For those doing at home gel manicures -- a question

FUTURE · ‎04-11-2010

I have the red Carpet manicure system, and am really enjoying it. I had read/heard somewhere that you could use other polish colors with this (sensational, Sally Hansen, etc). Does anyone have any experience with this? Also, would I use the same base and top coats (red carpet brand), or do I need to buy those from their respective companies, and just use the same light? I saw some pretty Sally Hansen ones today, and the idea crossed my mind. Thank you for any help you might be able to offer!!

FastDogWalker2 · ‎03-10-2010

I use the Sally Hansen gel polishes and like them. Obviously, they do not last as long as a salon manicure but I do get a solid week of wear and I USE my hands! HTH

juperier · ‎10-21-2014

@FUTURE You must have a bit of a science background to think of that! To reduce the risk of problems, I would recommend using the recommended lamp and base/top coat for whatever brand of gel polish you choose. My information comes from Doug Schoon. He's an internationally known research scientist and nail expert and I would certainly urge you to check out the technical articles on his website. He explains it a lot better than I can and you'll learn a lot.

Basically different polishes contain different kinds and ratios of photoinitiators, which require different wavelengths of the UV spectrum to cure properly. The bulb (and electronics inside the lamp) for a particular brand should be optimized for the ingredient mix of that particular brand. That's a two sentence explanation of one portion of the extensive science behind gel polishes. Proper application, curing and removal are all critical in avoiding a very high percentage of the damage that seems to be so common.

Mrsq2022 · ‎03-10-2010

I have the Mally gel sytem and use Red Carpet polish along with the Mally base and top coats. So everything Mally with the Mally lamp, but "color" from Red Carpet.

I'd never considered that these LED gel lamps were different and made for specific polishes, so will need to research it. I noticed no difference in curing or removal but I want to make sure I'm using the right tools.