water passes through our nails at about half the rate when we wear a coating like gel polish or acrylic. this means that when it’s removed, it’s completely normal for our nails to feel slightly softer than before; they’re in a different state. give your nails 24hrs to return to their natural form and you’ll notice they’ll feel back to normal. if you're looking for a gentler alternative to uv gel in the future, consider opting for essie gel couture longwear nail polish. our 2-step system provides extra longwear, gel-like shine, but removes like regular nail polish.

please also note that not all gels are created equal. make sure you have a full and thorough understanding of what variety of gel your manicurist is applying to your nails. hard gels cannot be soaked off. hard gels can only be filled off and it’s recommended that you enlist the help of a professional manicurist for this task. if you’re wearing builder or BIAB gel, along with gel polish, it’s important that you file down a lot more of the gel thickness before soaking with acetone. this will speed up the removal process.