I often hear people say they want to take a break from wearing gel polish (or other nail coatings) to give their nails a chance to 'breathe'. This one really gets me, so I make sure I take the time to educate all my clients by explaining that our nails are made from the same substance that makes up our hair – Keratin. It is not 'living' tissue, which is why you can cut your hair and trim your nails without feeling any pain. Nails therefore do not need to breathe, nor are they capable of breathing.
What they do need, is to be taken care of. In the same way that you would not dream of washing your hair without then following up with conditioner, you should also follow hand-washing with a conditioner for your nails. SolarOil, an award-winning blend of jojoba seed & sweet almond oils assisted by vitamin E, has been designed to deeply penetrate & hydrate both the surrounding skin & the nails as a thorough and intensive conditioner.
Whilst nails do not need to 'breathe', any of the following can cause damage to your nails, which may mean that they then do need a break from gel polish or other coatings, in order to allow them to recover:
- Overly filing the surface of the nail plate (for example in preparation for adhesion of gel polish)
- Removing the nail coating [e.g gel polish, acrylic, or other overlay] by excessive filing
- Removing the nail coating by picking it off
- Not using the correct branded lamp to match the gel polish being used
CND™ Shellac™ does not damage your nails, as long as it is used properly - this means following the appropriate process for application, removal and aftercare, as well as using the correct CND branded lamp to match the gel polish. As a result, you can wear CND™ Shellac™ continuously without any problem at all. Of course, according to your lifestyle and activity level, your manicure will need fortnightly or 3-weekly maintenance, as by this point there will be obvious re-growth. CND™ Shellac™ must be fully removed and re-applied (rather than 'infilled'), which also allows you to assess the condition of your nails regularly. If anything, having the protective gel polish coating on should leave your nails in the same condition, if not better, than when it was applied.
If your nails feel thin, weak, have large white patches or appear to be lifting from the nail bed (onycholysis), then they need some extra TLC. If this is how they look or feel after you've had product removed from them, you need a new nail technician. Consider signing yourself up to the NbLDL Healthy Nails Programme, a personalised 6 week appointment and aftercare plan, tailored to your individual nail needs and specifically designed to leave you with longer and stronger nails. If your nails are naturally weak, try massaging in a few drops of RescueRXX at home, a highly-effective Keratin treatment which is clinically proven to strengthen weakened nails, as well as prevent splitting & peeling.
I hope this blog helps clear up a few nail myths for you. I strongly believe that gel polish should be a help, not a hindrance. There is no point creating gorgeous-looking nails if, when they are removed, they leave your natural nails in awful condition. This is one of the reasons why I love CND™ Shellac™ as I know it won't damage your nails, meaning you can wear it continuously without needing to take a break - because as we now know, nails do not need to breathe!
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