Should my clients wash their hands before I apply oil?

Question: I’ve just read the good meets bad technique blog. I did my enhancement training and gel polish training separately but with the same company. I’ve been taught to wash hands before oiling for gel enhancements, but not for gel polish. Should I be washing for both for safety?

There are a few steps to consider here:
– With UV gel enhancements it is advisable to wash the hands after final shaping but before the final topcoat to remove any dust from the skin. (A dust brush is not as accurate as washing, it can bring oils from the skin down onto the nails and a clean one should be used for each client)
– If you used a ‘builder’ in your UV gel polish service and shaped it, then the same would apply as for enhancements.
– For just a UV gel polish, for safety, it is worth washing the hands after cleaning the inhibition layer but before oiling in case any monomers from the layer have got onto the skin.