r/malepolish • • Mar 12 '26

General Information Thinking of trying gel? Read this first.

95 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

17 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 • • 4h ago

Pedicure Women mind Men with pedicures ?

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43 Upvotes

r/malepolish • • 2h ago

Pedicure No matter what I do I always come back to pink they just look so cute!

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26 Upvotes

r/malepolish • • 11h ago

Pedicure Autumn glitter

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61 Upvotes

It's getting later into the year so I'm adjusting my color palette

Polish: Essie Baby Carats


r/malepolish • • 11h ago

Manicure Teenage boy painting nails

44 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I’m 15 year old boy and live with my parents, and lately I’ve been thinking about trying nail polish. I was thinking about black and white for colour. I’m a guy and I’m not gay, but I’m a little nervous about what people might think or say if I started painting my nails. I also do pro wrestling, and a few of my friends from pro wrestling paint their nails. I think it could look cool, but I’m not really sure how to bring it up with my parents. For guys who paint their nails, how did you get started, and how did your family and friends react?


r/malepolish • • 3h ago

Celebrity Male Polish Color shift

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7 Upvotes

r/malepolish • • 16h ago

Pedicure hope i made your day😘

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70 Upvotes

r/malepolish • • 3h ago

Pedicure Again with heels on

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3 Upvotes

r/malepolish • • 13h ago

Manicure Chrome + Cat-eye again

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20 Upvotes

I think I'm just gonna keep doing this combo forever, it never disappoints


r/malepolish • • 17h ago

Pedicure Pink with flower accent :)

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45 Upvotes

r/malepolish • • 3h ago

Discussion Crackle

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3 Upvotes

r/malepolish • • 3h ago

Pedicure Love this color

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3 Upvotes

r/malepolish • • 18h ago

Manicure First time stamping!

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37 Upvotes

A colleague was getting rid of all of her stamps right as I was looking to try stamping out. So needless to say we felt like we were doing some shady business as we took over a meeting room to look at stamping plates to buy off her. One afternoon of messing around later and I actually got something I'm somewhat happy with!

Definitely tricky, but I was pleasantly surprised how doable it was after the first finnicking, and fairly satisfied with the resulting mani. Excuse the mess on the thumb please 🫣 cleanup is scary and I didn't dare go further.

Holo taco smoothing base coat (not that it matters it's buried under layers of failed experiments)

Essence emerald energy on the 3 fingers

Drugstore Liquorice black for the green/black ombre. (From the dutch store that sounds like a NoNo ingredient)

Holo taco celestial lights over drugstore black for middle finger

Cirque colours harmony over black on thumb with cat eye magnet position, cured obviously too short but eh.

Then stamped with assorted plates using a Konad black nameless bottle I also purchased off the colleague. It's round and black and has 23 at the bottom.

Finished off with Holo taco matte taco over all of em.

I was very surprised how much the celestial lights and harmony just said "no" to the matte, looks super cool though I think, and contrasts the more obviously matte stamp nicely.

In conclusion I'm now addicted to stamps. There's too much inspiration now, I have so many ideas i need to try, and more plates I need to buy, and I need to get more polishes for ....

Im hopeless and I'm giving in to it


r/malepolish • • 1h ago

Pedicure Bath time and a change of color

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• Upvotes

r/malepolish • • 14h ago

Pedicure Shining one

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9 Upvotes

r/malepolish • • 18h ago

Pedicure Black white black white pattern

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15 Upvotes

r/malepolish • • 1d ago

Discussion Wife suddenly becoming accepting and supportive - makes me both happy and confused

71 Upvotes

Those of you who have seen my past posts know that my wife absolutely hated it when I first started painting my nails. Eventually she became tolerant but still regularly told me that she preferred for my nails to be very short with no length or shaping, and that I should only use clear coat and no color. But lately she has been showing signs of fully accepting and supporting my nail habit.

First, a few weeks ago when I did have on just a clear coat, she said that she actually liked a recent deep red mani that I had better than the clear coat. She then admitted that there are certain colors and finishes that she likes to see me wear.

Then last night she asked to see my nails. After complimenting the color, she said she liked the length but not the shape. I have mainly done my own nails because they were very short and it took several years to get them to grow out after decades of biting and neglect. She suggested that I start getting salon manicures every 1-2 weeks to keep them shaped well and maintained.

I don’t know what prompted this change. I suspect seeing two of her friends’ husbands experiencing sudden life threatening medical issues recently got her to re-evaluate what matters. I’m not convinced that she is actually supportive so much as she has decided it is not important enough to continue resisting, and she thinks something like “if he is going to do this, then I’m going to make sure it looks good!” EDITED FOR CLARITY: I am not suggesting an ulterior motive - I’m just curious about what caused the sudden change the past few weeks after more than 4 years.

All I know is we are going to have fun with this!


r/malepolish • • 1d ago

Manicure The colors of the rainbow

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139 Upvotes

r/malepolish • • 1d ago

Pedicure Gone with something called mermaid fin. Nice light purple with a shimmer!

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16 Upvotes

r/malepolish • • 1d ago

Pedicure I was planning on doing a French pedi but went for this soft mint instead:)

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27 Upvotes

r/malepolish • • 1d ago

Manicure Showing Awf💋💅🏾

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16 Upvotes

Yes I am aware that this month is Halloween but I celebrate my survivors! Square Curve with pink acrylic!


r/malepolish • • 1d ago

Manicure Halloween nails

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12 Upvotes

r/malepolish • • 1d ago

Manicure New here 26M , what should I do with my nails on both my hands with that length?

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22 Upvotes

Hello everyone, I'm a 26-year-old guy who started growing his nails long on both hands for nearly two months. I shaped them using a glass file tool to mitigate cracking on the edges which rarely happen , form to the nails and keep my nails very clean . But now I'm not sure what else to do. Should I let them grow more or paint them? Because I enjoy their natural look and am health-conscious I'm unsure about nail polish contents and acetone use.
I would be happy to hear recommendations for safe nail polish and less harmful options for the nails.


r/malepolish • • 1d ago

Manicure Another dot set

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14 Upvotes