Burst Removers – When Quick Gel Removal is Dangerous, Not Impressive

Sometimes, what looks fun and impressive is actually… well, industrial epoxy removal systems.

This week one of our Accountability Group newbies did her first pedi on a real client (heck yes!) and when telling us about it said –

“Took ages to get the old polish off… She said that the place she normally goes uses a brush-on product that helps lift it without soaking. And an e-file.”

NOPE. No. Back away. Do not return!

This immediately evokes memories of my ‘I can do anything’ Dad bubbling paint off our car bonnet and then scraping the liquid paint off. He had a respirator on and we were instructed to stand very far away if we wanted to watch.

Turns out, those memories are linked for a good reason!

Doug Schoon is the BOSS when it comes to all things nail science so I shall not speak for him, but to quote this post of his

“They are NOT safe for use on nails and NOT safe to inhale. The report found 6% Methanol and 84% Methylene Chloride, both are prohibited in cosmetics in most countries, if not all. These are considered dangerous concentrations, in my view. I believe an International investigation into this matter is in needed.”

There’s a second post I’d like to share info from, which you can read in full here

“This is NOT one of those silly issues where a tiny traces of toxic substances are found in a few products, but pose no real health risk… All four of the four products tested so far all contained very high concentrations, exceeding 80%, of this known and prohibited carcinogen.  Methylene chloride is specifically singled out and banned from cosmetics due to its high toxicity. Methylene chloride can be toxic by inhalation AND by skin absorption.”

For those of you who love a deep dive, read this

And then follow up with these.

It’s not about scaremongering, it’s about education – the more we all know, the more we can teach our clients, which in turn takes power away from the companies that care more about money than safety.

What else do you wish clients and newbie nail techs knew? Tell us below!

This is what else we loved last week – 

  1. Strong, resilient wahine who know how to honour their needs.
  2. Simple but effective nail art ideas.
  3. These top tips for using your Social Media to make money, not just to feel good about people liking you.
  4. Learning how to make money off the pigments in the back of your drawer for only $15.
  5. This video that you can share with clients if they have NO CHOICE but to remove their own Gel Polish.

Click here to send us YOUR thoughts, feedback or highlights, we would love to share 💜

PS If knowing ‘all the things’ is as important to you as it is to us, our course ‘The Theory of Nails‘ is a $99 head start.

Click here to get a FREE Video Lesson from our course ‘The Art of Pigments‘ and be the first to get the latest news from Monaco!