What a nail cleanser is used for

In a stylist's work this product has two jobs, and both affect the final result of the nail set. The first is nail preparation: thoroughly cleaning and degreasing the nail surface before you apply the base coat. The second is removing the sticky layer left after curing, when the nail has gel polish or gel on it.

The durability of the whole nail set depends on these two moments, however good your base coat is. If the nail plate is not degreased, the base coat will not bond to the nail and the manicure will start to lift at the nail fold. If you do not wipe off the sticky layer, the nail set stays matte and the manicure looks unfinished.

Nail cleanser vs degreaser: nail cleaner and nail prep

In the salon these names are used interchangeably and most often they mean the same product. A cleanser or degreaser is an isopropyl alcohol based product that evaporates without a trace. You will also come across the terms nail cleaner and nail prep, which again mean the same kind of product.

It is worth telling it apart from nail polish remover, though. Nail polish remover is used to take off classic nail polish and contains acetone, which dries out the nail plate. A nail degreaser will not remove gel polish: its job is to degrease and wipe, not to dissolve the nail set.

How to use nail cleanser correctly in a nail set

Start with nail preparation: work on the area around the cuticles, matt the surface and brush off the dust. Then soak a lint-free wipe with the product and degrease each nail, working from the cuticles towards the free edge.

Use a fresh wipe for each hand. One that has already picked up oil spreads it back over the nail on the next pass. It is a small detail that genuinely affects how long the nail set lasts.

Only then apply the base coat to the prepared nail plate. Applying it to a poorly degreased surface is the most common cause of chips in the first week of wear.

Lint-free wipes: how to remove the sticky layer from gel

After you cure gel polish or gel, a sticky layer stays on the surface. To remove it, soak a fresh wipe and wipe the nail in one firm stroke.

With no-wipe top coats you skip this step, but with classic gels and base coats removing the sticky (inhibition) layer is necessary for the nail set to get its shine.

Ordinary cotton pads leave fibres that stick to the gel. A fibre-free material is also more absorbent, so you use less of it.

Degreasing and the durability of a gel polish manicure

Good degreasing improves the adhesion of gel polish and gel to the natural nail plate. It is the cheapest way to make your work last longer: it does not need new products, only consistency.

If your client comes back with a lifted nail set despite correct technique, check this step first. The preparation of the nail surface fails more often than the base coat does.

Nail cleanser, dehydrator and nail primer: the order

First comes mechanical preparation and brushing off the dust. Then the degreasing product. Next the nail dehydrator, if the nails are moist or your client has sweaty hands.

Last comes the nail primer: acid-free for thin nail plates, acid for difficult and oily ones. Each of these products does something different and none replaces the others. Only after them do you apply the base coat.

300 ml or 1000 ml: which size to choose

The 300 ml bottle is convenient for your nail desk: it fits in an organiser, sits lightly in the hand and lasts for several weeks of work. It is a good choice if you want to try the fragrance first before you commit to a larger size.

The larger size is an option for salons and for people who work every day. You buy less often and pay less per millilitre, and you keep the big container as stock to refill the smaller one. Many stylists have both.

Four fragrances to choose from

A classic product smells of alcohol, which can be tiring when you see several clients a day, for the stylist and for the person in the chair. Our scented cleansers have a delicate fragrance composition that lingers in the air only for a moment.

You can choose from Madame Rose, Good Owl, Angel Glow and Flower Dream. They all work the same way and differ only in fragrance, so pick one that suits the feel of your nail desk. You will find other nail plate preparation products in the nail prep category.

Nail cleansers: frequently asked questions

Can I use it to wipe tools? Yes, it works well for degreasing brushes and e-file bits after work, also in pedicure services.

Does it replace a dehydrator? No. One degreases the surface, the other removes moisture from it. These are two different tasks.

Is it suitable for a manicure at home? Yes. In a gel polish manicure at home it is just as necessary as in the salon.

How much do you use per client? For a manicure and pedicure it is a few millilitres, so a 300 ml bottle lasts a long time.

Does it dry out the cuticles? Not with occasional contact, but with daily work it is worth massaging cuticle oil into your client's hands at the end of the service. Alcohol evaporates quickly and does not stay on the skin, yet regular wiping can noticeably dry out the skin around the nails.