Review: Gel II Steam Gel Remover

Hi NaiLovelies!

Just over a week ago I mentioned that I had added a brand new piece of kit to offer Professional Gel Polish Removals using the Gel II Manicure Steam Gel Remover to my clients.

I created a video which shows how to use the steam gel remover machine and exactly how well it removed the Gel II gel polish.

My video of the Gel II Manicure Steam Gel Remover can be viewed by clicking the link below.

To review this steamer fairly, I applied a traditional 2 x colour coat and 1 x topcoat manicure to my left hand which I wore for just over a week before I soaked it off.  On my right hand I wore the same number of coats over Gelish Vitagel basecoat.

Each compartment of the steam remover machine contains a reservoir which needs to be filled with remover solution prior to turning on the removal unit.

The finger compartments can be attached facing the nail tech or the client, depending on which way suits the removal situation.  For removing clients gel polish you would position the finger holes toward the back of the device, if removing your own you could position them toward the front of the device so you can see the timer countdown.

Handy Tips To Using The Gel II Steam Gel Remover

Switch on the Gel II Steam Gel Remover machine prior to placing the clients hands into the finger compartments.  This pre-heats the remover solution and is very useful when the weather is cold which can also make the remover solution cold.

File Off Topcoat Simply buffing the surface is not enough - the topcoat needs to be removed  (and any glitter if present) until you reach the colour coats in order to achieve best results in the shortest time.

Apply cuticle oil to the nails before they go into the steamer as the oil hydrates the nails and helps the gel polish to release from the nail plate.

Reduce waiting time after topcoat is filed from the fingers on the first hand, pop the hand into the steamer before filing the topcoat on the other hand - doing this means you can start removing the gel polish from the first hand whilst the second hand is completing its cycle.

Grip the inner 'ball' of the finger compartment to ensure correct finger placement in the steam remover unit.  Do not allow fingers hang into the reservoir which contains the remover solution.  See image below for an idea of how the hands should be placed.  I struggle with my thumb placement so I'm working on this, luckily my clients are better at it than me!

For best results hand placement in the finger compartment is important.

Reset the machine to initiate another cycle before you start pushing the polish off the first hand.

Remove one finger at a time from the steamer when you are ready to start physically removing the polish.  Push the polish off each nail using your tool of your choice (I prefer to use orangewood and birchwood sticks for gentle removal) and place each finger back into the machine in turn before moving on to the next.  Doing this prevents the gel polish from drying and hardening before you have time to push it from the nail.

Plastic backed pads are your best friend when it comes to removing Gel II gel polish!  When saturated in remover they are perfect to scrubbing the gel polish residue from the nail plate.

The above tips have been gained by experiencing removing Gel II over the past four months and by asking talented Gel II trainers (EE's) and nail techs who have been using the system for much longer than I have.



This steam remover unit can be used to remove other brands of gel polish and can be used to soak off acrylic nails and soak of gel extensions.

Overall, I am happy with the steam remover for use in a professional setting for removing gel polish for clients.  I think it is a very nice unique service which can be offered to clients so I am very happy that I am able to do this.

The unit is pretty easy to clean and sanitise, this can be done by washing the removable parts in hot soapy water and cleaning wiping down all sections and the base unit with Mundo Hard Surface Spray or a similar hospital grade hard surface disinfectant.

 If I were using this steam remover to remove other brands, I would ask someone to test the removal of that particular brand first so I could find out how it would perform prior to spending £170.  Luckily, I can do my own testing with other brands because I have quite a few....

In my experience, clients have been very happy with the process of removal using the steam remover and they are also happy with condition of their nails after having their polish removed using this unit.  I have one client who has terribly difficult removals; we now use OPI GelColor on her and I used the Gel II Manicure Steam Remover and achieved her fastest removal ever so we were both very happy about that.

Personally, I wouldn't recommend this unit for home use as it is impractical to use both compartments at the same time and it is a rather costly investment if only used occasionally.  It would be hard to purchase one if you were a home user so that in itself will save you forking out the cash.  I will most likely stick to using my OPI GelColor Remover Wraps when I am doing my own soak offs because it is easier for me, it is a bit awkward using the machine on my own nails and like with the wraps, I can only remove the polish from one hand at a time.

Ciao 4 Now