Gel Polish CompleteManicure and pedicure with gel polish

Before 2010, nail care was stuck between two extremes. Regular polish – half an hour drying time, tips chipping after two days, ruined within a week. Or acrylic and hard gel – lasts for weeks, but thick, artificial, obvious 'fake nail' look.

Nothing in between. Either short-lived natural or long-lasting artificial.

Gel polish filled that gap. Thin, natural-looking, but lasting for weeks. Applied like regular polish, stays like extensions. That combination changed everything.

Today, gel polish accounts for over seventy percent of professional nail services. Fifteen years ago, the technology barely existed.

Denk dran: Du trägst diese Farbe nicht nur für ein Wochenende. Gellack bleibt wochenlang – such dir also etwas aus, das du wirklich gern anschaust.

• Sicher: Nude, Rot, Dunkelrot – passt fast immer und wirkt gepflegt.
• Auffällig: Neon oder knalliges Pink – perfekt für Urlaub und Sommer.

Frag dich einfach kurz: Fühlt sich das auch im Alltag und im Job noch gut an?

A gel polish color stays with you for weeks. Think differently than with regular polish.

Safe choices: Nude, classic red, burgundy – works everywhere, doesn't bore, creates no regrets. First time with gel? Start from this category.

Risky choices: Neon colors, very pale pink, trendy shades. Can you wear this for three weeks? Does it fit your workplace? Does it go with your wardrobe?

Seasonal thinking: Bright tones make sense in summer. Darker, elegant tones fit winter.

Practical tip: Have a few colors in mind before your appointment. 'I'll decide there' sometimes leads to rushed choices.

Gerade vor dem Urlaub oder im Sommer ist das Paket super praktisch: Hände und Füße in einem Termin.

Der Vorteil: Du kommst einmal, bist komplett fertig und hast denselben Farbton oben und unten. Dafür buchst du am besten direkt das Kombi-Paket – entspannter und effizienter geht’s kaum.

Gel Complete – hands and feet in one session. Why is this smart?

Time: One appointment instead of two separate ones. Come once, leave once. Total time shorter.

Matching: Same color or coordinating colors chosen the same day. From the same bottle, same batch – guaranteed match.

Efficiency: While foot polish cures, work moves to hands. Waiting times overlap.

Value: The complete package usually costs less than two separate treatments.

Especially in summer – sandal season, hands and feet visible together – the complete package is the smartest choice.

Same gel polish, same application – different results. Why?

Wear time: Feet get four to six weeks, hands get two to three. Double the difference. Feet are protected, hands are in the trenches.

Appointment frequency: Feet once a month is enough. Hands every two to three weeks. Over a year, hands mean almost twice as many appointments.

Maintenance load: Hands need gloves, careful drying, attention – active care is mandatory. Feet? Socks on, shoes on, forget about it.

Visibility: Hands are constantly on display, judged daily. Feet are seasonal – outside summer, nobody sees them.

Color freedom: Hands need colors appropriate to the environment. Feet can wear whatever – don't like it? Sock on, hidden.

Both deserve care, but they're not the same game. Different expectations, different strategies.

Gleiches Material – anderer Alltag:

• Hände: Mehr Kontakt mit Wasser, Tippen, Haushalt. Meist hält es 2–3 Wochen.
• Füße: Geschützter im Schuh, langsameres Wachstum. Häufig 4–6 Wochen.

Darum müssen die Termine nicht immer synchron laufen – Füße halten oft deutlich länger durch.

Gellack ist für viele Nägel super – er kann sogar helfen, dass Nägel weniger einreißen, weil sie „versiegelt“ sind.

Wichtig: Wenn deine Nägel extrem dünn sind und stark nachgeben, kann auch Gellack schneller abplatzen. Dann brauchen deine Nägel mehr Stabilität. In so einem Fall ist Flüssiges Polygel oft die bessere Alternative: stabiler als Gellack, aber leichter als Gel.

Does gel polish damage nails? The answer is neither yes nor no. It depends.

Protective effect: Gel polish forms a hard layer on the nail. This layer acts as a shield against mechanical impact. Thin, brittle nails can grow under gel polish without breaking.

Wearing effect: Before each application, the surface gets lightly buffed. At each removal, acetone dries things out. With years of uninterrupted use, this cumulative effect can thin the nail.

The balance: Regular breaks. Three to four months of gel polish, then one month of classic care or nothing at all. This rhythm lets the nail regenerate.

With professional application and removal, gel polish is safe. Damage usually comes from mistakes made at home.

HEMA is an ingredient in most gel polish formulas. One of the main components that enables adhesion. But in some people, an allergy can develop.

Symptoms: Itching around the nail fold, redness, swelling. Sometimes blisters. Symptoms can appear hours or days after application.

Important: HEMA allergy usually doesn't develop suddenly. It can emerge after years of problem-free use. The immune system sensitizes over time.

Risk factors: Gel polish contacts skin (overflow onto nail fold), insufficient curing, too-frequent application.

Solution: HEMA-free formulas exist. Slightly more expensive, require a slightly different technique, but a lifesaver for allergy sufferers. If you suspect anything, let me know – I can use alternative products.

HEMA ist ein Inhaltsstoff, der bei manchen Menschen Allergien auslösen kann. Wenn du weißt, dass du empfindlich reagierst, sag es mir bitte.

Ich habe auch HEMA-freie Produkte im Sortiment. Die sind im Einkauf meist teurer, für empfindliche Haut aber oft die sicherere und angenehmere Wahl.

Selber machen klingt praktisch – in der Realität klappt es oft nur halb.

• Das Problem: Viele Heim-Lampen sind zu schwach. Der Lack wirkt trocken, ist aber innen nicht durchgehärtet.
• Das Entfernen: Ohne Übung endet das Abmachen oft mit Kratzen und Schäden am Naturnagel.

Wenn du deine Nägel langfristig gesund halten willst, ist ein sauberer Termin im Studio meist die entspanntere Lösung.

Drugstores and online shops sell 'at-home gel polish kits.' Sounds tempting – buy once, do it yourself. But reality is more complicated.

Application challenges: Without training, clean application is hard. Thick layers don't cure properly, overflow at edges leads to early lifting. Painting your right hand with your left is its own skill.

Removal dangers: Proper removal at home is even harder. Impatient scraping, picking – the nail gets wrecked.

Product quality: Cheap kits have inferior formulas, weak lamps. Insufficient curing means early lifting plus allergy risk.

Trying occasionally is fine. But for regular gel polish, professional application is much safer – both for results and for health.

Normaler Lack trocknet an der Luft – das dauert und bleibt im Alltag oft empfindlich gegen Kratzer.

Der Unterschied: Gellack wird unter einer Lampe ausgehärtet. Das Material ist flüssig, härtet aber unter LED-Licht in kurzer Zeit komplett aus. Das Ergebnis: Du musst nicht ewig auf „Trocknen“ warten und kannst direkt nach dem Termin wieder in die Tasche greifen – ohne dieses ständige Vorsichtigsein.

Two lamp types, meaningful differences.

UV lamps: The older generation. Broad spectrum light. Works with any gel polish formula, but has downsides: bulbs weaken over time, curing takes long (two to three minutes), slight heat buildup.

LED lamps: The new generation. Narrow spectrum, focused light. Curing much faster – thirty to sixty seconds is enough. Bulb lifespan much longer, minimal heat.

Downside? Not every gel polish is LED-compatible. Older formulas need UV. But today, practically all professional brands produce LED-compatible products.

I use LED. Sessions go faster, less time under the lamp, same quality result.

Why does regular polish fail after three to five days? Mechanical adhesion. The polish sits physically on the nail surface, but there's no chemical bond. Water, dish soap, impact – all break this weak connection.

Why does gel polish last for weeks? Chemical bond. Base coat reacts with the nail's keratin structure. Upper layers hold together through cross-linking. This system resists water, resists friction.

But it doesn't last forever. Two factors set limits:

Nail growth: Nails grow about one millimeter per week. After two weeks, a gap forms at the base – where gel polish ends and natural nail begins.

Mechanical fatigue: Gel polish is hard but not flexible. Constant bending, impacts, pressure create micro-cracks over time.

Gellack ist nicht einfach „drauf und fertig“. Es ist ein System, das sauber aufgebaut wird:

• Vorbereitung: Der Nagel wird sorgfältig vorbereitet, damit das Material haftet.
• Base Coat: Die Grundlage, die sich mit dem Naturnagel verbindet.
• Farbe: Meist zwei dünne Schichten für satte Deckkraft.
• Top Coat: Die Versiegelung für Glanz und Schutz.

Jede Schicht wird einzeln ausgehärtet – so bleibt das Ergebnis stabil.

Gel polish isn't a single layer, it's a system like building a house. Each layer has its job.

Prep: The nail surface gets lightly buffed – nothing sticks to a shiny surface. Then moisture is removed, adhesion is strengthened. Skip these steps and even the best gel polish lifts within days.

Base coat: The first layer that grips the nail. Double duty: hold onto the nail below, provide foundation for color layers above. Also prevents dark pigments from staining the natural nail.

Color layers: Usually two. The first doesn't fully cover, the second adds depth. Each layer must be thin – thick layers don't cure properly.

Top coat: The final defense line. Shine, scratch protection, prevents color fading. Want matte? There's matte top coat for that.

Each layer cures separately. Four to five times under the lamp total.

Regular polish dries through evaporation. Solvents escape into the air, leaving behind pigment and binder. Passive process – just wait.

Gel polish works completely differently: photopolymerization. The gel polish in the bottle consists of short molecular chains. These molecules float in liquid form, independent of each other.

When UV or LED light enters the picture, special molecules get activated. They start linking the short chains together. Within seconds, a long, cross-linked network forms.

This network is no longer liquid – it's solid, hard, durable. Resistant to water, resistant to friction, resistant to chemicals. Even regular acetone struggles because the molecules now form a single structure.

That's 'instant dry.' Light triggers, chemistry delivers.

Removing gel polish is as technical as applying it. Maybe more important – because this is where damage happens.

What acetone does: Acetone doesn't dissolve the polymer network – chemically impossible. But it penetrates and causes swelling. The swollen gel polish loosens from the nail surface. This takes time – ten to fifteen minutes minimum.

Right process: The shiny top coat layer gets lightly filed – creating a path for acetone to enter. Acetone-soaked cotton goes on the nail, wrapped in foil, wait. When soft, gently push off – don't scrape, push.

Wrong process: Picking it off with your fingers. Every piece ripped away takes the top layer of nail with it. Result: thin, weak, stained nail. Healing takes months.

The urge to 'quickly remove at home' is dangerous. Professional removal takes fifteen to twenty minutes but the nail stays intact.

Hier passieren die meisten Schäden. Bitte niemals abknibbeln oder abziehen!

• Das Risiko: Dabei lösen sich fast immer Schichten vom Naturnagel mit. Er wird dünn und empfindlich.
• Bei mir: Ich löse den Lack professionell an oder feile ihn kontrolliert ab.

Danach tut dem Nagel oft eine Klassische Maniküre gut, damit alles wieder gepflegt ist.

Früher gab es oft nur zwei Extreme: normaler Lack (schön, aber schnell ab) oder eine dickere Modellage (sehr haltbar, aber nicht für jeden Look passend). Dazwischen war lange wenig.

Gellack (oft auch Shellac genannt) schließt genau diese Lücke. Er wird aufgetragen wie Lack, hält aber deutlich länger. Dünn, flexibel und nach dem Aushärten sofort alltagstauglich – deshalb ist er heute für viele der Standard.

Viele kennen noch die alten Geräte, bei denen man lange warten musste. Mit modernen LED-Lampen geht es deutlich schneller: Pro Schicht dauert das Aushärten meist nur 30–60 Sekunden. Das spart Zeit und macht den Termin viel angenehmer.

Normaler Lack liegt eher „obenauf“ und kann durch Wasser oder kleine Stöße schneller absplittern. Gellack verbindet sich besser und ist deutlich widerstandsfähiger.

Und warum nicht ewig? Weil der Nagel wächst. Nach 2–3 Wochen sieht man am Ansatz den Rauswuchs, und je nach Alltag verändert sich die Spannung im Material. Dann ist es Zeit für einen Wechsel.