To understand how to deal with the sensation, you first need to know what causes it. The technical term for the burning you feel when curing your gel manicure is heat spike. Jim McConnell, president of the gel manufacturer Light Elegance, explained the science to Nails magazine: "The heat spike is a result of chemical bonds being formed during the curing process; this is called an exothermic reaction. Every time a bond is formed, heat is given off during the curing process."

He added that you're more likely to feel the sensation with harder gel nails than soak-off ones because the reaction is more intense in the harder gels. Doug Schoon, a world-leading nail expert, further clarified to Nails magazine that some tingling is to be expected because of the chemical reaction that takes place with every adhesive and nail enhancement product as they harden.

But feeling too much heat on your nails can indicate problems with the initial steps in the manicure (more on that later), or that the heat isn't being released at an even pace but in short bursts, which doesn't allow it to dissipate enough before the next eruption occurs.