With the advent of gel polishes, many began to do manicures themselves. When you have a UV or LED lamp at home, a lot of colored gels and designs, you will inevitably think about building nails at home. In fact, this is a completely different branch of manicure. Some materials from the gel polish system will work, but many will have to be purchased.
The use of a manicure device for removing gel polish is gaining more and more popularity. If there is, that's a big help. Beginners have to file the shape of artificial nails, and files take a very long time. But besides this equipment, good materials will be required.
Manicure tools
To make the work of high quality, you should thoroughly clean the nail plate from the skin, especially in the corners. This is the only way to be sure that material delamination will not occur. It is worth considering the process of sterilizing the instrument, since sterility during the nail extension operation at home is the key to long-term preservation of work.
The following set of tools will be required:
- Knipser.
- File for natural nails 180/240 grit.
- Ceramic hoof.
- Buff 240 grit.
- Artificial nail file 100 grit.
- Lint-free wipes.
- Dust brush.
- Pusher/Scraper.
- Leather cutters.
How to prep nails
Purely washed hands are rubbed with clinser and varnish is removed. After that, the length is removed with a nail clipper and the nails are given a semicircular shape with a 180 grit file. The proximal roller is pushed back with a scraper. With a ceramic hoof, they clean off the pterygium from the nail - the skin that has stuck to it. Brush off the dust. After all the nails are processed, the shine is removed from the nails with a buff. After brushing off the dust, wipe the nails with a clinser. They are now sterile and ready for extensions.
Which gel lamp is better to choose
Now you can buy old-style UV lamps very cheaply, in which LED gel does not polymerize. In addition, they constantly require the replacement of elements that have a certain marking. It is best to purchase a combination lamp that combines both technologies.
Special gels dry within half a minute in such a lamp. All LED products can also be cured in UV lamps, but the time will be increased to 2-3 minutes. Modern gel polishes are adapted for LED technologies, the LED lamp itself lasts a long time and does not require replacement of elements. It is easier to transport, it is not bulky. There are bracket lamps with six lamps, in whichdries both UV and LED gel.
Materials for gel extensions
If you already have everything for gel polish at home, then you can purchase several products from the extension line of the same brand. Often companies producing gel polishes also produce materials for modeling. Then there is no doubt about the compatibility of preparations and gels.
Gel extensions will require materials that are also present in the gel polish system:
- Clinser.
- Acid free primer.
- Rubber base.
List for gel nail extensions at home (materials purchased separately):
- Camouflage Design Gel.
- Transparent Builder Gel.
- Brush number 4 for gel.
Materials for acrylic extensions
In the case when it is only planned to start manicure classes, you should think about acrylic extensions. It doesn't need a lamp. Acrylic is convenient to transport, it can be taken to the country, where there are problems with electricity. It takes up little space. Acrylic nails are thinner and stronger than gel nails. If later it is decided to purchase gel polishes, then the design on acrylic nails can be done with them.
Acrylic Starter Kit:
- Monomer.
- Glass for acrylic.
- Acrylic brush number 6.
- Clinser.
- Acid primer.
- Transparent powder.
- Camouflage powder.
If the lengthening is supposed to be done on forms,acquire them. Sometimes, with very high rollers, it is difficult to substitute the form. They resort to the help of tips. But it is best to buy arched forms that combine both of these technologies. They are reusable and easy to work with. Here's everything you need to get your nails done at home.
What is an arch shape
Company "Formula Profi" has patented a unique device for modeling - an arched shape. After its application, glued tips remain on the nail, on which the material is laid out. The tips will have a ready-made arch, which is very convenient for nail extensions at home for beginners.
This form works with any material. It allows you to model modern nails, and do it quickly and easily. There are ten numbers of plastic molds in the set, which can be chosen for any nail. Material is applied to it, after which the form is established and polymerization occurs under appropriate conditions. To work with the gel, you will need a rubber base, on which the mold is set. Any acrylic will do.
Changing standards
If you look at the photo of extended nails that were made fifteen years ago, we will see rather wide nail plates, curving downward in profile. The technique of those years recommended using flat tips for flat nails. Often the nails had a trapezoidal shape. When extended, this resulted in diamond-shaped nails.
Standards have changed in nail extensions. Tips that were previously produced almost always haddownward folded shape. In modern modeling, this is unacceptable. In the process of wearing artificial material, the natural nail, when growing back, bends the structure down even more. Therefore, after two or three correction sessions, you have to perform the modeling again.
Normally, the nail should have a transverse arch called the C-bend. If the nails are flat, they have to be artificially corrected by pressing. This is done with reverse tweezers until the polymerization is over. At home, gel nail extension will cause difficulties with such an operation. When building with acrylic, it is easier to determine the moment when full polymerization has not yet occurred and the structure can be compressed. Beginners will be helped by the use of arched shapes that already have the correct C-bend and a straight longitudinal shape.
Gel step by step
Each company has its own characteristics of gels. There are separate recommendations for them. Here is an innovative technology from "Formula Profi", a domestic brand that works on American materials.
To run the simulation you will need:
- Camouflage LED gel.
- Arched shapes.
- Clinser.
- Bonder.
- LED lamp.
- Gel base universal.
- Gel brush number 4.
The video shows gel nail extension at home step by step.
Procedure:
Step 1. Form tips with a universal base - lay out a small thickness inarched form. At the edge that will be on the nail, we remove the material by two millimeters. Cure for a few seconds in the lamp.
Step 2. Fill the edge of the form with the base and place on the nail, gently holding. Place your hands under the lamp. After a few seconds, the supporting hand is removed and the gel is dried for 1 minute. Remove the dispersion layer from the back of the nail.
Step 3. Camouflage gel is applied. Cure for 2 minutes.
Step 4. Remove the dispersion and file the nail. Brush off sawdust with a brush.
Step 5. Apply color gel polish or top coat.
Gel Features
Nail extension at home with gel has its own characteristics. Here are some of them:
- Working with the gel requires special movements. They should be smooth and zigzag, this will help to evenly fill the surface of the nail with volume.
- Gel is able to reach for the brush. This property is used for alignment.
- UV lamps have a limited life, so they must be constantly updated in order for the polymerization to take place.
- In case of contact with the skin, immediately remove the gel until it polymerizes. Its subsequent cutting leads to detachments.
- Brushing quickly creates bubbles in the gel that are difficult to get rid of.
- If the brush is not cleaned of the gel immediately, it may dry out when exposed to light, especially sunlight. The brush will be damaged. For the same reason, you should not hold the brush with the gel in the area of the switched on UV lamp.
To understand howthe gel of your chosen brand behaves, practice laying out the design on a piece of paper. If you do not put the gel under the lamp, it will not harden. Therefore, training does not require a large consumption of material.
Video instruction for acrylic
To form modern and strong nails, it is better to use arched forms. This video instruction examines them in detail for nail extension at home step by step.
If there is no lamp for gels yet, the design is done with varnishes. On acrylic nails, they are worn for a long time.
Features of working with acrylic
Often when building acrylic nails at home, the following mistakes occur:
- Working brush, while new, is in the cap. It's a package, they throw it away. If the brush is closed immediately after use, the monomer evaporates and leaves a yellow color on the bristles. Rinse the brush properly after work and place it horizontally in the pencil case. They don’t store it with bristles up, the brush deteriorates from this, and when working with it, you get ugly stains.
- The monomer is thrown away after work, it is contaminated with particles of powder, not suitable for storage. It will have a marbled effect when used.
- Acryl glass should be large enough for the brush to open. It should be pressed against a surface of sufficient height. To rinse the brush after work, you need to open it several times and wring it out. This is not possible with small glasses. It is optimal to choose a 150-gram glass with a wide bottom.
- If it is not enough to wring out the brush, then the acrylic ball will slip off it andfalls into powder. In this case, it should not be removed with a brush. This is done with a stick, because the brush deteriorates during such movements - acrylic clogs into it, hardens and is difficult to remove. The brush no longer holds its shape, it is impossible to work with it. In addition, if such a liquid ball can be brought to the nail, it will spread and come into contact with the skin.
- The brush should not be squeezed from both sides, it will turn out too prickly ball. It will quickly harden and will not give the opportunity to make a form.
- Work with a ball on the nail with a brush washed and squeezed on a napkin.
- Napkins should be white, as the dye will get on the brush and ruin the work.
- Use a base to cover acrylic nails, otherwise they will stain.
Conclusion
Technologies in the nail industry are developing rapidly. Today, what seems modern and fashionable will be outdated tomorrow. If you constantly follow the news, you can successfully do nail extensions at home. Good luck!
