PROFESSIONAL USE ONLY
Gellifique® LTD products are retailed for professional use only to fully qualified nail technicians, those in training or those individuals participating in other capacities (employer etc ) within the professional beauty sector and are able to demonstrate relevant paperwork.
Proof of professional status is required prior to purchase.
In order to make a purchase please create an account and email your certificate (or equivalent doc. supporting your professional status) to us at info@gellifique.com
Please follow our application guides in combination with the expertise you already possess through your professional training.
APPLICATION TROUBLESHOOTING
We have chosen 10 of the most frequently asked questions for which we will run through some troubleshooting options with you. You can find all of our in-depth product application guides here (insert link) as a guide on how to use the Gellifique products Including correct removal. If you are still having issues with your application, please feel free to reach out to our Facebook group "Gellifique Gel Polish Members".
Note to new nail techs, when using a new nail system, it is completely normal to have a few teething problems especially when you are fresh from college or have used other systems. Sometimes it feels as if you have done everything correctly but it may be the smallest thing that's causing an early breakdown of the service and that's why we have created this to help.
1) My client's gel polish has chipped on the free edge
This is an area where there are many factors as to why this happens.
Firstly, it could be simply down to improper nail prep. See our nail prep guide here (insert link) improper prep means leaving any debris, oils or contaminants on the natural nail which will all cause the product to lift/chip. Also, make sure you are filing and buffing the free edge to make sure that the product will adhere properly. It could also simply be that your client is heavy-handed in which case you need to switch out your normal base coat to something stronger such as our rubber base or even moving to the use of an ultra seal or even our apex builder in a bottle formulation. This is sometimes trial and error with heavy-handed clients. It could also be that the client's hand was too far to the back of the lamp meaning the very tips of the nails will not have had a full and proper cure. Make sure you explain to your client exactly where to place their hand in the lamp. Also, check to see how old your lamp is and make sure it hasn't started to weaken. Although led lamps have up to a 50,000 hour bulb life, bulbs degrade quicker especially in the heat and enclosed casing such as a lamp and once they hit 70% capacity, they are no longer strong enough to fully cure and need to be swapped out for a new one. Make sure you cleanse the nail thoroughly with 99.9% alcohol and focus on the free edge and underneath as that tends to be forgotten about.
2) My client's nail enhancement has come off
Again, this could be down to a few things. Make sure your nail prep is on point, a great foundation makes the world of difference when it comes to nail enhancements. Some clients may need a stronger base coat so if you're using our microcrystal base and you're having lifting issues of any kind, switch over to our rubber base for the ultimate adhesion. If a nail enhancement has just "popped off" and there is no sign that it has been picked off, it could be that there has been a curing issue. Make sure you are curing all of our gels in the recommended lamp with the right wavelengths, make sure your lamp isn't older than 2 years. Try not to apply the product too thickly as this will inhibit the effectiveness of the light-curing through the product so apply just enough to get the structure you need. Again, follow our prep guide to make sure you are removing all oils and contaminants from the nail plate.
3) My gel polish has changed colour or has darker patches once cured
This is common in our range of neon shades. The uv reacts with these gels in a way that slightly alters the shade and also creates what appears to be patches of darker shades. This is normal in our neon based colours and will normalise after a short while. It's to do with a reaction from the light and heat in the lamp and should go back to it's original colour once they have cooled.
4) My client's gel polish has peeled or lifted away
Any form of peeling or lifting in this way is generally down to a curing issue. Double-check you are using a good quality lamp that isn't more than 2 years old as the bulbs break down fairly quickly especially in a lot of the cheaper lamps that you can buy online so be aware that you may need to change your lamp more frequently. Again check your nail prep and cure times. If you are using a file and buffer that you have left with your client, they may have used it and gotten oil on them or hand cream on them in which case this will be causing a barrier to your gel polish. Again check for signs that the client hasn't just peeled them off themselves, you would be surprised at how often this happens and the client blames the nail tech.
5) The gel burns/ has a high heat spike
All builder gels whether that be a hard gel, a builder in a bottle type gel or some matte/thicker top coats will have a heat spike or as we call it in the industry, an exothermic reaction. This is the reaction between the light and the product creating chains as the product is cured. Each time the chain is created, the energy made by the reaction is felt as heat. Generally the higher the acrylate percentage which gives a product more strength, the more heat you will feel.
This is why most lamps today have a low heat option to make it a more comfortable experience for your client. Some people will still feel the heat regardless if they have more sensitive nail beds. What you can do is get the client to pop their hand in and out for 10-second intervals before doing a full cure. The heat is generally a lot more intense where any "building" has been done and the product is a lot thicker. Generally, the heat felt is merely for a matter of seconds before it dissipates. This is completely normal and occurs in all brands of gel.
6) My client has had an allergic reaction
Although, we are very lucky here at Gellifique and do our best to uphold our high hypoallergenic formula standards, allergies can still occur for a number of reasons.
If you or your client has reacted in any way, we would recommend removing the product and ask to see your GP and request patch testing be done. There is a multitude of ingredients within products and it's always difficult trying to pinpoint what it could be. We have removed as many ingredients as possible without it affecting our long-lasting wear making them safer to use for nail techs and clients. The main reason for any reaction is generally overexposure to the product and that is where you have repeatedly gotten it on the skin or under the nail if using your nails to remove the product from the skin. Things like cleaning your gel bottles without the use of gloves is also a big contributor to skin and nail allergies. This is then left or cured onto the skin even though the colour is visibly not there, the other components still remain on the skin. A lot of people suffer from an allergy to acrylates which are found in nearly all nail products so make sure when taking on a new client that they haven't experienced these issues before. Some people can experience only a mild tingling which will normally dissipate within a few hours where as some can have nail plate lifting or redness around the skin. If someone gets a mild tingling and they know that they have an intolerance then that is fine. However, do play it with caution. If a client has any nail plate lifting (onycholysis) then remove the product, take the short and don't apply anything else over them. Let the lift just grow out, keep them clean and dry. Always make sure when you are applying gel to a client to wear gloves or use a tool to clean up the skin. Avoid at all costs getting any gel product on your or your client's skin because an allergy can soon occur if you aren't careful.
7) I am struggling to soak off Apex Gel
We have two Apex gel options, one being our Apex Gel Extend and the other, Apex Gel Strengthen. Apex Gel Extend is much stronger and takes a little more time to remove because it is a harder wearing product. To remove, remove all polish colour and debulk the enhancement as much as possible. An efile would be extremely beneficial for this. Then wrap in acetone and keep the hands warm as this will speed up the process. Set a timer for a minimum of 15 minutes. Scrape off what you can with one of our Staleks® removal tools and the. Rewrap if needed. You will have some stubborn areas so what you can use is a 180grit file your gently buff away any excess.
8) I'm finding the gel polish hard to soak off
Firstly, all 100% gel formulas will be removed differently. Yes, hybrid polishes remove super easy but they don't necessarily wear as well or are as strong. The best way to remove gel polish quickly and effectively is to invest in file training which is healthier for the client's nails as the nails don't become bendy from soaking in acetone plus this brings the removal time down by more than half. If you don't want to use an efile, you will need to use a 180 grit nail file as a buffer that isn't effective for a removal service. You will need to file off the top coat completely as non wipe top coats are acetone resistant and won't allow the acetone through to remove the gel. The next step would be to create small pockets through the colour and Ito the base coat layer. This will allow your acetone to go in and under allowing the quicker breakdown of the gel polish. With ours, you don't get any peeling as you would see in a hybrid gel removal but it will become almost crumbly in texture for you to remove using our Staleks® cuticle tools. Set a timer for 15 mins and then remove. Any stubborn areas can gently be buffed away. You can also see our removal guide here (insert link)
9) My gel has air bubbles in it
This can happen in transit or if the bottle has been shaken or is too cold.
Pop the bottle into some warm water and all the tiny bubbles should pop. Don't overwork products like Apex gel or builder gel as that can whisk the gel up creating tiny bubbles so "float" the product instead.
10) my product is too thick or too thin
Our products vary slightly in thickness depending on the pigment it holds. Our products are typically on the thicker side and are more so if left in a cold environment. Make sure in the wintertime to give them time to warm up where they will be at a more workable temperature. Likewise, if you have had a new delivery, they will have been kept in a cool storage facility on the way to you so just let them warm up when you receive them. You can pop the bottles in warm water to bring them to temperature quicker. If you struggle with the hard builder gels being too runny in the summer months, it's because it's too warm. Pop them in cool water or fridge overnight so they are again at a better working temperature.