
6) On top of the Adhesive tab, apply a tiny dot (not even a full drop) of nail glue in the middle of the adhesive tab/nail, ensuring that it does not touch your skin, the cuticle, or would spill over your nail onto your skin. Let the drop sit for a second and slightly get tacky so it doesn't move a lot when you press the nail down.
7) Apply the nail on top of the adhesive tab with the tiny drop of glue. Press and hold the nail for about 30 seconds.
THINGS TO KNOW:
• I RECOMMEND DOING A PATCH TEST BY DOING 1 to 2 NAILS AND WAITING ABOUT 24 HOURS TO SEE IF YOU GET A REACTION. YOU WILL NEED TO APPLY THIS VERY CAREFULLY AND AVOID GETTING PRODUCT ON YOUR SKIN, AS YOU SHOULD WITH ALL NAIL PRODUCTS.
• Optional: After applying your Orly rubber based coat, you can apply one tiny micro drop of nail glue on your nail and then the adhesive tab over it to secure the tab to the nail. Ensure that if you use the nail glue, it goes in the middle of your nail and is a TINY drop (I mean like micro) so that it does not come in contact with your skin or cuticles. However, I would recommend patch testing with this method.
• The Dashing Diva Nail Guard contains acrylates copolymer. Most people are allergic to the monomers as opposed to the copolymer- if I am not mistaken and based on what I read, the copolymer is the finished version of it as opposed to the monomer which is the unfinished version of it (I am in no way a chemist nor scientist so please read up and don't quote me, lol). There are a lot of products that we use that contain acrylates copolymer (lipstick, mascara, eyeliner, skin care products, sun screen and even some popular face washes- I searched the ingredients of my face washes and most of them had them in there!).
EWG (Environmental Working Group) has information on acrylate copolymer and will rate and list all products that contain it here:
www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredients/700123-ACRYLATES_COPOLYMER/
• I tend to do my press on nails at night, after I clean and shower to ensure that they have plenty of time to set over night without getting wet, having to wash your hands and do too much moving. They last WAY longer that way.
• I like to prep my hands by exfoliating them about an hour or 2 before and moisturizing my hands with a good cream or lotion (like CeraVe) and giving it time to set into my skin to create a good barrier. I have even heard of some people soaking their hands in olive oil and then washing them to balance out the moisture. Prepping your hands is a must.
• If you don't want to do all of the steps above, you can just do the prep, apply the bonder, adhesive tab, and drop of nail glue on the adhesive tab and then the press on nail. That method worked good and the nail lasted me over 2 weeks as well, I wash dishes everyday and of course, shower, and bathe my kids. The nail didn't come loose at all. The dashing diva strips really protect the nail though.
I hope this helps those of you who are in desperate need to be girly again and be able to get your nails done! Also, I hope this helps a nail tech who has a client that comes across the same issues I did. I am considering making a video covering this and going over all of the steps.
Please make a video with the steps… I’m crying 😢 I cannot do nails anymore… I’m in pain physically and emotionally
I have had allergic reactions to hair dye in the past, which just got worse every time I dyed my hair. I also tried all the natural, more gentle dyes as well. The very last time I dyed my hair (2 year’s ago) my body started to go into anaphylactic shock. If I hadn’t of taken a large dose of anti-histamine before my appointment with the hairdresser, I would have ended up in hospital. All allergies need to be taken seriously, including allergies on our nails. Thank you Anna, for shinning light on this subject. Love your channel 😊
thanks for sharing this! i often wonder if they lead to autoimmune disorders. i keep a benadryl on me at all times
I started using henna because I developed an allergy to oxidative hair dyes also.
Omg, that’s horrible. I got a super dry scalp that is still with me to this date. Glad you pulled through!!
@Jessica H alot of people are also allergic to Henna as well as regular hair dyes. Going blonde is safer as reactions are rare.
Seeing these pictures confirms what I suspected- I’m allergic to the dip polish I was getting. It took a few applications for the allergy to fully develop and for me to figure it out. The nail techs never acknowledged that it was happening or suggested what might have caused it. I can actually do gel (at the salon) but my nails suffer if I do it too many times in a row. So I appreciate the great information you have and am taking much better care of the skin around my nails now. Thankfully I don’t think I have permanent damage.
Hi Anna, I love your videos and ironically my interest in nail care all started when I was diagnosed with a nail polish allergy. I had a skin patch test done by a board certified dermatologist and discovered I am allergic to tosylamide epoxy resin which is often found in many “air dry” nail polishes, such as Dazzle Dry, many OPI and Essie products (but not all) plus many more brands especially in the base coats. For example Essie Expressie does not have it but their original line does. One must read the labels carefully if allergic to a particular ingredient. So I would highly encourage anyone who suspects they may have an allergy to nail polish of any kind should get patch tested. They will also test for many other common allergens including many gel polish ingredients. Insurance should cover this type of testing.
I too have an allergy to gel nail products, soft gel mainly. I also had an allergy to Essie polish , the one that strengthens your nails, it just made around the cuticles itchy, but gel polish turns me into frankenfingers.
I am really enjoying these SOLO videos. Your experience and vast knowledge really shine through. I don't mind the length of the video when you discuss these somewhat difficult problems in such a serious and caring manner. You are the real star of The Salon Life.
I’m just starting to watch but so glad you are covering this . I have gone through this numerous times in my life, acrylics, bio sculpture, dip powder, gel polish - at salons. Not the salons fault at all, I’m just super allergic. Last summer was the worst - my nails were in way worse shape than hers and I was afraid they would be deformed forever. I had to go 4 months with nothing on them and it took until January before they were finally grown out and strong again. Now I just polish them at home myself with Vinylux and they actually look prettier natural than they did with extensions. Looking forward to the rest of the video.
Anna, I love you for making this video. A friend of mine had a reaction to gel polish and was told it was herpes virus (😱) and had this happen three times before she gave up gel polish altogether.
More people need to be aware of this issue and I thank you for putting it out there ❤️
Hi Kiki. Believe it or not people can get herpes virus on their fingers or toes but i don’t think it would show up on all the nails all around the nail. It would be a cluster in one area not both hands. But the blisters can look similar.
Either way, your poor friend. I feel for her. And the sad thing is that it’s very preventable. Thankfully there are other choices like a regular polish. Hopefully she is ok with regular polish. Nothing will give you 100% assurance that it won’t cause reaction but I highly recommend Dazzle Dry (link in the description box). Longest lasting polish that dries absolutely fully in 5 min and it’s hypoallergenic too. Very gentle on the nails.
Herpes doesn't look like that
@@TheSalonLife is this a replacement for gel top coat? My issue is I’ve become allergic to what seems like just the top costs I use.
I have this blister right now. Its so itchy and it hurts. I dont know how to cure it, I would probably stop doing DIY nails 😢
So happy I found you. I have had gel nails for at least 30 years. Just removed them as they would not hold more than a couple of days. I now have 3 nails which are more than 50% detached from nail bed. I am so discouraged but know that following your advice will help me be patient for the many months to come before they look even decent. Never again!
Thank you for your honesty and professionalism. I use only a gel base under regular polish, but I am going to now invest in a CND lamp and CND base, to avoid potential issues. Thank you, Anna! ......Purchased today using your affiliate link, of course!!!
What is a CND lamp and polish??
Invest is a great word. I think so many of us (DIYers) bought what we thought was most economical when we started DIY during COVID. Now really investing. Taking classes through The Nail Hun to be safe and then also be able to buy Level 1 professional products!!! ❤
I will forever love you for creating this video. This exact thing happened to me, and you explained it so eloquently and easy to understand. I so appreciate you giving us the hard truth because Omgoodness gel polishes have been so beautiful, but I definitely got to the point where it hurt just to pick up or hold things and it finally hit me how serious this was. Took the gel off and it finally slowly started to dissipate. Thank you again, this video is a life changer on gel polishes. Sad but needed bubble bursting 😢😅.
I started getting those blisters on my fingertips and after researching i believed I had some sort of eczema. Then i did my nails and more blisters showed up and thats when i started researching allergic reactions to manicures and here we are. Had no idea this was possible thank you for your video!
Hi Deiyana! These products can be good when used properly. Sadly people don't know the ingredients can be highly allergenic and most companies don't insist on proper training prior to using these products.
Once someone over-exposed themselves and ended up with an allergic reaction, it's for life and it can be quite serious.
Have you been to see a dermatologist for a proper diagnosis? I get these blisters and mine is pompholyx eczema. Nothing to do with my gel polish though
Pompholyx eczema can be caused by allergies to anything and that includes gel polishes.
Thank you Anna for your passion and concern for your fellow human beings. This is a very important topic. I pray your message is heard by all who enjoy wearing nail polish. Prayers and Blessings, Debbie
Thank you DJS! 🙏❤️
I had this happen to me. Before the pandemic I did a “course” on how to do gel polish on yourself and thought I knew most things I needed to to start doing it on myself, so I started doing it. During the pandemic I started doing my nails more regularly and I developed this type of allergic reaction. Thankfully I went to the dermatologist and she prescribed a cream and I stopped using gel polish. I’ve tried doing my nails again after two years and the allergy appeared again. I even went to a salon that used different products and got the allergy again. I obviously stopped using them. But then tried doing my friends nails with two or even three gloves on and I still got the allergy!!! I finally got rid of the products and will never use gel polish again. Kinda sad because I loved it, but I’m thankful that I caught it early and didn’t get any permanent scars or problems. I loved the dedication you put into this video and how well you explained everything! I wish I had seen this earlier, had no clue! This needs to go viral!!! 🤍
Thank you so much for sharing!
I just wanted to make a small addition: there is no amount of low exposure or level of curing of gel that will protect you 100% from developing an allergy to acrylates (on top of no level of exposure ever being safe again once sensitized, of course). A well-cured gel just reduces the risk. A badly cured product makes it *more* likely by increasing the number of pathways and size of exposed skin area that these acrylates can contact to cause an immune response *somewhere* - but there’s still so many ways it can happen even in a fully cured gel, and not just from soaking it off or filing it off into dust and that dust settling on your skin, even if those make it so much more likely due to increase of contact surface.
Even a fully cured (and properly cured) acrylate that’s not currently being removed can cause allergies - hence why people with properly cured gel nails don’t necessarily get allergies around the nail as the contact pathway in that area is made less possible from solidifying the product, but they can still get acrylate allergy just as much on other areas of the body that touch the fully cured gel. That’s for example allergic eczema on their eyelids from rubbing their eyes with their fully cured nails, or their lips when they put Vaseline on them with their gel nails (Vaseline being a hypoallergenic material that almost no-one reacts to, so not a likely culprit at all), or eczema on their ears from putting their hair back behind their ears so many times a day with their gel nails etc.
Hell, allergic eczema of the ear canal is so common nowadays because surprise, those in ear earplugs many people use to listen to music or use as a headset since the rise of portable music players and modern multimedia phones? Contain acrylates! Responsible producers like apple will tell their customers about the acrylates in their headphones on their website so you don’t end up accidentally messing up your ear canal if you already know you have that allergy, and not all acrylates are the same risk, but every contact can cause a new development of an allergy anyways. That is to say: your headphones are most likely better hardened than your gel nails and can still give you allergies; so don’t ever dismiss the posssibility of a newly developing allergy to gels on the basis that they’ve been properly cured.
Also, as a side note: if you do have a known acrylate allergy, you want to tell this to your dentist as well. There are modern tooth fillings made from acrylates and an acrylate allergy can lead to repeat/chronic lip inflammation, inner mouth and tongue sores as well as inflamed gums if gums touch the filling in those cases. Not all acrylates are equal (having an allergy to one doesn’t mean you’ll be allergic to all hundreds upon hundreds that there are in use, and the ones used at a dentist are usually very different and way less allergenic from the ones you use on your nails!), but your dentist should know regardless just to monitor for signs - because like Anna said, an allergy to one acrylate increases your chance of getting sensitised to even more things, including other acrylates.
Very good points!
Everything in life is risky and nothing is 100%. But its important to know the risks, weigh out the pros and cons and make up your own mind.
But most companies don’t tell people about the risks so majority people don’t even know they can be allergic. They think they are allergic to UV or something.
Usually eyelids and lips get affects because the skin in this area is the thinnest. You don’t even have to touch that skin to react there. The microscopic dust settles on the skin and areas with thinner skin react.
The fillings were always done (and I mean like modern times) from acrylates. Nail industry borrowed a lot from dentistry.
First enhancements were done from a dental methyl methacrylate (MMA) liquid and acrylic polymers. Then they switched to more flexible ethyl methacrylate liquids.
@Schalenka Hase Thankyou for this information. Now I know why I get itchy ears when I use the in ear headphones. I also get the itching eyelids and behind the ears from tying back my hair as well when I use some nail products.
Just to add my experience….I had gel nails for a few years, never used anything but Shellac but I eventually had this same reaction. I asked if the lifting could be from Shellac and was told “no, she’d never seen it.” I assumed the itching and blisters were from an unclean instrument but always wondered. Stopped doing Shellac after it happened a second time. So glad to have my suspicions confirmed. I’m sad not to be able to have gel nails anymore because my nails are so full of ridges but grateful to know for sure that it’s not worth the risk. THANK YOU!!!
I’ve watched your video on ridge fillers but if you could do any more to research the most effective (and safe) ones I could use with regular polish I’d really appreciate it.
THANK YOU again for your wonderful channel and help! 🥰
I had this reaction from a cheap Amazon gel polish branded as "Syntus". Within hours, tiny hives all over fingers and fingertips. I used their base polish and the topcoat. After researching this brand, many others reported the topcoat was not fully curing. After removing ALL of this, allowing healing time and going back to my usual polish and topcoat, I have not had any problems. It really pays to use quality products.
Honestly the best/most informative video I’ve found on this issue and even though it’s a bummer that I can’t/shouldn’t do my own nails, I’m so grateful to actually know what’s going on. Have tried doing press on nails and still have a reaction, so maybe nail stickers? Having no nail polish is soooo much better than the pain from the allergy and is so worth it!
Thank you for this video, I'm trained and use professional products but have unfortunately encountered this when trying to save myself some money :( For anyone trying to recover from this:
- Stop using all harsh chemical and nail products
- Trim the nails as short as possible to avoid further damage
- Use quality nail oil and moisturiser religiously
- If you have any doubt of an infection see a doctor!
Treat your nails like open wounds, they are incredibly susceptible to infection!
This video was very good to watch, thank you! I would like to do natural manicures like you do on your channel instead of gel at home since the only training I have is from watching YT. I have a few issues in the past from natural mani that I would like to ask about:
1. Yellowing nails. The natural polish always makes my nails yellow colored even with non yellowing top coat and then I’m embarrassed of the stain. I don’t want to buff it off every time and thin my nail.
2. Longevity lasts 1-3 days. I am a healthcare provider and wash my hands way more often than a regular person. All this water exposure can create lots of chips on a fresh mani by the end of a long day.
3. Nail break age. My nails grow when they have a hard layer protecting them otherwise they easily break frequently. They seem to be thin, flexible and peel sometimes. Hardeners make them completely crumble so I’ve learned never to use them.
The only thing I can think of is to keep them very short and possibly covered with a protective coat of natural polish as your own nails are and seen in your natural nail videos. I like a small amount of length just past my finger tips to elongate and look elegant however these are some issues that have stopped me. Any advice and thoughts? Thanks so much! ❤
Thank you so much for talking about this ❤️
I had a very very bad allergic reaction a few years ago after I ignored itchy nails and a few little blister and was just switching the products for new brands. After months and a lot of gel experiments later I was finally allergic to every gel nail product under the sun and even some resin based superglues and crafting UV-resin. And my last allergic reaction was so bad, that my hole fingers were bloody and peeling almost to the Palm of my hands. I need to search for old pictures to send to you, so you can show people how much worse it will get if you just keep going.
Please do Not ignore those warning signs, it is Not worth the risk!
And thx again for sharing this, if I would have Seen this a few years ago it would have saved me so much pain and money!
Hope you're OK now... 🙏
Thank you so much for this video! Great information. I am a regular user of traditional nail polish and some friends and family had been encouraging me to try gel- I think I'll stick to lacquer :). I also know from courses I took in college that at least in the United States, cosmetics fall into a strange legal gray area. They are not foods or drugs, so their ingredients are simply not regulated. Even disclosure of ingredients or warnings about health hazards are not required for this category of products. We should all be very cautious- thank you for the warnings and for sharing photos of what this can look like :0
I hate gel polish. I dabbled in it a little bit, thankfully did not develop any allergies, but the thing I hated most about it is that it's so difficult to remove, requiring you to soak your nails in acetone, which dries my skin and nails out terribly. Also, using a dehydrator or similar product prior to applying the polish makes my nails brittle, sometimes to the point of permanent damage (splitting, peeling, etc.). So now I just avoid gel polish completely and I'll never go back.
Thank you Anna for all your advocacy work to help protect us from poor practice.
I was so against gel and acrylic and their processes and then circumstances led me to begin going to a new salon and using gel.
I guess you could say, my work in the garden and home means I’m quite hard wearing on my nails and in order for the nail not to split horizontally, I ended up with hard gel and not even realising the consequences. This was never explained to me! I guess I’m frustrated that the technician didn’t tell me how it would be removed if I wanted to stop - I guess she thought I wouldn’t stop.
I’ve tended to go for a dark colour and then when the polish and builder gel was removed, I was shocked how dirty my nails were, even though I would use a nail brush several times a day. Then in order to get the dirt out, my now softer nails would split whilst I cleaned them in the salon and so the never ending hard gel process would continue.
I had the hard gel removed last week as I wanted to go back to natural nails. My nail plate is scratched and the free edge is white, so I guess there’s some separation?
I’m now using a natural polish brand that describes itself as containing natural ingredients, I’m in the UK. I can share details of this brand and/or ingredients, if you wish? I’d be glad to know your thoughts on the ingredients.
I’ve been using CND oil, Vaseline and Neutrogena hand and nail cream for the last week, all of which I already have, but due to binge-watching your channel, I’ve ordered jojoba oil, wheat germ oil and cerave lotion and a glass cuticle remover. I already use a glass file. I’m keen to use an oil that can penetrate regular nail polish through to the nail bed.
Apart from the scratched nail bed and a little hardness of the sidewalls, the condition of my proximal nail fold is ok, but I know I’m going to have to wait up to 6 months for the nails to grow out in order for the nails to get back to how they were before I started using gel every 3 weeks since last November.
The last 6 months is a reminder to me never having gel or acrylics again 😳
I love your channel, it is so helpful. Thank you for all you do 😘
Thank you thank you thank you! I used to do gel manis for myself with a kit I bought. Not often but every once in a while. I had NO IDEA how dangerous it can be but I came across your video. I wasn't properly trained to do it and I could have messed myself up. After searching this subject I got rid of all of it. Not only that but I really dont even paint my nails anymore with regular polish. Even if the polish is entirely non toxic the nail polish remover upsets my nail beds and cuticles. I miss all my beautiful manicures but I can invest so much time and energy into other things. Once again, THANK YOU!!!
I think i'm going to get into doing oil manicures with glass pusher and file and buff ...
My husband had a reaction to my nails. I was using polygel as well as gel polish. I thought it was cured if the product was hard. I wish I knew then what I know now. I was also experiencing itchiness in other places on my body particularly my eyelids. It took a long while for me to realize it was the gel because my hands seemed ok. I was also experiencing just horrible allergy symptoms like itchy eyes and congestion. I always wore a mask when I filed it off, but it wasn't good enough. I feel so stupid now. I spent tons of money on those products too. I'm just glad I didn't experience permanent damage.
When I was in college 20+ years ago, I ended up at the dermatologist for a persistent rash around my eyes. I thought she was crazy when she said it was likely due to my nail polish, but sure enough, that was it!
Hi! Can I ask what brand(s) of gel polish you were using? I'm planning to stick to CND, Light Elegance or Bio Seaweed, but have been concerned about not only developing an allergy myself, but passing on on to my husband or kids. Thank you!
I’m watching all videos so that hopefully I learn how to do grow my nails healthy and correctly. Maybe once every 2 months doing my own nails with gel polish. I have had my nails gel polished only a couple of times a year, but unfortunately I have chronic illnesses that mean I get far too much back pain after for a few weeks. Hence the reason I do my nails at home now. First I’m trying to get my own nails healthy before putting gel on them again. Again thank you so much Anna. Xxxx big hugs 🤗
This happened to me 6 months ago and all of my nails came off after about 3 weeks, the nails are very sore to touch and some of the nails are raised and thick in places where they've grown back. During all of this, the fact that I had no nails meant that the skin around the nails kept splitting and I had to use suture strips to keep the skin together and heal - that took about 3 months to stop bleeding. Please be careful.
That sounds awful!
That sounds like a horror movie. Oh my God. I feel like fainting.
I had no idea these things could even happen. Thank for sharing your story. And thank you Anna for the education.
Same here! My nails became like tissue paper and peeled very low, I switched to press on nails until my nails grow back 😓
My skin was also extremely itchy on fingertips
Jim McConnell is an amazing source of information, I’ve watched several great videos with him in it. In my opinion CND, Light Elegance and Young Nails products are the best on the market. Not inexpensive but we’ll worth the money.
Thanks for sharing!
Your channel is such a treat because of videos like this. At home nails gel nails are super fun and cost effective but not when the products are shady with strange ingredients. Usually it is allergic reaction to HEMA that causes nail separation. I do my own nails at home too but I am CND shellac certified and its the only gel i would ever use because its user friendly and easy to remove.
Hi Frog! Thank you for your comment. HEMA is like the least of our worries right now. There are other and way more allergenic ingredients in some products. Please watch Jim McConnels video about allergens. He is a chemist and he knows what he is talking about. I included the link to his video in the description box
More info about allergies:
ikoniqnails.com/eu/nailproductallergy
@@TheSalonLife thank you so much for these resources!
I never knew that it was possible to be allergic to gel polish. Learned something new. Great video
Thank you for taking the time to do this important video. I had done dip nails sporadically and dint have any problems with that, except this summer. The day I got the nails done, the nail tach told me she used a gel top coat so they will last longer since I was going to travel..a few days later I kept feeling some pain on my nails but I ignored the symptoms. I took the product on the third week and saw that my nails had started to lift, I noticed a couple of nails first but in a few days almost all of my fingernails were lifting. I cut them short and haven't used any nail polish and they have recovered after 2 months almost completely. So..even using gel top coat over the dip powder caused this problem.
Hi Yolanda! yes because there is always some skin contact. Was that a ni-wipe top coat? The no-wipe top coat cures almost fully but it has a tiny tiny sticky layer. When you put oil on that uncured residue gets rubbed into the skin and it's enough to cause allergic reaction in some people.
this video is very helpful! i got an allergic reaction from uncured polygel. after that i was allergic to literally everything even hema free gel polish. right now i just use regular nail polish and swore off all uv curable nail products. healthy nails are more important than cute designs. Also i had those small bumps but it spread through most of my finger like i had a HUGE blister and it took more than 3 months to fully heal after removing
Thank you so very much for doing this video I was wondering what was causing me to have this reaction when I’ve been getting my nails done since I was 16 now 39 and recently started to do my own nails at home. Watching this video you have answered every question that I have had and now I know that the reason this is happening to me is because my nails are extremely thin when I say extremely thin, I mean extremely so I’m gonna have to stop doing my nails for a very, very, very, very long time and allow my nails to actually heal properly and regrow my keratin level on my nails, which makes me very sad but now I am informed ❤
I needed this video in 2014! Younger me needed this education before blindly purchasing product and applying it!
Your explanation is amazing! I think what she meant is that removing layers of the natural nails and essentially thinning them as well as removing and putting gel often is overexposing the allergen more excessively and will cause worsened reaction.
Thank you for showing such wonderful pictures of this! Also, wonderful info! I had an allergic reaction to a new gel product the other day. I’m in the 4th month of nail school. I immediately took the gel off and I’m wearing lacquer for now. I’m praying this isn’t permanent. I was being very careful but wasn’t wearing gloves. I’m a sensitive person and I think it was probably just a matter of time. Definitely more people need to be made aware of what to look for. I was guilty of buying pretty product that come from overseas. I hadn’t been educated on all of that unfortunately.
Hey! I've been using all kinds of nail polish since I was a child. (Extremely sloppily back then, but I don't get any on skin anymore) and luckily never developed an allergy to it! But because of your video, I'm going to discontinue using gel nail polish. Thank you for this important information!
Thank you for this great info! I love your content. Very informative. I listen to the whole episode! Not a nail tech- just do my own nails and appreciate all the great info so I can protect myself from any potential hazards. Keep up the great work!
Ahhh this video is so important! Knowledge is the most important tool we have. Great series.
This makes me so sad! My nails don't grow long without support from overlay products. Not only that, I used to be a nail biter and getting my nails done keeps me from nervously biting my nails and picking my cuticles. My hands are so gross now *sigh*. Thank you for the information despite my disappointment in hearing it lol.
I am so sad i didn’t find this video sooner, i took a nail tech class and started to try and do gel polish nails, i bought cheap gel polishes off amazon and cured them with an other brand uv lamp and the first time i did my own nails i reacted severely but i didn’t understand what was happening. And everytime i did my friends’ nails for practice i got reactions around my nails and also my eyes were super red. I am so annoyed too because i invested a lot of money in gel polishes and tools and i don’t think i should continue to touch it now that i saw this video, because i also had reactions with gloves, mask and eye goggles
Thank you it’s a pity we’re all don’t think to check out these products I’m 72 yrs now and I’ve not touched my nails since being a kid I had my nails done before Xmas thinking that it might help to strengthen my nails I’ve since found out it doesn’t so listening to you and learning about these problems is great
Hi happened to me after buying a new brand sold third-party through Walmart. Never with Opi which is my preffed brand. It was very afordable for six pack did say hypoallergentic, clean but it was abviously not. Research is important, I appreciate you pointing out companies buying in bulk and reselling. Now that makes sense. Thank you
So happy to come across your video. After years of getting gel manicure and/or gel over lay. I suddenly became allergic. itching that last days. I couldn’t figure out what was the cause. It was so bad 2 nails lifted. After almost a year of growing the bad nails out. I got a gel manicure and the itching began even worse. That’s when I figured it was the chemicals or light. That was enough for me. I’m now back to the good old air drying nail polish. Your video confirms my suspicions of it being gel products or the UV light. Thank you!!
So sorry to hear you developed overexposure! It’s an exposure to repeated contact with improperly cured (reactive) gels.
If you were allergic to UV you would have the same reaction to the sunlight. UV/LED lamps emit light in 365 or 395 nanometer range. That’s the same range we are exposed to outside from the morning till sunset and this range penetrate the glass too so if you are in the car or near a window indoors you are exposed to this all day.
If anyone's curious, I believe Anna's talking about the indie brand Mentality. I know she wasn't naming names but I sure as hell will. Lab Muffin's got some possible theories on what it was that caused those allergic reactions but it more than likely seems like Mentality pulled something with their formula and decided to blame it on an actually reputable seller that they got the polish base from (Arminex, the parent company for Nubar polishes).
OMG! I get this with gel, acrylic, and even regular polish sometimes! Its just like hers but it also gets to the palm of my hands! No love has ever talked about it.
I found out what it is on my own though. It's called Dyshidrosis!
I'm not alone!!!!
If this happens after acrylic or gel or even polish then its allergic reaction to some of the ingredients in the nail products.
Do you ever get it when not wearing any gel polish/acrylic/nail polish?
@@TheSalonLife nope. Its super rare with regular polish. Mostly with just gel and acrylic.
Thanks for this btw. I'm able to tell my healthcare providers I have an acrylate allergy.
Thank you for covering this issue. I was getting this problem everytime I got them done. Each time it would get worse, and I was only getting them done every month but the healing process was unbearable. I had to stop recently.
I was wondering if it was the uv lights, then now finding out it's the gel product, and the heat under the uv lights is basically cooking your skin with the heavy gel products. I'll definitely pass on this information. Thank you again!
The last couple of times I used ASP builder to bind my false nails, all my cuticles swelled and were itchy. Thank you for this! No more amateur usage for me
This is crazy to see since I have the same exact thing occurring to me. I am highly allergic to the point where I can’t even use press on nails. I had to wear bandaids on all my fingers and thumbs to hide the blisters. I had them around, under my nail beds to the point where I was crying. Thinking my nails were going to fall off. I have from now on only been using regular nail polish. On my toes, I can use gel polish with no issues. On a positive note, I save money on my hands but I do miss having long and crazy nails. But I rather be safe than sorry. Thank you again for this video. And thank you to the person who sent the photos. I don’t feel alone anymore.
2017 I got allergic to Orly Gel polish, I used base top and color. It started after maybe 2 months of on and off applications. I stopped for a while, just used normal polish and didn’t use gel polish for a while. Then used Gelish/ Harmony and their Polygel, was ok but didn’t use it much. Lately after long break of using only normal polish I got allergic again, I don’t use Gelish colors, but I am now allergic to Structure, Recovery, Foundation and Top it off. No lasting damage but nail lifting and peeling of the skin and redness. It’s healing off now. No Gel polish for me anymore, only normal polish now.
I had the same reaction recently! This makes me so sad. Thank you for the information. Now I know what NOT to do
I watched this fascinating video with gratitude because I've not had to go through all this by trying home-based gel polish. I know I have Dazzle Dry as my ultimate nail polish system. DD is the perfect alternative to any kind of gel polish and I understand the science and research to prove this.
I wish I would have found this video earlier before I bought a bunch of gels from Amazon. I haven't had a reaction yet but I will have to make sure I am super careful. I am currently doing some nail rehab and taking a break because I let my nails get to weak.
I have very severe allergic contact dermatitis from cheap gel products on Amazon and my nails are so thin from over filing as I’m a nail picker, I struggle with not filing or doing something with my nails without having something on them. I can’t wear some nail polishes even but I emailed over to dazzle dry my list of allergies from allergy testing I had done no surprise hema. But dazzle dry doesn’t use any thing I’m allergic too so excited to get chance to wear color on my fingers again. Thank you so much for speaking about this, I really hope others speak to about this
HEMA is only in gel polishes, gels and liquid &powder systems (AKA. acrylic). There is no HEMA in traditional nail polishes. But HEMA is not the only allergen in these products. Usually people are allergic to few things.
Thank you for this information Anna! I used to do gel manicures at home and I was always terrified of something like this happening, but I always thought that as long as the polish didn't touch the skin I'd be fine, or at least that's what I read online. I still have some gel polishes and I'm tempted to destash them after watching this :/
Ok I just finished the video, I'm definitely getting rid of my gel polishes asap.
Thanks for making this video! It's so unfair that we have to deal with this... I work with my hands (rough work, mind you), so regular polish just isn't an option for me. It would last literally five seconds. Oh how I wish I could just do my hands once a month and be presentable! The people who aren't allergic don't even know how lucky they are 😂😂
Thank you for posting this video .. I was never a nail person and thought something wrong with me so recently I start looking into gel nails as I thought it the safest way but u know what I do have very strong natural nails that grows very fast and what in the world am
I thinking messing w my virgin nails 💅 . All it need is reshaping n art design there no need to put fakes stuffs on it when it not even my thing
I am having this same issue. My nails look horrible! I have lifting on several. I thought it was psoriasis. I would “over file” getting the old product off and then reapply new. Now it all makes sense….thanks for sharing
As a nailpolish junkie is know what you are talking about. The worst case of Chemical burn on a nail polish swatcher ever!Sadly i am allergic to gel polishes. Just like you talked about. Thank you for the video with sad news. But honest news. I know i will never try gel polish again. I have strong long natural nails now. Every day i put oil en lotion on my nails. I take good care of my nails and skin. Thanks again Anna💅🏼💅🏼
Another great "BOMB" of informed lessons on these issues.❤
I have tried home gels years ago and yes I blistered, I actually put it down to using a cheap and nasty lamp. It was to painful to continue. It really is scary to think that these dangerous products are on the market. Your advise is brilliant and I am getting to learn so much about my nails and why they have problems. Thank you.
Thanks!
Hi Sharlynn! Thank you so much for the contribution. We greatly appreciate it! Have a great Friday! - MSL
@@TheSalonLife You're very welcome. You are providing such valuable, important content. Have a wonderful weekend!
I went to a reputable salon…they claimed to use the light elegance products, but not sure what the heck happened to me there. I didn’t know, but I did ask many questions, most customers don’t and assume if highly recommended that they are professional…well there are so many variables, just like doctors…there are good ones and bad and one can really never tell until after the fact. I got an allergy, and I won’t ever use these products again. My nails were a mess. I don’t do at home stuff as good lord who know what you are getting. I believe because the science of this is complicated and complex, that people are playing Russian Roulette in their quest for beautiful nails. At first I was angry…still am that so many are unwittingly exposed to who knows what, but now I found your channel and have come to terms with it all, and I am following your advice. My nails have grown out healthy and beautiful over the past months (I know this by watching your channel) and I appreciate your videos to help me keep them that way. Your service here is invaluable even though I can’t have you do my nails. There is another woman, I believe she represents light elegance products here on you tube, but she is so smug and off putting I just can’t watch her channel, even though I agree with her. Your channel is thoughtful but truthful and it is appreciated, and your advice is simple and doable for us damaged nail sufferers. ☺️
I'm so glad I came upon your video. I have this problem and I thought I was allergic to the acrylic. I then tried testing polygel nails and had the same reaction. It is very painful and very very itchy. I also thought it could be the lamp. It just didn't come to mind that it could be the gel polish. My reaction this last time from trying the polygel just made me quit doing my nails. I still have these blisters but they have traveled down to the section above the upper nuckles and these blisters come and go and sometimes they are big blisters. I'm really scared to try anything anymore especially since you said that people can react to anything no matter what they try. Thank you so much for this video though, it was very informative and helpful!
Hi Karina! Well, its not a gel polish you are allergic to really but probably one or multiple ingredients that are in it. The thing is products like acrylic, gel etc share similar or same ingredients so once you develop allergic reaction to one you will probably be allergic to others
This is the exact reason I started using dazzle dry, because I started having allergic reactions. I tried a few more times with gel and then decided to go to regular polish. I started looking into fast drying polish and viola!
Absolutely fantastic video. This video is so needed! I’m in a bunch of nail related groups, mostly indie polish ones. One group is a mainstream nail art type group and it is amazing how many people are doing their own nails. I comment quite frequently telling them to only use the lamps recommended by the gel manufacturer and why. I tell them the dangers of contact of the skin with the gel and to go to a good nail tech. If they insist on doing their own nails, to get educated and practice on a fake hand first. I often quote you and recommending your videos. I’m in a FB group about nail allergies and boy are those stories sad and pictures scary. I’m going to post this video in as many groups as I can.
I have to slightly disagree with you about indie polish. Most indie polish brands are very good. Some have been in business for 7+ years with no problems at all. I think Christie of KbShimmer has probably been in business for around 10 years. I can think of multiple others that has been making and selling polishes since at least 2014 and they haven’t ever cause problems. If an indie brand causes physical problems, most everyone in the indie community would eventually know about it. There are indie polish related groups that are really gossip groups. One even lets you post anonymously. I’ve been wearing indies for over 6 years and a lot of people a lot longer. I believe the brand you were talking about was Mentality polish. That was a rarity. Most indie brands are better made then mainstream. I’m very involved with indie polish community and in a LOT of fb indie polish groups. One group is indie buyer beware. Believe me, if there was an indie brand causing problems with nails, I’d know about it. I know about Mentality and that happened before I was buying indie polish.
Hey Sherri, Thank you for the lovely comment. We respect your opinion on the indie brands. You make some really good points.
Hope you have a great day! :) - Anna/MSL
@@TheSalonLife I really and honestly love it when you give such good facts in your videos. It’s my opinion that you should keep giving them and should never worry about repeating yourself too much with any facts you give. People need to hear proper anatomical names and scientific facts about all things nail related. The subject of allergies is particularly important. It’s dangerous to have an allergy. Also, my experience is that once something like an allergy happens, it sensitizes your skin. So other things can irritate where they wouldn’t have before. Not being able to wear enhancements is something that is particularly important to me, as you might imagine, and I like to try to help others avoid nail and skin issues related to enhancements. Oh, and acrylics definitely did damage my thumbs matrix, and my nail techs were good. My body just decided it had enough.
I so appreciate the time you put into this and all your videos, but particularly this one. When I comment on posts, I tell people I’m not a nail tech or an authority, but always say I get my information from Doug Schoon, tell his qualifications and I mention and link your UA-cam channel and mention some of your qualifications. (if there is a specific way you wish me to phrase your qualifications and something specific you want me to include PLEASE email it to me. I’m terrible with words and would keep it and copy and paste.) I give qualifications because I want people to understand that they should get information from experts and not just people on FB. Because there are so many people in various social media’s saying what to with nails, “use this lamp” or whatever, that one thing I want to get across is to get information from people who are trained and know what they are talking about. Your knowledge and wonderful passion (in the best way!!) comes across in the videos.
That all may sound strange or weird, but it’s my opinion that if someone can take the time and effort to help others like you and MSL do, I should let them know how much I appreciate it and in your case, how valuable and important that help is. You and MSL have made an impact on my life and others, too.
I started having reactions to gel polish a year ago. The last salon I went to where I was a regular for a good 6 months, I got my nails done for new years, a few hours later my cuticles started itching really bad. I assume it was maybe something I touched and didn't realize, but I couldn't figure it out. The next day I notice little blister bumps formed around all 10 of my fingers, so I'm thinking it was because maybe their tools weren't clean. I thought maybe I'll just not scratch at it and let it heal itself. 2.5 weeks later it finally healed. I decided to let my sister who is a certified nail tech do my nails at home. After she was done, same thing happened but we couldn't figure it out why it's happening all over again because she always clean her tools. I took it off waited 2.5-3 weeks to do it again. Same thing happened. Went to the urgent care and the doc their said maybe its just gnat bites that I'm not aware of when I'm sleeping. He couldn't figure it out too because I still didn't think of the gel polish that was used every time. I did it one last time and finally realized I'm having an allergic reaction to the gel. Alitte bit of it got on my hand and that whole area bubbled up and was so itchy.
Yes me too! Bought a name brand product and it ate my nails. Thanks for bringing this subject up! 🎉 so yes I too research products before I use. The best ones are pricey but worth the price🎉 thanks
Can you do a video(s) on how to grow strong and healthy nails?
Gosh so happy I have seen your video. I started doing gel nails now, and I got a very bad blister on my fingers, I never told was the polish that was given me allergy reactions. Thanks for the video
I Feel vindicated. working in retail cosmetics and fashion I got gell as away to armour my nails as still have them look nice. I realised just how much they were damaging not just me but I thought about my manicurists and the environment too. In the midst of a career change just before Lock down I had commited to growing out my nails. Great vidis lots of great tips and advice.
I got an acrylic allergy dermatitis from the first time at a nail salon. They put way too long acrylics with that nasty glue and when I knocked my thumb the exposed flesh erupted into a painful blisters (and some other fingers) and my nail nearly come off.
I researched and bought my own gel and polygels and have been doing all my other nails since. I use the cheap ones from temu and Ive never had a problem.
6 months later my thumb is still only 5mm and it may be a long time before there is enough nail to apply anything to but I will definitely stick with gel and polygel so I dont have to use that glue
Anna, thank you for this important & sobering information about gel polish. I haven't had gel polish. Never wanted it, but for certain I will never get it. Interestingly, you mentioned IBX in some videos, so I had to investigate. I came across a UA-cam video of someone doing ibx repair and strengthen treatments, she made a series of 3 "starts" over the course of a year and a half. There were no followups to show results. In her last "start" she said she started having a "reaction to something" and had to stop using that product. I watched her videos and it was clear to me what was wrong... she slathered the product all over and UNDER her nails including flooding the cuticles, dabbed the top of the nails only after removing from the heat lamp and then put all that in the uv lamp! Ugh. We can sometimes be our own worst enemies.
Very sad. IBX can be useful and great, again when used properly. It's not a miracle but its a help for some nails.
"under the nails"? 😢
@@TheSalonLife Especially in light of all of the cautions and warnings to avoid contact with the skin. And then to put that all under a UV lamp!
Thank you soooo much for this video!! I’ve been trying to find videos for this issue and get answers! I was doing nails for 4 months until I got a random allergic reaction and can’t even really enjoy doing custom press ons. Although it’s not as bad as a reaction to actually putting gel on, I’m still upset about not being able to do something I love. I was barely starting my nail business up and wasted so much money and time 🥺 but thank you for this to help me understand what even “under curing” bc I’ve only heard to cure it well when I have no idea what that even means. I was just self taught
Oh wow thanks for this I was going to get gel polish tomorrow. Not any more. Thank you love these videos.
Thank you for this! Please could you do a video as to why some gelpolish brands burn the nails when going under the lamp even with same brand lamps and another brand no problem!
Most times it is the bonder or primer that burns and not the polish itself.
Hi Michelle, I think she is talking about the exotermic reaction. All enhancement products create certain amount of heat when they cure.
It has to do with molecules joining in longer chains and when that happens very quickly, so at the beginning of the cure, they release some heat.
When it comes to UV cured gels this is not felt with a bonding gel but it happens with a thicker coat of builder gel.
Some gels cure hotter then others. There can be few reasons, but mostly some gels are not formulated properly for the lamp they are curing with (lamp too strong causing overcuring) or too thick of a coat is applied or the nails are damaged and you can "feel" the heat through your nail plate on your nail bed.
This can lead to painful burns.
Hi Gelanda, this is called an *exotermic reaction*. All enhancement products create certain amount of heat when they cure.
It has to do with molecules joining in longer chains and when that happens very quickly, so at the beginning of the cure, they release some heat.
When it comes to UV cured gels this is not felt with a bonding gel but it happens with a thicker coat of builder gel.
Some gels cure hotter then others. There can be few reasons, but mostly some gels are not formulated properly for the lamp they are curing with (lamp too strong causing overcuring) or too thick of a coat is applied or the nails are damaged and you can "feel" the heat through your nail plate on your nail bed.
This can lead to painful burns.
@@TheSalonLife thank you for responding. I use a brand that is very well know and never get a burning sensation with their potted gels or their gelpolish. However, i had a demo on a couple of nails with someone else with a different brand that i use and felt like my nails where on fire. Bear in mind that they were waiting for the same brand lamp that they using as the gelpolish so had to use a different lamp. Maybe that is why. Please continue making videos love watch them.
This was a very interesting and highly informative video.I use gel nails and had an intense allergic reaction to an American brand that I thought was due to hybrid gel and acrylic product. Now I understand better.
Hi Mariann! So sorry to hear about your allergy! I hope your poor fingers recovered and I hope that now you know how to avoid this in the future.
Thank you for commenting 💕
Hi. What was the product brand?
Well done on this subject! This is important info to get out there.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. I’m sure many people were unaware of the down side and problems gels can cause. Great video.
Thank you so much for this video. Great information. I used to do my own gel, but because of your channel I found out about DazzleDry and I love it.
I have been taking collagen & biotin to try to strengthen my nails. I had a Gel manicure once, and decided to try doing it myself. I bought the lamp and the gel. I hadn't gotten around to try doing it myself when I came across your video. THANK YOU. I will be throwing them out.
Biotin supplements have to be used with caution. In 2017 FDA put out a warning that biotin supplements can falsely lower troponin levels which are used to diagnose a heart attack.
Wow your video was so informative! Thank you so much. I started having allergic reactions to gel Polish about two years ago. It has been a nightmare. Numerous visits to the dermatologist, several medications. Because I love having nice nails, I’ve tried again and again. No success.
Thank you for this video. I had this happen to me a few years ago and I couldn’t figure out what caused the problem. I was experimenting with gel polish/gel lamp but I was also using a nail strengthener. I just assumed it was the nail strengthener so I stopped using it. Two weeks ago I decided to try gel polish again along with a builder gel and this happened to me again, but more so under the nail versus around the nail. 7 of my nails were red and inflamed. I had to cut my nails down and for now I am using an ointment to treat contact dermatitis and eczema. Thankfully the inflammation is gone and my nail beds no longer hurt. I had nail lifting the first time around too and that took me a long time to grow out. I still had it on two of my ring fingers even now. I am praying that I can stop the nail lifting. I will no longer be using gel polish or gel lamps on my nails. Thankfully all of the damage is closer to the free edge of my nails and not at the eponychium. I’m also using the CND solar oils to keep my nails hydrated. I’m keeping my nails polish free until I can get them to heal and the nail to thicken since they are paper thins.
Oh, wow. I've been thinking for a while about buying a really cheap gel polish kit to do on myself and I am so glad that I found this video before I did. I've also been thinking about getting certified as a nail tech, so instead until then, I'll stick to my full cover gel-x dupe nails for now, (since I have yet to develop an allergic reaction *knocks on wood*) and I've just been using regular polish. I found a really good gel-like quick dry top coat that saves me from ruining the end finish. Thank you, thank you for this information, I will stick to my regular polish for now until I can save up to get some good quality and trusted gel nail polish. Again... Thank you!
I’m interested in getting a gel x kit too. But would what it use to attach the gel x tips to our nails, that base gel/ glue layer also have the same ingredients that develop allergic reaction? Wish Anna could help to answer the question 💓
What is the product that you use to attach the gel x tips? Is it a base coat and glue that need to be cured under a UV lamp?
Also while I’m at it, I’ve just started doing gel nails at home and the gel polishes I got are from some proper Korean and Japan companies, not some unknown brands off Amazon or aliexpess. I hope these should be reasonably safer than some random rebottled products. I’m definitely going to look up more about the products I’m using though.
Wonder if CND and OPI gel is a relatively less risky option out there 🤔 Since I’ve already own some gel polishes and not ready to throw everything away just yet, I’m thinking if I could invest in some safer base and top coat or use the gel on fake nail tips 💅🏻
Hope Anna could see this 🤞🏻
Hi Alana, very often when people change product but don't change the reason why they developed allergy in the first place, which usually is improper cure and or improper technique (and that is not limited to touching the skin during application) one eventually develops allergy to the new product too.
HEMA is not a problem. Improper use of HEMA and too much HEMA is the problem.
We've been using HEMA in the industry for many many years, I personally have been using HEMA based products for over 25 years. Not one client developed allergy and for years and years allergies were quite uncommon.
Since the gel polishes hit DIY market and generally wide market the allergies became an epidemic.
It's not the HEMA, it's improper use of HEMA, but the companies would rather demonise an ingredient instead of looking at blaming themselves for not being very clear that these products can be highly allergenic and should only be used after an extensive training.
But sales to DIY are a bigger market than pro market so problem continues.
I'm not blaming DIY at all. People are just trying to have nice nails. Very often quality of work in salons is very questionable and not very safe either.
I'm keeping the companies who irresponsibly market these products to unaware public responsible for this mess.
Tha k you gor covering this topic and foe being on top of ur game with the chemical knowledge about polish ingredients and what is harmful and what is what.. 👍
This happened to me!!!! It went away in like 3 months!! I had exactly EVERYTHING that was on those pictures and WORSE! My fingers swole up soo bad where I had to go to hospital! My mails fell off! And my reaction was ALL over my body including my private! My reaction was from head to toe! I have more of my story but yes This is bad.
I started doing gel nails at home during quarantine like other ladies here and developed a horrible allergic reaction. I have always loved doing my nails, plus gel helped to grow my nails long so I decided to start doing at home. After doing my own nails for two months, i developed the reaction where my nails started lifting from my nail bed, had painful swollen red fingers, and blisters. The pain was so bad, I woke up in the middle of the night and had to remove my gel paint in the middle of the night. I did an extensive research, but there was not much information available nor the dermatology testing back when it happened to me. I wish I had found you earlier. After letting my nails heal for one year, I decided to try Orly brand. At first I did not get any allergic reactions so I started changing my nails frequently and developed an allergic reaction again but it was not as bad as previously. I completely stopped doing my nails for about two years. I researched and learned the right techniques to do it. Then I imagined I was allergic to HEMA and ordered European brand products which I started using with the right techniques and by God’s grace I have not developed any allergic reaction and its been 3 months. I decided to give Orly brand another try and I have no allergic reaction to it anymore which is very interesting. But I am definitely still allergic to gel polishes which aren’t at least 10-free and/or HEMA free. Although my allergy isn’t as bad as few years back, I just get small blisters which goes away after 3-4 days but I don’t put myself through that discomfort. You are God sent for putting all these information out for beginners like me who can still rescue themselves from this allergy.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience!
Allergies like these do not go away. When people go from one line to another they overexpose themselves to more and more allergens and they become allergic to more and more ingredients.
Your body does not forget and by introducing allergen your body will recognise it faster.
If the allergen is weaker it might take longer.
But if lets say you are allergic to shrimp does it matter what kind of manufacturer makes the food with it?
Does it matter where you eat it?
Is it smart to eat "just a little bit of it" to see if the allergy went away?
Your allergy is the same but you might not be exposing yourself to the same ingredients.
Blisters is a bad sign.
I would do a full stop.
Thank you brilliant , I followed it and totally understand now why my nails are separating. Thank you
These pictures show a very mild reaction to my nails … the skin on my fingers have split due to swelling on my fingers … I’m quite worried that I will loose 2 finger nails … that’s the end of gel nails for me …
I work in a hospital so I need to be careful about infection …
I wish I could send you pictures
I am shocked about all this information! I am really happy I never experienced anything like that. I do my own nails with regular polishes from as far as i can remember, and i had gel nails just once last year.
I didn’t have a reaction, but i just isn’t for me. I filed them off on the 3rd day and it took me 5 months to grow my nail back to how it should be.
Sad thing is that all nail artists say that gel nails is not damaging your nails. Even more, that it will make them better. I never believed in that.
Hi Paula!
Properly, responsibly formulated products, used by trained and properly educated professionals are low risk.
The problem is that these companies sell to anyone advertising that this is so simple just like polishing nails. Any lamp will cure.
And that's what happens.
I literally just got an email with pictures of a bad reaction someone is having, poor lady, and she didn't know why this was happening to her.
One look and I knew. And I knew which type of product she used without her telling me.
These companies don't educate, they don't talk about risks and these are serious reactions. This lady's nails lifted 50%-75% off the nail bed and there is a big gap between the nail and the nail bed. Her nails look deformed. It's very upsetting.
@@TheSalonLife OMG that's so sad, and very concerning. I can't believe that happens! so sad
I hope we get updates on the healing and progress of these videos. Thank you
I hope so too!! I will contact the people who sent me pictures and ask them for an update :) That would be cool to make update videos. Great idea, thank you!!
@@TheSalonLife I will be looking for the updates. I wish all the nails the best.
Thank you! Been dealing with this for years! God bless you
I have done my own gel nails for 2 years, all of the sudden, after putting on a new set with a promoted gel from China, My finger tips turned blue. I thought I was having a heart attack. My heart was beating fast. I went to the ER, they didn’t know what it was, but guessed it was my Gel nails. My fingers started to swell, I left and went home to quickly remove the nail gel. Nails continued to get worse for 1 day, then turned around and stated to heal. Now they were red and blue, bruised looking. After 2 weeks now peeling, I found that a coating of new skin liquid bandage soothes the pain and keeps that air out of the damage. It’s just awful! I have pictures but I don’t know how to get them to you. 37:39
I have palmoplantar pustulosis so the blisters I got were very similar to the ones I usually get. Thinking I just had a flare up, I continued to do my nails and got a pretty awful infection in all 10 of my fingers. I got blisters all over my cuticles and bigger ones on the fingertips. I had to stop work and get a prescription cream from the doctor that cost $95 and wasn't covered by insurance. The infection is gone but my nails are not the same. And now I have all this gel stuff.
Im having this reaction and guess what else? The bottle of the blue joyti brand fell over and some got onto my ankle and part of the foot. 3 days later I’m still itching only where that color spilled on me!
I must be allergic to all gel-related now. Im Done. DONE. Thank you for the video.
Took a class in allergies and washing hands after monomer filing with either gel or acrylic nails is important as the cuticle oil will make monomer penetrate skin and bond with proteins and create allergens.
The problem with gel is that it’s sticky and it doesn’t come off with washing.
When the gel polish is properly cured and the sticky layer removed it’s safe to put oil on.
With acrylic (liquid and powder) yes it would be q good idea to wash hands to wash off the dust (which won’t be cured properly yet) from the skin after shaping the acrylic.
A very popular brand of gel polish has been causing a TON of allergies. One tech had 13 clients have a reaction from this brand. When people started asking questions, there was threats and pushback. But day by day, more and more techs are coming to the group showing their clients reactions from this brand (especially their BIAB).
Can you give a hint about the brand name?
Meagan Hiller: What is the brand?
@@violetviolet888 the gel bottle
@@marina_nanana the gel bottle
So true.. I also think exposure happens by cutting the PNF... And everyone I know is removing the skin... I am following a nail course and the Russian manicure is essential according to them.....
I asked now if I can skip the Russian Manicure... I really hope so... but I do think that allergic reaction are also due to cutting the PNF
Yes, cutting and abrading removes the skin protective layer and overexposure can happen that much faster.