Nail expert reveals the gel polish 'red flags' to look out for during your next manicure

A nail technician has revealed a list of her 'red flags' that you should look out for when it comes to gel nail polish - and some of them may have you completely switching up your manicure. 

The information was shared in a new video posted on TikTok this week by Kara Crevier, from Portland, Oregon, who goes by the username @karanailedit on social media.

She boasts over 86,700 followers on the platform, where she provides her wisdom about nail and nail polish safety and proper usage.

This time was no different, as she highlighted what you need to look out for when it comes to choosing a gel polish to use on your nails in order to avoid 'sketchy' brands that can lead to sensitivities and allergies. 

Gel polish, which is cured under a UV lamp and meant to last much longer on the nails than a regular polish, has come under fire in recent years for its potentially dangerous side effects, including a recent study which found that gel manicures could contain cancer-causing mutations.

Kara Crevier, from Portland, Oregon, highlighted what you need to look out for when it comes to choosing a gel polish to use on your nails in order to avoid 'sketchy' brands that can lead to sensitivities and allergies

But according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, gel manicures are okay in moderation - and Kara's tips can prove to be helpful in order to achieve a healthy and safe manicure. 

The first pointer that Kara offered was to steer clear of any gel polishes that say they are made for DIY or at-home use.

'A lot of these brands are just not manufactured with high-quality ingredients, and they're not keeping the safety and health of the end user in mind,' Kara said.

And, if the kit is sold with a flash curing lamp, or even a kit in general, that's something she would avoid.

Next, the expert said she would avoid buying any gel polish that's made in China by a 'generic beauty, white-labeling manufacturing company.'  

Kara explained that when you look at a website to purchase a gel polish, it will usually show you where it's been manufactured.

'Gel polishes that are manufactured in China just have some pretty sketchy reviews, and some bad reputations of falsifying their SDS [safety data] sheets, and formulas and ingredients that they are using in their bottles,' the nail tech claimed.

And, if you can't even find the brand's SDS sheet in the first place, or if it's hard to find out exactly what ingredients are in the polish, it's worth skipping altogether.

The first pointer that Kara offered was to steer clear of any gel polishes that say they are made for DIY or at-home use

Next, the expert said she would avoid buying any gel polish that's made in China by a 'generic beauty, white-labeling manufacturing company' 

The SDS sheet will provide a list of all of the ingredients that are put into the brand's gel nail polish. 

'[It's] an immediate red flag for me if they are not telling you what's in their products,' Kara said.  

Next, she warned viewers to look out for any reviews of people who have had allergies or irritations after using the nail polish.

'I recommend doing even more research than just looking at the reviews on the company website,' the nail expert admitted.

She suggested typing the brand name into Google along with the word 'allergies,' and seeing what comes up.

'The next one is if the website info does not make very much sense,' Kara continued.

'I think that this just comes along with being an informed consumer and understanding the process of using gel,' she said.

The nail influencer furthered by explaining that she has seen tons of FAQ sections on various nail polish brand's websites, and the information is not always written by an expert.

'[It's] an immediate red flag for me if they are not telling you what's in their products,' Kara said

She also warned viewers to look out for any reviews of people who have had allergies or irritations after using the nail polish

Finally, she warned viewers to steer clear of any gel nail polish brands that use something called free HEMA.

HEMA, also know as hydroxyethyl methacrylate, can be damaging to the nails if a polish brand uses too much of it in their formula, causing allergies, per Glamour Magazine. 

'HEMA itself is a really small molecule, and it's important for the brand to be using it safely, because this is the most allergenic ingredient,' Kara said.

'And again, that's why it's so important to be able to get the SDS sheet and be able to figure out the ingredients so you can understand how they deal with the HEMA and the monomers in their products,' the expert concluded.

So, if your gel nail polish is raising any of these red flags the next time you go for a manicure, don't be shy about speaking up.