October 11 2008 - Q&A: Technique

My polish is bubbling on natural nail care clients. Could it be the polish or my nail prep?

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I am having problems with my polish application. When the polish dries, it bubbles. This happens on my natural nail clients only. I clean the nail very well with ScrubFresh. I roll the polish between the palms of my hands and I do not shake it up. Could the polish be old? I use a good quality base and top coat.

Assuming you use a professional, good-quality polish, there should be no reason to have bubbles — no matter how much you shake the polish before each application.

Here are a few tips to consider in case of problems:

1. The heat of paraffin, hot oil, or hot water prior to a manicure can heat up hands and nails and have a negative effect on the drying time and possibly cause polish to bubble.Use paraffin as an in-between treatment and try offering a waterless manicure.

2. Change your nail polish every three to four months — especially the polish-es you use often. It’s a very small investment considering the fast-drying effect and the smooth application of a brand new bottle. Clients will appreciate your generous investment. Nothing looks more tacky to me than all those half empty bottles on a dusty shelf.  —Elsbeth is an celebrity nail artist based in Orange, Calif.

To avoid bubbles in your polish, cuticle remover must be rinsed well with soap and water.

In my experience, the most common reasons for bubbling polish are failure to rinse the cuticle remover properly or using a fast-drying top coat. If you are using cuticle remover, it must be rinsed well with soap and water; using ScrubFresh alone is not enough. I also find that top coats that dry very quickly can cause bubbles when air gets trapped in the polish. —Lee-Anne Baker-Smith:is the owner of Fantasy Island in Barrie, Ontario, Canada