Letting nails breath?

[jazmine]

Hi all over from hair. I currently have acrylic nails. Have had them as well as gel and shellac on and off over the years. Working in a salon and being a mum I find that shellac unfortunately doesn't suit my lifestyle and with gel I get quite a bit of lift so the acrylic seems to work best for me.
Anyway I was wondering should I every so often have a soak off to allow my natural nails to breath? Does that even make sense? As I said it never crossed my min to much as I've generally only had nails done for events or occasions but this time I would like to maintain them as its nice having pretty nails!

 

[spjelgus]

There is no need for that Just as there is no need to let your hair color grow out every once in a while. Nails are just dead keratin cells and no air is diffused through them. Infact your nails are being protected a lot more if they are covered by a gel/acrylic substance than if they were bare

 

[ProperPrincess]

If they are applied correctly, in filled properly and remove correctly and you use a cuticle oil and gloves doing dishes I see no reason why you need to have a break at all xx

 

[linzi]

Hey Jazmine,

Nails don't breathe - if that were the case, they'd be in trouble every time we washed our hands Like hair, they are made of dead material and this is why we can cut and enhance them (professionally) with no pain. As said, nails actually benefit from a protective coating and you should also follow your homecare advice, just as you would with hair.

You can keep this coating on your nails quite happily until it grows out, though obviously, you would infill regularly to ensure proper balance and beauty.

 

[hautenails]

It really just depends on what kind of gel you are using. The reason you have heard that it is good to let your natural nails breathe is because most gels have methacrylic acid in them. So it is like having an acid on your nails for 2 weeks or more, so letting your nails breathe after having acid on them for 2 weeks would seem like a good thing. There are very few gels out there without this ingredient. I found one that I recommend to all of my clients who have voiced this as a concern it is called Gel II. Some people have thin nails to begin with and so putting a gel with methacrylic acid on their nails can cause more damage. This particular gel does not have this acid in it and is full of vitamins and minerals. Many of my customers who have had this gel with their manicure have told me that their nails feel stronger after using it. I don't know all the science behind it but this seems to have helped them. Anyways as far as letting your nails breathe I have friends who change their color every week and are rarely without gel and their nails are fine and others after one application they need to let their nails breathe. It mostly depends on the gels you are using (try to find ones without methacrylic acid) and the other part depends on your nails.

 

[Jellybaby1970]

"Nails don't breathe - if that were the case, they'd be in trouble every time we washed our hands "

That actually made me LOL! I am now imagining my nails gasping for breathe and screamimg whenever they get wet! Made me end my boring afternoon with a smile...Thanks!

 

[mum]

It really just depends on what kind of gel you are using. The reason you have heard that it is good to let your natural nails breathe is because most gels have methacrylic acid in them. So it is like having an acid on your nails for 2 weeks or more, so letting your nails breathe after having acid on them for 2 weeks would seem like a good thing. There are very few gels out there without this ingredient. I found one that I recommend to all of my clients who have voiced this as a concern it is called Gel II. Some people have thin nails to begin with and so putting a gel with methacrylic acid on their nails can cause more damage. This particular gel does not have this acid in it and is full of vitamins and minerals. Many of my customers who have had this gel with their manicure have told me that their nails feel stronger after using it. I don't know all the science behind it but this seems to have helped them. Anyways as far as letting your nails breathe I have friends who change their color every week and are rarely without gel and their nails are fine and others after one application they need to let their nails breathe. It mostly depends on the gels you are using (try to find ones without methacrylic acid) and the other part depends on your nails.

Where on earth have you got this methacrylic acid information from and the belief in the fact that nails need to breathe??

Methacrylic acid is used as a primer for 'old fashioned' gels but not with newer, more advanced gels. Even if it is used there is plenty of evidence that it doesn't damage nails but should be kept off the skin. But, these days, there is no need to use it.

There have already been answers on 'breathing'. There is oxygen exchange in living cells (and there are plenty of these in the nail bed) but this is not breathing. There are NO living cells in the nail plate

 

[jazmine]

Cheers for the advice-i perhaps didnt phrase my op the best way as i suppose i didnt mean 'breath' in the sense of actually breathing but more in the sense of is it ok to keep infilling. My fault with my phrasing but thank you all