To infill or to soak off?

Question: 
“Isn’t it healthier to remove every time to make sure that you can see the condition of your client’s nails, instead of doing a refill? And if I remove, is it best to soak off or file off the nails? Does acetone really damage or dry out the nails?”

That’s a big question!
Let’s take a look at the different components:

1. If the coating is opaque (i.e. you cannot see the nail plate under) then you should remove it after around 3 weeks. This is so you can check the health of the nail and make sure nothing is going on that you can’t see. If the coating is clear, then there is no need, and an infill will be fine.

2. There is no problem filing off, but the safest method is to remove most of the coating but leave a very thin layer on the nail. Then you can soak that off, which will take a matter of moments.

3. Acetone is a solvent so it is drying but it is the fastest and most effective. There are removers available that have added ingredients that compensate for the drying effect a certain amount. Or you can put a barrier on the skin if it is very dry.

4. To avoid too much soaking (for dry or irritated skin clients), you could apply a clear layer, maybe a thin ‘builder’, on the base coat, apply colour to, that and only file off the colour.

Basically, avoid damage to the nail plate at all costs!