Magazine for the professional nail industry.
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130 | NAILS MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2015 happens. But if I have a toothache and then tap on it, I will go through the roof in pain." SEVERAL SOLUTIONS The frst and most simple solution is to use the manufacturer's entire system (if you weren't using it already). That means the base coat, gel color, top coat, and, perhaps most importantly, the lamp, and follow the manufacturer's instructions exactly. The caveat is that lamp bulbs decrease in intensity or output with repeated use. "If the bulbs were more stable, we could formulate to a specifc bulb emittance and be able to avoid such exothermic reactions to a greater degree," McConnell says. Mark the bottom of your light with the bulb purchase date so you can track their age for a better idea of whether the bulbs are emitting their intended output, Sambrano recommends. The second possible solution harkens to Schoon's point about over-fling, or less susceptible to heat spikes. "Soak-off gels are less prone to heat generation because fewer bonds are formed and as a result, less heat is created. Harder gels typically form more bonds and as a result, more heat," says McCo- nnell, who also holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry. "This is not always the case. There are some gels that are very hard and have less heat because the resins that are used are slower reacting and results in less heat being created. UV/LED gels are designed to react fast and as such, they tend to create more heat than regular UV gels." So what can cause a runaway chemical reac- tion that results in a heat spike? Schoon says, "The main problem is that nail techs and many manufacturers are incorrectly saying that you can use any nail lamp to cure the products. That is false informa- tion." He cites the example of a nail tech who places a traditional UV gel product in a UV/LED lamp. UV/LED lamps cure faster because they release more UV rays. So heat that would normally be released over two minutes instead releases in less than half that time, which unsurprisingly could result in the client feeling the heat. Schoon adds: "The other common way you can get heat spikes is from over-fling the natural nail," which he says happens commonly. Indeed, he says, "I've never met a nail tech who under-fles the natural nail. They either do it right or they do too much." Over- fling can make the nail bed extra sensi- tive, resulting in the client feeling heat she normally wouldn't feel. Schoon offers the following analogy: "If my tooth is healthy and I tap on it, nothing to natural nail services due to a painful gel curing experience. But Kristine Thiessen, a nail tech and esthetician at Gismondis Hair, Skin & Nails Salon in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, has picked up gel clients lost by neigh- boring salons. "I have the odd client come to me because of a bad experience at another salon. Usually the nails will hurt during the curing process because the tech over-prepped and thinned out the nail, or because the tech pried off the old enhancement with a tool instead of removing it properly," she says. Carter, who interacted with many nail techs in her former roles as inter- national sales and education director for NSI and CND Team Creative member, says losing a gel client due to heat spikes is certainly a possibility. She says, "Some clients have become scared of nail salons. They don't want their nails damaged; they don't want to have pain." If a client wants her gels removed, the nail tech should do so, Carter says. However, Carter cautions that these clients may fnd their natural nails to be "weak" in comparison to enhancements, which may cause the client to seek out enhancements again — providing strong motivation to the tech to fgure out the exact reason for the heat spike and resolve the issue. DOWN TO A SCIENCE The science behind gel heat spikes is well understood. Jim McConnell, president at gel manufacturer Light Elegance, says, "The heat spike is a result of chemical bonds being formed during the curing process; this is called an exothermic reaction. Every time a bond is formed, heat is given off during the curing process. A certain amount of energy is used to create the bond and energy is given off after the bond is formed. The difference between the energy required and energy given off is felt as heat." When the energy is given off in a controlled way, the client likely won't feel any sensation at all. When the energy is given off more quickly, the client may feel pressure or pain. Different categories of gels are more >>> AVOID WORKAROUNDS Search for "heat spikes" on online nail tech messaging boards, and you'll fnd a wealth of workarounds — some scientifcally-based and some nothing more than client distractions while the pain subsides. A commonly cited workaround is fash curing the client's nails for a few seconds, having the client pull her hand out, and then having her place it back either for the rest of the full cure or for repeated fash cures. While this does slow down the bond formation process and thus release less heat each time, it is a poor solution, says Doug Schoon. "The solution would address the issue, not cope with it," says Schoon. "The responsible thing to do is to fnd out why the heat spike is happening and stop it from occurring." He adds that in his opinion fash curing is only appropriate for setting smile lines. "You're also not following manufacturer's directions if you use this workaround. You need to fgure out if you're over-fling or using the wrong lamp or what the true cause is. Don't hide the truth from yourself," he says. Other workarounds, such as tapping the client's nails with your brush, only work inasmuch as they are distractions from the heat.