How Long Gel Nails Last

Enquire your grouping chat how long a gel manicure should last and I guarantee you lot'll become 10 different answers (also, wow, brag—you have 10 friends? OKAY). Fifty-fifty though I've been getting gel manicures regularly for the terminal two years—since regular nail polish tends to chip in, like, five minutes for me—I've never gotten the final word on how long gel smoothen should last. Is two weeks the standard? Is three weeks a sign of next-level gel? Is 4 weeks even humanly possible? Does the world end at five weeks?!

Since these are the actual questions that proceed me up at nighttime, I decided to settle things once and for all past chatting with a nail expert to find out everything you've ever wondered well-nigh gel manis, starting with how long they ~really~ last.

How long practice gel manicures final?

I'll give it to you lot straight: T he longest you tin vesture a gel manicure without compromising your nail health is two weeks, says Evelyn Lim, chief educator of New York–based nail salon Paintbox. Even though your manicure might wait perfectly fine after two weeks, you run the risk of damaging your nails if you go on 'em on any longer.

"When you have gel on your nails, the polish continues to cure in direct sunlight or in whatsoever exposure to UV—which is all effectually us," says Lim, adding, "the longer you keep your smooth on, the longer it cures, which makes information technology much harder to remove." The safest bet is to head to your manicurist later on two weeks, where they can gently remove your smooth without damaging or stripping your nails.

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How tin can I make my gel nails concluding longer?

1. Utilise cuticle oil religiously

Okay, and so even though you lot shouldn't be wearing your gel manicure for longer than two weeks, there'southward nevertheless a handful of things you lot can do to go on your nails looking dainty and pretty for the entirety of those ii weeks. Step one? Invest in a cuticle oil right this very 2d. "In addition to hydrating the cuticle itself, a good oil will strengthen and condition your nails, which can prevent them from chipping, breaking, or becoming brittle," says Lim, who suggests using your cuticle oil "at least once or twice daily."

Pear Nova Growth Green Tea Cuticle Oil

Nash + Pino Hydrate Cuticle Oil

Dr. Hauschka Neem Boom & Cuticle Pen

CND Essentials Nail & Cuticle Oil SolarOil

CND Essentials Blast & Cuticle Oil SolarOil

2. File regularly and wear a peak glaze

"Yous desire to treat your nails like yous would a pair of tights—if y'all get a small-scale nick and you don't nip it in the bud, it tin can turn into a huge run," says Lim. "And so if you have a piddling snag on your nail, smoothen it out with a file or buffer to forbid any further chipping, splitting, or tearing."

Lim suggests keeping a mini boom file in your bag to make quick touch-ups totally doable. And while we're on the subject, throw a clear tiptop coat into your purse also. While it won't really practice anything to brand your manicure final longer, a quick layer of shine will give your gels a nice refresh if you lot demand information technology.

Iridesi Professional Colorful Mini Finger Nail Files

Iridesi Professional person Colorful Mini Finger Nail Files

IBI Dispensable Green Mini Buffer

Essie Top Coat No Chips Ahead

Tweezerman Mini Nail Rescue Kit

3. Keep your nails dry

Even though you don't need to worry almost your gel smooth chipping as much as you do with a classic mani, Lim suggests wearing rubber gloves while you lot're washing the dishes or cleaning your apartment. "When your nails get moisture, they expand, and when they dry support, they contract," says Lim. "When you have that dorsum-and-forth change, it can crusade chips in your nails." Bottom line: Go along your hands and nails equally dry equally possible.

That's why some salons similar Paintbox believe in dry manicures (read: no water or soaking), since working with nails in their natural state can help your smooth stay on much longer. If your salon falls into this category, brand sure to evidence up to your appointment with completely dry nails—that means no moisture nails for at least 30 minutes prior to your mani.

Does gel ruin your nails?

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Nope. Equally long as you go to a skilled manicurist, gel polish isn't going to mess with your blast wellness. "If your nails are naturally thin and brittle, putting gels on isn't going to modify that," says Lim, "but if you're doing everything the right manner—from application to removal—you can't really practise truthful impairment to your nails."

Shocking, right? "I think the misconception most gel ruining your nails comes from the fact that a lot of people don't know how to properly remove it," adds Lim. So fifty-fifty though it might experience #oddlysatisfying to peel off your gels at week ii, you're actually doing a lot of damage. "Your nails abound virtually one millimeter a calendar week if they're healthy, so if y'all peel off your polish, information technology will accept about three months for all that damage to completely grow o ut," she says. TL;DR: Always, always, always take a professional remove your gels if you lot want your nails to stay healthy.

How long should you lot look betwixt gel manicures?

While the beauty world is kindaaaa split on this answer, the time you take between gel manicures is entirely up to you. "I've had gel on my nails for 4 years straight," says Lim. "If you're applying and removing it properly, at that place's no damage in getting gel manicures back-to-dorsum."

That said, if your nails are brittle, weak, or just demand a little breather, substitute your gel mani for regular polish rather than foregoing smoothen altogether. "If yous take something on your nail, it restricts wet, creating somewhat of a barrier so your nails tin can harden," says Lim. "Then it always helps to have something on the nail."

The Last Discussion

Yep, gel manicures tin can last more than two weeks, but if you, IDK, care about your nails, you should definitely have your polish removed professionally afterward 14 days. And in the concurrently, make sure you're stocked up on cuticle oil, files, and a top coat to keep your nails in tip-meridian shape throughout the life of your manicure.

Ruby Buddemeyer Cherry was the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covered dazzler across print and digital.