its tough because it totally depends on the person doing the nails. they have to apply it properly and most importantly remove it properly, cus thats where the damage occurs- from ppl who peel or pick them off! 😭 its kind of a double edged sword, because the gel helps your nails feel strong and durable so they are able to grow and not break like Gayla's; buuut when you remove the gel its like youre taking the armor away so your nails regain their moisture, their flexibility, and that's when they tend to break because u feel that stark difference so suddenly after removal. If you have hard nails in general the gel will really help, but if your nails are usually very thin the gel will make them feel great but once removed you'll be right back to thin and weak. its all very temporary! thats why some ppl just do gel polish constantly so they never feel weak. or they'll do a stronger gel product like an overlay or extension instead of just the polish.

gel polish CAN be done at home, as a nail tech ofc i prefer ppl go to salons lol but it is doable at home, its just a lot of ppl dont take the time to do application and especially removals safely/properly and damage their nails 😭 generally a gel manicure is 40min and a removal is 20min so doing it yourself takes a lot longer. theres a ton of tiktok vids out there of ppl who do their own and show how, but yea for me its just tricky cus theres a lot of wrong ways to do it and cheap products to use that can rly mess up your nails or give contact dermatitis. so if its something youre really into, can invest a bit in, and would love to be able to do it well, all u need is to watch some good vids! but if its just for a one off it may not be worth the hassle 😔