How Long Can Gel Nail Polish Be Left On?

Photo credit: Sanchi Oberoi — Photograph credit: Sanchi Oberoi

From Cosmopolitan

Ask your grouping conversation how long a gel manicure should last and I guarantee you lot'll get 10 unlike answers (also, wow, brag—you accept 10 friends? OKAY). Fifty-fifty though I've been getting gel manicures regularly for the last two years—since regular boom polish tends to flake in, similar, five minutes for me—I've never gotten the terminal world on how long gel smoothen should terminal. Is two weeks the standard? Is iii weeks a sign of next-level gel? Is four weeks even humanly possible? Does the world cease at 5 weeks?!

Since these are the actual questions that keep me up at nighttime, I decided to settle things one time and for all by chatting with a nail expert to find out everything y'all've e'er wondered nearly gel manis, starting with how long they ~actually~ last.

How long do gel manicures last?

I'll give it to yous straight: T he longest you tin can wear a gel manicure without compromising your smash wellness is two weeks, says Evelyn Lim, principal educator of New York-based boom salon Paintbox. Even though your manicure might look perfectly fine after two weeks, you run the risk of damaging your nails if you keep 'em on any longer.

"When yous take gel on your nails, the shine continues to cure in direct sunlight or in whatever exposure to UV—which is all effectually united states," says Lim, adding, "the longer yous keep your polish on, the longer it cures, which makes information technology much harder to remove." The safest bet is to head to your manicurist later two weeks, where they tin can gently remove your polish without damaging or stripping your nails.

How tin I make my gel nails last longer?

1. Use cuticle oil religiously

Okay, and so even though you shouldn't exist wearing your gel manicure for longer than two weeks, there's even so a handful of things you can do to continue your nails looking nice and pretty for the entirety of those two weeks. Footstep 1? Invest in a cuticle oil correct this very second. "In addition to hydrating the cuticle itself, a expert oil volition strengthen and status your nails, which can foreclose them from chipping, breaking, or becoming breakable," says Lim, who suggests using your cuticle oil "at to the lowest degree once or twice daily."

2. File regularly and wear a topcoat

"Y'all want to treat your nails like you lot would a pair of tights—if you lot become a minor nick and yous don't nip it in the bud, it tin can plough into a huge run," says Lim. "So if you have a footling snag on your nail, smoothen it out with a file or buffer to prevent whatsoever further chipping, splitting, or fierce."

Lim suggests keeping a mini nail file in your bag to make quick touchups totally doable. And while we're on the subject, throw a articulate topcoat into your bag, too. While it won't really practise anything to make your manicure last longer, a quick layer of shine volition give your gels a nice refresh if you need it.

3. Continue your nails dry out

Even though you don't need to worry nearly your gel smoothen chipping as much as you practice with a classic mani, Lim suggests wearing rubber gloves while you lot're washing the dishes or cleaning your flat. "When your nails get moisture, they expand, and when they dry support, they contract," says Lim. "When you have that back-and-forth change, it tin can crusade chips in your nails." Bottom line: Keep your hands and nails as dry out as possible.

That'south why some salons like Paintbox believe in dry manicures (read: no water or soaking), since working with nails in their natural land tin help your smooth stay on much longer. If your salon falls into this category, make sure to show upwardly to your appointment with completely dry out nails—that means no wet nails for at to the lowest degree thirty minutes prior to your mani.

Does gel ruin your nails?

Nope. As long as you go to a skilled manicurist, gel polish isn't going to mess with your nail wellness. "If your nails are naturally thin and breakable, putting gels on isn't going to change that," says Lim, "simply if yous're doing everything the correct way—from application to removal—you can't really do true harm to your nails."

Shocking, right? "I think the misconception about gel ruining your nails comes from the fact that a lot of people don't know how to properly remove it," adds Lim. So fifty-fifty though information technology might feel #oddlysatisfying to peel off your gels at calendar week ii, you lot're really doing a lot of damage. "Your nails grow nearly one millimeter a week if they're healthy, so if you peel off your smooth, information technology will take almost three months for all that impairment to completely grow o ut," she says. Tl;dr: Ever, always always have a professional person remove your gels if y'all want your nails to stay healthy.

How long should you expect between gel manicures?

While the beauty globe is kindaaaa dissever on this respond, the time you lot take betwixt gel manicures is entirely up to yous. "I've had gel on my nails for four years directly," says Lim. "If you lot're applying and removing information technology properly, at that place's no damage in getting gel manicures dorsum to dorsum."

That said, if your nails are brittle, weak, or just need a lil' breather, substitute your gel mani for regular polish rather than foregoing polish birthday. "If yous take something on your nail, it restricts wet, creating somewhat of a barrier so your nails can harden," says Lim. "So it always helps to take something on the smash."

The Final Word

Yes, gel manicures can last more than than 2 weeks, but if you lot, IDK, care about your nails, you should definitely have your shine removed professionally after 14 days. And in the meantime, make sure yous're stocked upwardly on cuticle oil, files, and a topcoat to keep your nails in pinnacle shape throughout the life of your manicure.

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