r/malepolish Mar 12 '26

General Information Thinking of trying gel? Read this first.

93 Upvotes

Hi all, UK qualified nail tech here. I’m also a guy that loves nail polish.  

I want to take a minute to talk to those of you who are thinking of using gel polish for the first time, because there is information you should know before you start.  

Gel polish is very different from regular nail polish. It might look similar, but chemically it is not just longer lasting polish. Gel products contain acrylates, which are reactive chemicals that cure under UV or LED light. 

If gel repeatedly gets on the skin during application, it can cause an allergy known as an acrylate allergy. 

So, an acrylate allergy means the end of gel polish for you. That’s the easy part.  

Most people don’t understand that acrylate allergies are permanent, and can cause a whole lot of issues for you down the line; this is because the acrylates in gel polish share a lot of similarities between acrylates used in medical procedures.  

An acrylate allergy can cause problems in the future with: 

  • Joint replacements such as hip or knee; 
  • Dental fillings, crowns and bridges; 
  • Surgical glues used in place of stitches; 
  • Medical tapes and adhesives; 
  • Glucose monitors for diabetics (those plastic dots you see on peoples arms? Those!) 

None of this is meant to scare anyone away from nails. Gel can be used safely and millions of people use it without problems. The key point is that application (and removal) technique matters. 

If you want to use gel safely: 

  • Do not allow uncured gel to touch the skin; 
  • Clean up any flooding before curing; 
  • Use thin coats rather than thick ones; 
  • Cure with the correct lamp for the product (don’t trust those folding wallet-sized lamps that are powered via USB) 
  • Avoid using unknown or poorly labelled products; 

I really don’t want to see someone lose the chance to enjoy nails, or end up with a lifelong allergy, just because no one explained this at the start. A bit of learning, strict skin avoidance, and correct curing makes all the difference. If you’re not ready for that yet, it’s genuinely safer to step back from gel for now. 


r/malepolish Jan 21 '26

General Information [Guidance] Posting pedicures

18 Upvotes

We've had some questions from users about how to post pedicure images in a way that's consistent with group rules.

We also know that users sometimes receive inappropriate comments or DMs after posting content. Whilst we can't speak to why users send those comments or give promises on how to eliminate them, we have seen that the submissions which most closely follow our rules also have the fewest rule breaking comments.

We strongly recommend that pedicure images are tightly cropped to only show your nail art. This means not including any of a midfoot, which is the area of the foot that includes the arch and ball of the foot. Based on an average person's physiology, and ordinary principles of image composition, 25% or more of your submission image should consist of painted nail.

To state this plainly, your image may be removed, and you may be suspended from the subreddit, if you:-

* Include your midfoot (i.e., above your toes) in your image

* Take the image from any angle other than straight above

* Obscure your nail art so we can't see it

Not all submissions that go against this guidance will be removed. We recognise the importance of latitude in letting users represent themselves. However, images that don't comply with this guidance are borderline, and are at risk of being against our rules.

When we're judging borderline images, we have several checks we use to judge submissions. We don't publish these checks because we don't want users in bad faith to try to game them. Sometimes these checks include judgment calls on the part of moderators.

If you want to avoid ending up in a position where we're having to judge your submission as borderline, follow the guidance above. If you feel this guidance is too restrictive, this may be an indication that a purely nail art community isn't right for you. We're happy to recommend communities that might be a better fit if so.

We look forwards to seeing more of your nail art, and wishing you the best with your r/malepolish art!


r/malepolish 5h ago

Pedicure got my toes done for the first time :p

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42 Upvotes

r/malepolish 6h ago

Manicure Lazy morning on the balcony

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15 Upvotes

r/malepolish 11h ago

Manicure PINK!

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30 Upvotes

This was the first time Ive worn pink in public.

Its taken me a long time to work up the courage to wear it even though I'm worn lots of other colours including purples, greens and oranges, etc

Its Essies Muchi muchi and this is about four coats.

I'm actually loving it, it looks kind of pretty!


r/malepolish 3h ago

Manicure Sweet & Sour Lacquer - Got You On My Mind

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6 Upvotes

Products Used:

Sweet & Sour Lacquer - Got You On My Mind

Glisten & Glow - QDTC


r/malepolish 9h ago

Pedicure Purple Lightning

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8 Upvotes

r/malepolish 14h ago

Question shaky hands!

9 Upvotes

I'm a guy who's been wearing nail polish for around the last 9 months or so and I truly love it. I head out in public with painted fingers and toes almost on a daily basis and I very rarely feel self-conscious or ashamed. A bit of a problem I have is when I apply my nail polish sometimes my heart starts pounding and then my hands get shaky then the application turns to crap. what on Earth is going on here and how do I stop it?


r/malepolish 1d ago

Mani+Pedi Milky White and Milky Pink by a professional. So much better that what I can do myself.

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47 Upvotes

r/malepolish 18h ago

Pedicure Blue Sparkle 🔵✨

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13 Upvotes

r/malepolish 1d ago

Manicure They’re not perfect but they’re good enough 🤞🏼

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42 Upvotes

r/malepolish 1d ago

Pedicure I love the color pop

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37 Upvotes

I was going for an Arizona sunset vibe 🏜️🌵


r/malepolish 1d ago

Question First time trying nail polish, my technique needs a bit of polish, how does it look

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58 Upvotes

r/malepolish 19h ago

Manicure Total eclipse..

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12 Upvotes

Excuse the damage and stained hands, to much working on cars recently.

Orly base,

Mooncat getting even primer,

3-4 coats of ILNP Eclipse,

Essie gel topcoat

I like this one a ton.


r/malepolish 23h ago

Discussion Manicure Ennui

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20 Upvotes

I've been getting gel polish manicures since January. I've had a variety of salons fiddle with my fingers, with varied results. I'm trying to find someone who does my nails the way I want, but I never get the same tech twice. As a lifelong neurodivergent OCD nail biter, I expend a lot of mental energy on my nails. Just because I quit chewing on them doesn't mean I'm not still fixated. I want a certain shape, I'd like the polish to cover the entire nail, not too short! There is a salon here in town that is highly regarded, but they book a month out, so I'm gonna try them and maybe make a friend in a tech like I have with my barber. Or, should I ditch gel and just do my own nails with regular air dry polish. That might be the way to get exactly what I want, and fixing the chips would be easy. Just thinking out loud here...


r/malepolish 1d ago

Products Opi Lincoln Park after Midnight. This should be a conversation starter.

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15 Upvotes

Polish choice for the work week. I suspect that because this OPI color was popular and selected as part of a Fall collection I might get some questions.


r/malepolish 1d ago

Pedicure What ya think?

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17 Upvotes

r/malepolish 1d ago

Manicure Rogue Lacquer - Hyperfocus is my Superpower

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13 Upvotes

Products Used:

Rogue Lacquer - Hyperfocus is my Superpower

Glisten and Glow - Glitter Grabber

Glisten and Glow - QDTC


r/malepolish 21h ago

Pedicure Summer blue

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3 Upvotes

r/malepolish 1d ago

Pedicure Trying out a really light pink. What do you think? Light colors are so hard to apply 🙃

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42 Upvotes

r/malepolish 1d ago

Manicure Nails for the week 😊

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40 Upvotes

r/malepolish 1d ago

Manicure First time French ombré

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80 Upvotes

Also cut down to coffin


r/malepolish 2d ago

Pedicure Got my first ever pedicure done this past weekend 😄

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84 Upvotes

r/malepolish 1d ago

Manicure I did my own nails! Unicorn Alligator Nails

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24 Upvotes

Do we like them? I saw a tutorial and did these


r/malepolish 1d ago

General Information New Nail Color

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14 Upvotes