Description
A gel polish manicure is a manicure that uses a soft gel in the form of polish. The gel polish acts as an overlay on the nail that lasts for at least two weeks (but often as long as four weeks). The result is high shine nails with no chipping, peeling, or cracking. When applied by an experienced, professional esthetician, gel polish manicures are gentle to the natural nail.
Unlike regular nail polish, gel polish must be cured (ie. hardened) under a UV or LED light. Curing refers to the chemical process that occurs when photo initiators within the gel are exposed to the specific wavelengths of UV or LED light. This chemical reaction, called polymerization, converts the soft, liquid gel into a hard, solid gel. After curing, a residual sticky layer (called the inhibition layer) remains on top of the solid gel. The stickiness is the result of oxygen in the air inhibiting the cure on the surface layer of the polymerizing gel polish. Any residual stickiness on the nail is easily removed by wiping with a lint-free wipe soaked in high concentrate alcohol such as rubbing alcohol.
