There are a slew of products that might be messing with your gel manicure and causing chips way before their time. Far away from just alcohol-based products getting on your nails, there are tons of substances that may be damaging your mani — and that you get into contact with everyday. Suddenly, your gel manicure's chips might make a lot more sense — use these tips next time!

Apart from drying alcohols, you should avoid getting any kind of solvent oils on your nails. As explained by EcoLink, solvent oils include acetone, hexane, carbon tetrachloride, diethyl ether, and benzene — solutions that are found in way more products than you think. While you might believe acetone is a solvent strictly found in nail polish remover, it's actually found in many cleaning products, too. Meanwhile, the other solvents are commonly found in different kinds of household degreasers — products you may very well be getting on your nails when you clean your kitchen at the end of the day. According to Secret Spa, solvent oils can cause "major damage" to your gel polish, and aren't just found in cleaning products — you can also find them in tanning oil and insect repellent.

Another chemical that might be messing with your mani is chloride, which as we know, is found in most pools. Secret Spa says that swimming in chlorine will make your polish chip or fade, so washing your hands with fresh water afterwards is crucial.