I got a new job a few months ago, that I’m loving, but I do many rounds of dishes during my shifts (barista/bartender). I’ve all but given up doing my nails now, as my polish will just fall off in one piece after only having it on for a day. I have so many awesome polishes and it makes me sad that I feel like I can’t use any of them now.
What can I do to keep my polish on?
This mani is: 1x MC Hardcore base coat, 3x BKL Protocol 53 (HHC May 2025), 1x HT Glossy Taco
And just a quick note to say that this polish is exceptional, truly. A whole rainbow, even a bit of gold at extreme angles! BKL is in a league of their own. And I wish I could wear it to work!
by IronAndParsnip
9 Comments
thats a gorgeous polish!!
is it possible to wear gloves?
Water is the enemy of polish (and nails), unfortunately. The only real way to protect from it is to minimize contact with water – so I second if you can wear gloves, I would try to do that as often as possible.
Gloves, particularly with cotton liner gloves to absorb sweat. Regular polish will not hold up to doing dishes all day, it’s just not possible.
For some reason I can’t edit, but want to add:
– since we’re doing dishes often and between other tasks, it might not be easy to wear gloves amidst our routines but I will try it out! I’ve been on the fence due to feeling like I’d have to keep taking them off and putting them on again.
– would a gel top coat help with this? Coworkers of mine get gel manis that last for several weeks. I’d be open to this if it means being able to wear the polishes I’ve spent money on.
Bartending is so rough on the hands! I’m glad I didn’t get into polish until my bartending days were over!
The issue is the water, the wet ruins your nails. Take it from me who was a barista for years and did so many dishes and made so many drinks while being a heavy rinser, the water is the problem. Finally deciding to wear gloves while making drinks was the only thing that saved my nails. Well, other than finally quitting that job lol.
If your nails are constantly wet and hot there’s probably not much you can do :-/
(I assume you’re using gloves – if you’re not, that’s why lol)
Please do not wear nail polish while working in a food service job unless you have gloves on! If you are in the US, the health code requires this. Gloves must be intact and clean, and changed at correct intervals. Heat and wet cause polish to flake, gel polish can chip and both can contaminate the environment (aka fly off into a pitcher of milk or stick to a clean dish). I used to manage restaurants and I have seen things when it comes to nail polish that still make me want to puke.
I’ve been both a barista and a bartender, and I always just brought elbow length dishwashing gloves with me to work. As long as it didn’t impede my speed, it wasn’t a problem.
Edit to add: I got contact dermatitis from the chemicals in the sinks, so if you needed to use that as a reason for your gloves, you could just say your skin has been feeling a bit sensitive from all the chemicals and needs a break.