At-Home Gel Manicure Kits With the Polish and Lamp Included

Nothing beats the feeling of a fresh manicure, especially when it’s the gel variety, which can stay flawless for weeks. But when there’s no time to get to the nail salon, an at-home gel kit comes to the rescue—with the added benefit of extreme hygiene, because you know exactly where your tools have been (i.e. nowhere).

Polishes labeled as “9-free” lack nine harmful chemicals, including formaldehyde, toluene, parabens and acetone. Those who seek a vegan option should look for options that are 21-free, which omit a host of additional ingredients, including animal-derived ones.

Gel manicures are notoriously hard to take off; that’s part of the appeel, of course—oops, we mean appeal! But no matter how tempting it may be to peel off your gel, don’t: You’ll end up stripping your nails too. Instead, have an acetone nail polish remover on hand, and invest in a gel-removal kit.

LED lamps cure faster than UV and don’t expose your hands to harmful rays, but they only work with LED-specific polish. (UV lamps work with all gel polishes, and many lamps use a combo of both types of light.) If you crave a UV curer but you’re concerned about the effects, invest in a pair of UV-blocking gloves.