While my clients and I both love the new gel-polishes, they will not totally replace traditional polishes or manicures. While they offer many great benefits, many of my clients can wear traditional polish two weeks or more. There are also those that want to be able to remove the polish without soaking. I still prefer traditional polish for my pedicures. They last at least four weeks with no soak-off time. — Lydian Flash, Austin, Texas
Natural nails are important to our clients. To some clients that means no UV/LED curing and no soak-off, while others love gel-polish’s long-lasting high-gloss shine. Many clients will use gel-polish for a special occasion or vacation even if they don’t want to use it on a regular basis. I think traditional polish is here to stay. — Angela Baumgartner, St. John Club Day Spa, Deland, Fla.
Traditional polish will be a distant memory like vinyl records and cassette tapes. — Amy Bickel, Salons at Tucson Square, Temple, Texas
I think regular nail polish will be obsolete. Gel-polish is the new best thing out there. People can even buy kits themselves. Next up is a gel-polish that doesn’t require a 10-minute soak-off. I personally don’t have any clients that get regular polish on their nails. — Char Miller, Couture Lux Nails, Chicago
The nail industry has evolved in a major way with the introduction of gel-polish — its convenience and lasting wear has definitely made it a mainstay on nail service menus around the world. Nevertheless, traditional nail lacquer need not fear extinction. It provides endless color change options, and applies and removes without the need of additional tools or gadgets. Being a busy working mom I love the no-dry time of gel-polish, but the fashionista in me will always keep bottles of my favorite nail lacquer close by in case I need to change my nails to match my shoes. — Melanie Singleton, Signature Touch Waxing Studio & Nail Design, Beaufort, S.C.
I think possibly in the far future traditional polish might become extinct. Why pay for a traditional manicure when you can have a gel-polish manicure that lasts up to three weeks? I only use gel- polish in my salon. I haven’t done any traditional manicures since January. Even children know what gel-polish is. Times are changing. Gel-polish all the way. — Lolly Outram, Lolly’s Nails at Kelly Anza Hair Design, Cornwall, U.K.
I am really torn, I quit wearing acrylic nails three years ago and gel-polish has helped my nails return to a beautiful state. I was hoping it would be the same for my clients (I would love to file less and have less exposure to dust/fumes) but if they have worn acrylics for a long time they are dependent on its “strength.” So they think gel-polish falls short. My manicure/pedicure clients however love it and I rarely use nail polish on them. I do wish removal was easier. — Lisamarie Gerly, Salon Lofts, Whitehall, Ohio
Here in Germany gel-polish is taking over. Especially on toes, since our winters are long and for most clients it’s much more comfortable to put their socks and shoes back on after a pedicure. — Alexandra Natascha Morgan, American Nail Spa, Kaiserslautern, Germany
I introduced gel-polish to my clients about three years ago and I have seen a more educated clientele emerge because of media, current nail practices, etc. Some clients will gravitate to gel-polish because they want to strengthen their natural nails. Or in several of my client’s cases we chose gel-polish over traditional because of the viscosity/flexibility for those clients with spooned/lifting nails and it’s been an amazing transition. Although we preach that our beautiful gel-polished nails are jewels not tools, we all agree that we love the strength and durability it offers. — Rose Griffith, Nevaeh Day Spa, St. Walburg, Saskatchewan, Canada
Illustration by Yuiko Sugino