Gel nail manicures are quickly becoming a client favourite in spas and salons around the world. The easy learning curve of gel nail enhancement and odour-less smell has recently sky-rocketed it past the long-popular acrylic service within the salon and spa industry. With this increased popularity, salons and spas are scrambling to accommodate their clients requests for gel nail services.
The extremely popular acrylic and fibre-glass nail service has given way to natural manicures and more natural-looking gel nail enhancements. With the loss of acrylic nail revenue salon and spas are offering gel services to supplement the loss of revenue from waning acrylic service sales. This “boom” has unfortunately resulted in a marked increase of service break-down (I.E. lifting, cracking, breaking etc…) and more salons and spa clients experiencing allergic-reactions and nail-damage due to improper training or lack of information in regards to nail techs respective product lines and the tools which make their products work properly; namely UV gel lamps.
Most reputable gel enhancement products are very similar in the terms which they are produced, to my knowledge, with possibly the exception being Entity Beauty’s, Entity 1 gel technology which utilizes nanotechnology to make their formula stronger, clearer and more longer-lasting. Aside from that, most other gel nail products are pretty much the same thing. The same thing meaning pre-mixed monomers and polymers with premixed formulas to help nail professionals achieve the perfect mix-ratio. Other than that, whatever choice a nail professional decides to work with is personal preference as long as they follow the proper application techniques and pick a good UV gel lamp that cures the product fully.
So how do you know if a UV gel lamp you are using or thinking about purchasing is or will fully cure your product and what’s the best lamp to use? Here’s the answer.
The tool I would recommend for the job when it comes to curing gel properly is this: one 4 bulb 36watt tunnel lamp. It’s important to use this type of UV lamp because anything different less may lead to under-curing which can cause over-exposure or allergic reactions in existing or potential clients.
All gel nail enhancement products need, 3 or 4 bulb, 36-watt lamp to properly (fully) cure. So if your currently using something other than a 36 watt UV lamp; stop now, and go out and buy a new one. You as a salon professional owe it to your paying customers, who are trusting their health and safety your salon.
Let me repeat that again just say for the sake of adding a little drama. All gel nail products need a 36 watt lamp to cure properly regardless of manufacturer, if you want to avoid potential client over-exposure or allergic reactions to your products. There is no exception to this rule, plain and simple. This isn’t just my humble opinion it’s scientific fact. Not only do you need a 36 watt lamp but you need to let the product cure for two to three minutes in the lamp.
The aforementioned statement has been a major point of contention and confusion among salon and spa professionals. This in in large part due to the fact, that gels surface layers harden (cure) to the touch in as little as 15 seconds in most UV gel lamps.
I know price is a major concern when shopping for lamps which is why most nail technicians go with a lamp that does’nt quite get the job done, so to speak.
However, if you’re looking for a reliable lamp I would recommend CND’s Brisa lamp or something similar. CND in my opinion has one of the best UV lamps on the market albeit it’s a little pricey, but their are many great lights out there if you take the time to shop around. However, if price is a concern find something similar in terms of performance and quality.