I don’t like the condition of my nails after a gel manicure. My salon has Dazzle Dry, which lasts longer than regular polish but can be removed like regular polish. Maybe you could try that?

A friend likes the ”dip” manicure but I haven’t tried it. It’s not available at the salon I go to.

I almost always do Essie Mademoiselle, which is almost nude and lasts long enough for me. I like to keep my nails short.

I have had gel nails for years now. They don't get 'removed' but just ground down with a dremel. I don't know what the natural surface is, other than during the pandemic before bail salons reopened, Then the nails were soft. Which was the problem before I started getting acrylic nails some 25+ years ago. I have regular appointments every 3 weeks. And I go to the same person every time. If you're just going in and taking pot luck on technicians, you'll get uneven results.

Yes, they have the dip, but I’ve never tried it. I go to the same salon for many years, they have a pretty good amount of regular employees, and they’re all pretty good.

They’ve either removed the gel by grinding it down, or else ”scoring” it and then wrapping the nails in foil and soaked in cotton balls with acetone for about 5 minutes.

My nails are shorter but they always grow nicer in the summer.

Here they are now.

I also do not like gel polish-- my nails are pretty healthy as long as I stay away from gel. It isn't just the removal process .. .when they start to lift or pull, I pick at them which only damages my nails even more.

I had a nail technician who was a miracle worker-- my regular manicures often lasted 3 weeks! Obviously there was growth that pulled from the bottom and I did sometimes need to touch up at the tips but it mostly lasted 3 weeks! I got the best results using vinylux polish but still got pretty good results with some of their other brands. Sadly, she left my salon.

My last regular manicure at a salon that is closer was terrible.. it started chipping after 3 days and unfortunately, that was on the first day of my vacation! I was so embarrassed!

One thing that has helped me a lot is to apply my own gel-like top coat a day after my manicure and then every +/- 3 days after. I use Chanel Le Gel. It also helps when my nail technician applies polis and top coat on the tips/edge. I am a "hard typer" meaning I smash the keys lol ... and I am at the computer some days from 5am to 9pm. I am hard on my nail tips and the extra polish/top coat on the edges seems to help.

Since I am on the hunt for a new salon, I am curious about Dazzle Dry .. will have to look to see who uses it here in my area. Thanks for the tip, Sue!

I do not pick at the gel at least because I don’t want to damage my nails any more than what they would normally encounter.

I am teachig online in the summer and working on some other things so I still have a fair amount of computer work.

Ida, yours look good!

Picking is the worst thing we can do-- but it is a nervous habit for me. I don't even know i am doing it until it is too late. :(

I rarely do gel or dip anymore because it literally ruins my nails. I do my own at home with Dazzle Dry which lasts much longer than regular polish for me. It also dries really quickly which is a huge bonus.

Timely topic - my nails are very fragile - break/split/etc. - but they do sometimes grow in the summer. Right now they're the best they've been in years and I was pondering a manicure - something I've done probably less than five times in my life. I wouldn't do the gel because I felt like it would be fatal to my already weak nails when it was removed and I'm not one to get in the habit of regular manicures. The last time I had a manicure the polish didn't last very long so I decided I'd just to it myself again. I have some kind of clear base/topcoat and it does last much longer if I use that. It seems like it may also make them a bit stronger. I'm enjoying it while I can knowing they'll break one of these days and then I'll be done with it for a while.

@texanjana - I was just looking at Dazzle Dry. Do you do the whole five-coat process?

I have never had the acetone/foil process to removed the gel.

Gel manicures I've seen look so nice, and easier than liquid polish, but I also recall seeing something not too long ago about the UV light that sets them being conducive to skin cancer 🫤

I miss having nicely painted fingernails, but they are just not compatible with my work and lifestyle. My nails also get grimy and I like to be able to see that so I can clean them properly.

I get the SNS (powder dip) every 3-4 weeks. I love having perfectly manicured nails that I don’t have to worry about but I truly hate the removal! Ugh! The actual dipping process feels so nice and it kind of hyponotizes me, lol. SNS doesn’t use UV light to cure…after the top coat they are set after 10 min. Nothing damages the finish until you remove it.

After getting gel polish manicures for several years, I found my nails were getting weaker. The nail tech recommended acrylics…and I decided no more.

At about the same time I found references to nail wraps or nail stickers, so I tried some and have never gone back. Theyre easy to put on, easy to take off and with the addition of a base coat and topcoat they last about 2 weeks, sometimes longer. I no longer have to wait for my turn, spending way too much of my day, even though the whole gel polish mani only took 15 minutes.

These are on a week. Lots of color and style choices, even French styles. As they used to say in the earlier days of the internet…NAYY, just a happy consumer.

I am intrigued by the wraps/stickers.

I am awful with shaping my nails so I do need a pro to do this, especially after breaking.

Some reviewers have had problems with Dazzle Dry. They noticed white spots on their nails once polish was removed. This is called keratin granulation. I polish my own nails and opt for a color that closely matches my skin tone so chips are less noticable.

I have not read the comments, but when I had gel done on hands and feet for several months (which I LOVED!), my nails became thin and brittle. Broke easily. Took several months to restore.

I've only ever had one and it was gel. I was told you can go back and for a nominal fee get them back filled so you don't have to go through the removal process so often? I 'did my nails' regularly from the age of about 11 until the birth of my first child. Never saw the need/point for sourcing that out. My nails were always long and strong.... I always thought I did well if I made it over a week w/o a chip. My gel never chipped but I had a french tips and it looked silly after a months growth!! DH had acetone so I removed them myself. Now I garden instead.

"Now I garden instead"

This. I garden too and it can trash my nails even with gel which I love for the look and dislike for the nail damage. I do my own mani with a sheer neutral because it's forgiving but get year round pedis. I've heard of dip but don't know what the process is or removal.

Like 3katz my nails have always been fragile and tend to split and break. I also go to the pool 5 times a week for water exercise class which doesn't help. What works for me is to keep them short and wear one layer of polish as a protection against the chlorine. I've given up trying to have long, beautiful nails. The worst part is that my Mother was a hand model when she was in her 20's and always had long, beautifully shaped nails. Apparently I inherited my Dad's short, broad nails along with short fingers.

I had my first gel manicure a few years ago and loved it and was amazed at how long it lasted. When it was time to remove it I promptly had another applied. When that was removed I noticed I had red areas underneath my nails and they were very soft. I made an appointment with the dermatologist who told me to avoid gel since it was damaging my nails and to only use it for a special occasion.

Yeah, I normally do the gel once or twice a year, only for travel usually. I think that’s probably the best move forward.

If I garden I use gloves.

I’ll go back probably tomorrow and get the gel removed and regular put on.

gscience I use gloves for everything - dishes, gardening, projects..... but for gardening and projects the gloves can have enough of an abrasive action to impact the edges of my nails. Gel was certainly less prone to damage but even that wasn't a guarantee. My nails are naturally thin and some fingers are ridged (others smooth - what's that about?) so I'm not going into any process with the greatest foundation!

I wear gloves for practically everything as well, and can attest to gardening and work gloves really messing up a manicure. Grime seems to find its way inside gloves too.

And I inherited sort of stubby round fingertips and nails too - the struggle is real 😀

My nails are very fragile and weak. Because of that, I’ve stopped using any sort of polish on them. I have one thumb nail that is totally screwed up. The dermatologist told me I had damaged the nail plate. I keep acrylic on it more as a band-aid than anything else. The woman who does my nails has found a color that matches my normal nail color.

I get regular manicures but no polish. I’ve tried gel and I’ve tried dipped. I like them both but they leave my nails in terrible shape. For a special occasion, I’ll get them polished but I have to take it off the next day.

A couple of months ago, I started using OPI Repair Mode. It isn’t polish. I don’t know what it does or how it does it, but my nails are in better condition than they have been for years. I still have to keep them short, but at least they aren’t splitting, cracking, and delaminating.

@bbstx - I think I need to try that - OPI Repair Mode

I started using it 2x a day as directed. I’m now down to once a day. I put it next to the coffee maker and while my coffee is brewing, I slap some on my nails. It dries almost instantly. The woman who does my nails suggested that I keep it in the car and put on a coat before I back out of the garage. Sounds like a good idea, but I never got around to doing that.

3katz, it is not easy to find. My local Walgreens had it when it first came out. Now they are often out of it. I think you can get it at Ulta, too. I don’t wait until I run out to buy the next bottle.

Sorry to be such an evangelist about it, but I’ve tried so much stuff that didn’t work for me and this did.

I haven't read the responses yet, so apologies if this is repeated.

I only get manicures when going on vacation. When home, I do my own nails with regular polish. I do a better job than any salon I've been to, so I just do it myself. However, when going away, I get gel at a salon so I don't have to worry about them while away.

I dreaded the process of getting the gel off. I bought this contraption on the big A and it works wonders. I used to really do some damage to get the gel off, but with this it comes right off with no damage at all.

This is not the exact one I have, but it looks like it's the same thing.

Gel steam remover

I started to look into doing my own gel polish but I didn't get very far and didn't find anything that looked good for at home gel. I will probably look again at some point because I do love how long it lasts. And now that I don't have to damage my nails to get it off, I would like to do it at home.

Got the gel removed and regular polish. At least it’s my own color so I can touch up.

Pretty! I like the length and shape, too. Is there a name for the shape?

Thanks! Square! Some of my nails grow more round, but the pinky and ring finger grow more square.

Very pretty nails, love the color of your polish!

My nail beds are quite rounded, it is hard for me to find a manicurist that knows how to work with my nails as far as gel or acrylics. I have only had two manicurists that had a good technique, one moved to another state and the other left the beauty business. The dips also tend to seperate from my nail and polish lasts about a minute, so I typically just leave my nails nude and have them buffed. A good buff job keeps them shiny for a couple of weeks. Thankfully, my toenails retain polish for several weeks, so I enjoy a traditional pedicure.