Question For The Ladies

[Willowy]

Will anyone tell me how much it cost?

Around here, just a basic pedicure is about $25, $40 for a mani/pedi. My grandma used to get a pedicure when it got so she couldn't tend her own toenails. The local nursing home also has a nail clinic once a month, it costs less than a professional pedicure (I think $10), so you could look around your area to see if that's available for you.

My aunt gets gels. It costs something like $50-$60 every 2 weeks (must be for removal + the new application). It drives my mom crazy, lol (she helps my aunt handle her finances). My mom has never had her nails done so she considers it a waste of money. I've never had my nails done either. The few times I've tried to put polish on, I don't like how it feels on my nails so I pick at it and it looks pretty bad after just a few hours, so no point paying for professional application.

 

[denice]

I did like how the acrylics looked. I didn't get them real long that would drive me crazy. For quite awhile after getting new ones I would get a French manicure done with different patterns. After a couple of months they would begin to yellow and I would switch to a polish for awhile. I would then get them soaked off, get new ones and switch back to the French manicure. This was several years ago. A soak off and new set was 40 and a fill and polish was 25. I would get them done every two or three weeks. I would get the soak off and new ones every 3 or 4 months. It is an expense. With the acrylics you are kind of stuck once you start because the natural nails look so bad after the acrylics are taken off.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

I have never had fake nails either. I think a lot of women get gel polish over acrylic nails. I have changed my appointment to get just a regular manicure on Thursday. Then the nail tech can see my nails and tell me more info about it. I don't like the idea of having to soak in acetone to remove the gel polish.

 

[tinydestroyer]

I definitely want to say that, at least with my nails, the level of damage that gel polish leaves behind is minuscule compared to the acrylic nails. I was able to decide (after about six consecutive gel manis) to stop suddenly, and it was easily hidden with regular polish (clear,) until it grew out. With acrylics, there's no hiding the ridges and craziness. I do agree that getting a regular mani first is a good idea, but just beware of them trying to up-sell you in there when you ask about gel options.

 

[muffy]

Neely & Willowy,

That seems pretty expensive. I don't think I would spend that much money every 2 weeks to have my nails polished. The women that does my hair told me to never go to a nail salon to have my feet done because they are not that clean and I could get a bad infection. I think medicare will pay for it but I'm not sure. She told me to always go to a Podiatrist for a pedicure.

 

[Willowy]

Neely & Willowy,

That seems pretty expensive. I don't think I would spend that much money every 2 weeks to have my nails polished. The women that does my hair told me to never go to a nail salon to have my feet done because they are not that clean and I could get a bad infection. I think medicare will pay for it but I'm not sure. She told me to always go to a Podiatrist for a pedicure.

If you just want to have your nails cut, etc., you only have to go once a month. That's what my grandma did. You only have to go every 2 weeks if you want to keep the polish looking fancy .

Yeah, some salons have a bad history when it comes to sanitation and all that, you can look up their Health Department rating if you want. But if your insurance pays for a podiatrist, that's even better! Just make sure you do take care of your feet, no matter who does it---bad feet can do a lot of damage to older people and those with disabilities .

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

I did ask the woman who does my hair about sanitation. They use throw away files. All instruments are sanitized. She is the owner of the salon and has been doing my hair for many years.

My sister always bought her polish and took it with her so she could touch up her own nails. She just did regular polishes. I am thinking about picking me out a pretty polish at the drug store and taking my own polish so I can touch up mine.

 

[muffy]

If you just want to have your nails cut, etc., you only have to go once a month. That's what my grandma did. You only have to go every 2 weeks if you want to keep the polish looking fancy .

Yeah, some salons have a bad history when it comes to sanitation and all that, you can look up their Health Department rating if you want. But if your insurance pays for a podiatrist, that's even better! Just make sure you do take care of your feet, no matter who does it---bad feet can do a lot of damage to older people and those with disabilities .

One of my sisters coworkers ended up in the hospital because she had a very bad infection in her feet after having a pedicure. I've also seen stories on the news about how some salons have a history of having bad sanitation. I know you really have to be care full if you have diabetes.

 

[denice]

I used to work with a man who had diabetes. He went to a podiatrist for anything with his feet. He would go every 3 or 4 weeks to get his nails clipped and calluses trimmed.

 

[Kat0121]

I used to work with a man who had diabetes. He went to a podiatrist for anything with his feet. He would go every 3 or 4 weeks to get his nails clipped and calluses trimmed.

I work with a few diabetics. They all have to go to the podiatrist for anything foot related.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

I am going today for my nail polish. I think I will go by CVS and pick a nail color I like. Then I will take my own polish. That way, I can do repairs if needed. I will talk to her about the gel polish. I am not diabetic, nor do I have any issues what might be a problem. The thing I was concerned about was what my nails will look like if I get gel polish and then take it off.

 

[neely]

Good luck, please let us know how it turns out and if you liked your experience at the nail salon.

 

[Alejandra Rico]

Hi there, am I late for the party?

I have always loved long nails (or should I say that hate short nails?) partly because I find them beautiful, but mainly because since I was a baby I have never been able to get used to touch things with my fingertips. It drives me crazy, honestly.

So I keep my nails long, give them a nice oval shape with a file and put on whatever red/dark red/deep purple nail polish I have on hand.

The problem is that manicure does not last at all in my nails, no matter how expensive or cheap os the barnish I use. I once had them done in a salon and there was no difference either. Might have something to do with horse riding and my particular nail texture.

I learnt about gel manicure through YouTube. It looked easy and inexpensive if done at home, so I bought everything necessary and started doing my gel Nails at home without major problems.

Pros
-It takes about 15 minutes ti have both hands "done" and It Will last longer than normal mail polish (mine usually lasts for 10 days or so, but honestly, wearing gloves during Horse riding does seriously damage mail polish)
-Variety. The colors and effects available are amazing. Seriously, I have a couple of temperature changing polishes and they are really cool, they make a natural obre effect. There are also special powder that can be buffed on top of gelbpolish to achieve "mirror" effect. And many, many other things.
-The lamp you need for this is inexpensive if you buy It through Amazon, and It can be used as a "black light" to look for spraying areas.
-Nails don't get so cold. This may sound stupid, but I really like the fact that the gel is somehow keeping the temperature of the nails stable.
-The gel protects the mail from accidental breakage.

Cons
-Taking the gel of is an art. Once you master, it takes about 5~7 minutes, but until then I've seen people doing It for 40 minutes. The clue is filing the barnish surface before soaking them.
-if by any catastrophe one of the nails is not well "done" you will have to devote half an hour to take It off, apply some argan oil, clean It and re-paint It. And sometimes one does not have half an hour, ir definitely doesn't want to spend It on nails.
-Gel price. Gel barnishes are expensive... Out of Aliexpress Android the kind. I have high end polishes and Aliexpress ones, and the matter work surprisingly way better than the expensive ones, and leave my Nails healtier.

My advice, if you decide to start with gel Nails, is doing It at home. It is quite straight forward and you will get better and quicker with time and practice. Practice with your friends' and relatives' nails if you can. Practice with fke nails (just painting them, not attacking them to yours). And enjoy

 

[amysuen]

I'm a child care provider and wash my hands all day so nothing lasts more than 2 days on my fingernails, even gel, even over the weekend when I make the kids do the dishes. I don't bother with artificial nails because whenever my natural nails get a little long I scratch myself so I don't want to put the kiddos in jeopardy. I splurge on my toes because that'll last a month, and do my fingers myself so I can keep touching them up when they chip.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

I definitely want to say that, at least with my nails, the level of damage that gel polish leaves behind is minuscule compared to the acrylic nails. I was able to decide (after about six consecutive gel manis) to stop suddenly, and it was easily hidden with regular polish (clear,) until it grew out. With acrylics, there's no hiding the ridges and craziness. I do agree that getting a regular mani first is a good idea, but just beware of them trying to up-sell you in there when you ask about gel options.

I bought some polish thinking I would do the regular and have her paint them with my own polish. But when we talked she told me that gel would not harm the nails. She said when people get damage, it is usually because they start picking at their nails and trying to peel it off. She gave me detailed info on how to take it off myself or told me she would take it off for me. I bought some professional strength acetone. She said the way to do it is cut some foil squares, put a cotton ball on each square and do one hand at the time. She said pour a bit of acetone on the cotton ball and wrap it around each finger, having the wet cotton ball on top of the nail. Let them soak at least ten minutes, remove a foil, use a wooden stick (which she gave me). She said the polish should start to wrinkle and lift. Use the stick and push toward the end of the nail. If it doesn't lift easily, re-soak. Then clean each nail with the acetone on a cotton pad (which she gave me). She told me if I had problems, she would take it off. So I am not sure if I will try this or not. I may let her do it so I can see for myself how she does it. Then I might attempt it if I ever get them done again with the gel.

I didn't intend to get them redone and keep that stuff on my nails all the time. I just don't think it is healthy to keep the nail covered all the time, although I know women who do just that.

 

[tinydestroyer]

I think maybe the consecutive covering / acetone bath cycle for my nails was too much. Acetone is a pretty harsh solvent, (likely why we use non acetone when possible,) and it seemed to dry out my nails a lot, but argan oil on the nail helped when I stopped doing gels. And acetone is the best for removing polish. You're probably smart to take a break between, anyway. I didn't pick at them, but I can't imagine that much of the gel would come off even if I had. Show us a pic of your new manicure, if you like it!

 

[denice]

All of this talk about nails, looking at my nails that haven't been done in years and remembering what they looked like when I had them professionally done regularly finally got to me. I went to Ulta and got everything to do the gels at home. One thing with regular polish that I hated was having to wait so long for them to completely dry, I would always end up with a smudge. The light that I got is supposed to cure each coat in 45 seconds so that would be 3 min total. I read in reviews though that most people use 3 coats of color because you have to use really thin coats. I also read that the key to the gels lasting is cleaning and buffing the nails well before starting.

 

[denice]

I finished them and it is easy. It is really the same to do as traditional manicures except curing each coat. I am still catching myself being careful so I don't smudge my nails and there is no reason to with this. I will see how long they last and then if there is an issue with getting them off. I got some cuticle conditioning oil. I put some on after I finished and I will use it when I take them off.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

All of this talk about nails, looking at my nails that haven't been done in years and remembering what they looked like when I had them professionally done regularly finally got to me. I went to Ulta and got everything to do the gels at home. One thing with regular polish that I hated was having to wait so long for them to completely dry, I would always end up with a smudge. The light that I got is supposed to cure each coat in 45 seconds so that would be 3 min total. I read in reviews though that most people use 3 coats of color because you have to use really thin coats. I also read that the key to the gels lasting is cleaning and buffing the nails well before starting.

Good luck with doing it. The tech didn't buff or clean or do anything to my nails other than shape them up some. My hubby is going to take a picture and I will post it here when I get it.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

Here is the picture of the fingernails. I was enjoying them until Christmas Eve night. About eleven o'clock, I noticed the tip of my index nail on my right hand was coming loose. I panicked. I tried clear polish, thinking that would stick it back down. Wrong. The polish I had purchased at CVS thinking I was going to get a manicure using my own polish was almost identical to my nails. So I peeled off the loose piece of the gel polish and filled in the tip. Then I painted over with clear polish. It looked good. Then I took my shower. When I got all done and pj's on, I noticed my finger again. It looked like the polish had melted all over my fingernail. So then I got the acetone, cotton ball, orange stick, etc. to take it off. Hubby did that for me. It took me two tries painting the nail before I got it right. When I finally got done it was late. We had to get up and travel on Christmas Day. I was worked up from all this excitement. But the nail would have fooled anyone. I left the polish on until two or three days after Christmas. When I called the salon to get it off, the girl had taken the day off. So dear old hubby steeped up to the plate again. He used the foil, cotton balls, acetone, wrapped each nail and between the two of us, got my fingernails back to normal. I don't much think I want to do this trick again until, well, maybe next Christmas.