Conquer Colour Fading

Colour fading veneer over the summer months? Don’t worry we’ve got this covered!  

Colour changing in the summer months is a common thing to happen, this is caused by a lot of things that occur more in the summer. This is something that is seen across a lot of brands, we are not alone in this. 

Why does this happen? 

• Sun creams / insect repellent  

Sun creams and insect repellents play a massive role in colour changing as a majority of them contain an ingredient called DEET, it is a synthetic organic compound which is the ingredient that will alter the pigment.  

• UV exposure  

Over exposure to UV is a natural occurrence during the summer months however the more bright pink and neon pigmented shades tend to have a noticeable reaction to the UV exposure causing them to go patchy and fade. 

• Unstable pigment  

The bright pink shades and neon shades have the most unstable pigments in them so this means that if they come into contact with something that can break them down that will occur faster than it would in another shade, this is something seen across all brands as it is simply just how the shades are chemically made up.  

• Over curing  

Curing your veneer for longer than recommended can slightly alter the colour, this is something to be mindful of when working with higher pigmented shades of veneer  

• Uneven topcoat  

If your topcoat is applied unevenly it could leave certain areas of the nail more susceptible to fading / pigment breakdown to occur.  

What can we do? 

• Wash hands as soon as you can after applying any sun creams  
• Wash hands as soon as you can after using any cleaning products and using insect repellent 
• Apply your topcoat evenly from the cuticle area to the free edge  
• Make sure that you are buffing / refining the gel prior to applying your veneer, this will give the veneer the perfect surface to go onto giving even pigment coverage  
• Float your second layer of veneer, don’t apply to much pressure, make sure you have the same colour coverage over the nail  
• Apply 2 coats of topcoat, this will slow the process of any UV exposure / penetration of chemicals  
• Cure each layer of veneer for 30 seconds in an led lamp and 120 seconds in a UV lamp  
• Cure your topcoat for 60 seconds in an led lamp and 120 seconds in a UV lamp  
• Give your veneer a good stir with the Cuccio stirring tool, this will give you the true colour as the pigments tend to fall to the bottom of the bottle due to Cuccio being a pure gel. You will get the best version of the veneer.  

This is something that is seen by a lot of nail techs during the summer months, it is not something to be alarmed about and you aren’t doing anything wrong, when you are selecting colours with your clients be mindful of the factors discussed above, advise your clients to be extra careful of over exposure to UV, chemicals and sun cream during this time of year. 

Rhi x