General Points

Lifting
Lifting normally occurs at the cuticle area. You will notice that there is a whitish appearance in your overlay at the cuticle area. This whitish appearance occurs when the product has unattached/ loosened from the natural nail plate. The lifted area needs to be repaired else your client will be at risk of a bacterial infection. This lifted area is an ideal environment for bacteria to breed.  

File below the lifted area till the lifted product becomes loose. Don’t file on top of the lifted area this will only result in part of the lifting being removed.  Once the lifted area has been removed you will need to cleanse the area with your nail prep ready for your desired overlay. 

Lifting may occur for various reasons: 

Product applied too thickly.

Product applied near nail wall and/or cuticle.

Nail plate too thin due to over-buffing.

Client has left maintenance of nails to lapse for too long.

Extension is too long compared to nail plate (should not really be longer than 1/3 of nail plate).

Client is on medication or has bad circulation.

Client is abusing/picking extension.

Poor preparation of nail plate prior to application.

Product is too wet/dry when applied (acrylic).

Friction Heat
This occurs when filing and buffing the natural nail too vigorously.  Remember- when buffing quickly, only buff lightly, but when buffing slowly, you can apply slightly more pressure. 
Make sure you lift the file from the surface of the nail occasionally. 

Dehydrating/nail prep – 
When applying an overlay you need to cleanse and dehydrate the nail plate else you will be sealing in bacteria and moisture creating an ideal environment for bacteria to breed. By cleansing the nail plate with your prep solutions you are reducing the risks of bacterial infection and lifting.  A product will not adhere effectively if oil or grime is present on the nail plate : the bonding process will be interrupted and this will increase the risk of  lifting. The nail plate needs to be squeaky clean to achieve a retentive and lasting nail enhancement service. You can dehydrate the nail plate by wiping over with non acetone, anti spray or any nail plate cleanser.