Help, I’m a pesky polish picker

Alright nail pickers, gather around.
Help, I’m a pesky polish picker

CHENNAI : Alright nail pickers, gather around. If we haven’t met yet, hello. I’m here to tell you about my annoying habit of picking off gel polish. I’ll pick mine off and start to attack yours. Short of slamming them in a door, this might just be one of the worst things you can do. Peeling off a gel manicure would be (relatively) okay if it was just the polish you were picking on. Along with removing the gel, you peel the top layers of your nail — which can give you horrid white patches and brittle, thin nails that refuse to grow no matter how much you try. Now that it is clear that I am ashamed, and by no means or measure an advocate of this polish picking behaviour, let’s continue.

To catch the others up to speed: gel manicures are extra tough, high-shine, and meant to last for weeks on end. It requires a few extra steps of sealing each coat under UV lights and makes you look fresh out the salon for weeks. It also takes an hour to complete, and that’s a good time to catch up on a new podcast, or a sitting-up nap. (Is that a thing? That should totally be a thing.)

When you value your nail beds underneath, there is only one option: to develop an easy-to-follow ritual that your picked and bunted gel-demolished nails will be thankful for. Slather your hands with a rich cream with plenty of shea butter, apply a cuticle oil and be on your merry way. I use a pen-shaped oil applicator, and am trying to get into the habit of applying the oil each time I hydrate my lips. 

If it’s a soft gel manicure — which I recommend — soak your nails in a polish removing pot and gently buff the polish off. The hard gel polishes are more tightly bound to the nail and are ideal before an event or big vacation; and should not be removed at home. They don’t tell you this, but removing your gel manicure at home can save you a pretty penny! Just make sure your unsuspecting flatmates and cats aren’t completely averse to the smell.

I’ll come clean though: the whole reason you’re in this situation is because you were too lazy to go to the nail bar and now you’re probably in a worse state post-picking. Consider making the trip, and find a place that uses an IBX system. It’s a heat-powered intense conditioning treatment for your nails, which isn’t half as terrifying as it sounds. Avoid using hand sanitisers and hot water. Don’t be afraid to file your talons a bit when they start growing out and most importantly — have fun! A chipped nail or two shouldn’t stop you from swanning about like the royalty you truly are.

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