Dos and Don’ts of Gel Nails at Home

Have you ever tried to do perfect gel nails at home and the effect fell short of your expectations?

Truth be told, doing gel manicures at home can be tricky, and there are a lot of details to keep in mind in the process.

Let’s then check out the most crucial dos and don’ts of gel nails at home to help you achieve the perfect DIY manicure.

The Dos of Gel Nails at Home

Do Your Research

We live in the era of digitalization, where all knowledge, including perfectly filed fingernails, is within reach in a matter of seconds. Therefore, before proceeding to the manicure itself, do the proper research about home manicures.

During the research, try to focus only on reliable resources for:

Video tutorials
Hints
Tricks
Blog articles

Each piece of such content will equip you with valuable knowledge that is essential to do a perfect gel manicure at home.

Practice Nail Preparation

Gel manicures, to be perfect, need clean, dry skin to adhere to. Therefore, you should be able to correctly prepare your nails by:

Pushing back your cuticles,
Filing your nails to the desired shape,
Buffing the surface and edges of your nails,
Using primer to balance pH

You should already know the drill after the research and video tutorials, but don’t forget that practice makes perfect.

Prepare Your Equipment

Before you dive into the manicure process, make sure that you have all the equipment and supplies needed at hand. Once you start, it is advisable to avoid touching anything unnecessarily.

Therefore, check that you have prepared:

UV or LED lamp,
Primer
Base coat
Gel nail polishes
Top coat
Cleansing alcohol
Lint-free wipes

koket pastel colored high end pouf stools

When You’re Ready to Remove…Choose the Proper Removal Technique

Finally, to maintain the health of your nails, choose a proper removal technique and never scrape off gel nail polish, as it will ruin your natural nails.

The Don’ts of Gel Nails at Home

Don’t Use Thick Layers

First, thick layers are not the best idea for gel manicures. You apply multiple layers in the process, so if all of them are thick, it can negatively impact the polish’s curing and adhesion.

Moreover, thin layers, just like in traditional manicures, make for a smoother application, so it is easier to end up with a smooth, neat effect.

Don’t Wet Your Hands Before Application

It is also important not to wash your hands right before the product application. If you want to maximize the adherence of gel nail polish to your nails, you need to apply gel polish on a super-dry nail plate.

Therefore, if you need to wash your hands before doing your gel manicure, remember to dry your nails thoroughly and only then proceed with the nail preparation process.

Don’t Touch Your Skin with Gel

Keep in mind, too, that gel polish should never touch your skin. It can take a little practice, patience, and the proper tools to apply gel nail polish perfectly without any run-overs. Nevertheless, each run-over left to cure will start to lift once you complete the manicure. Therefore, give yourself time, but do what you can to apply gel nail polish only on the nail surface without touching your cuticles or fingers.

All in all, doing gel nails at home is tricky, but, once you follow the above tips, you are on your way to success. Equip yourself with the proper equipment, give yourself time to research and practice and very soon your home manicure will look like the work of a professional nail technician.

Feature Image: Photo by Design Ecologist | Unsplash