Just because you don’t have access to a nail salon doesn’t mean your nails have to suffer. I started doing my own gel manicures at home over a year ago as a way to save money, and it’s surprisingly easy! All it takes is a little patience. Keep reading below for the exact tools I use and the tricks I’ve learned to make them perfect!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR GEL NAILS AT HOME:

• UV Nail Lamp - I bought an inexpensive small portable nail light to start over a year ago. It’s great because you can bring it with you when you travel, but I recently upgraded to this one which I’ve loved!

• Acetone - both to remove polish and finish the nails. Use whatever you like, I always grab the generic one from Target or the drugstore

• Cotton pads

• Nail polish soak off clips - These little clips make soaking off gel nails SO much easier. You can use aluminum foil instead, but I highly recommend these.

• Nail clippers

• Nail file and buffer block

• Base coat and top coat – I’ve been using this duo for over a year and love them!

• Colored gel polish - I mostly use this set of dark to light nudes, and this white gel polish for a french manicure, but you can grab whatever colors you like!

Step 1 - Removing old nails

If you still have old gel nail polish on your nails, you’ll need to take those off first. Start by buffing the gel with a rough nail file to remove the protective top coat. Cut a few cotton pads into quarters and soak them in the acetone, placing each piece on top of the buffed polish, and then covering either with a nail clip or aluminum foil

Wait 15-20 minutes for them to soak, and then they should scrape off very easily with a cuticle pusher or any other metal tool. If they don’t come off easily, remove what you can and then soak them again. Trying to scrape them off your nail too hard will damage your nails.

Step 2 - Prep the nail

After you’ve gotten off all the polish, file your nails into the desired shape, and then gently buff the tops of the nail. This will help the base coat to adhere to your nail.

Soak your nails in warm water for 3-4 minutes (no soap!), and gently push back your cuticles. Some people may choose to cut thier own cuticles, but unless you’re a pro, I would suggest only pushing them, since cutting incorrectly can do some serious damage.

Step 3 - Base Coat

Tip #1: Make coats as thin as possible!

Put on a VERY THIN base coat and cure under the UV light for 2 minutes. My biggest mistake when I started doing my own gel nails was making the coats too thick. If you make them thick, they won’t cure fully, and will peel off after a day or two, so make sure they’re as thin as possible!

Step 4 - Color Coats

Next add 2-3 coats of whichever color polish you choose, curing for 2 minutes between each coat. Aim for 2 coats if possible, and again, make them as thin as possible. If you’re going for a french manicure, do 1-2 coats of a pale pink and then one coat of a white or other color at the tip.

Tip #2: Do not get ANY on your skin - this may be the trickiest part. Be very careful not to paint onto your skin or the entire gel will peel off. If you get a little on the skin, use an unpainted nail, nail file, or other hard item to gently scrape it off

Step 5 - Top Coat

After curing your final color coat, paint on a thin layer of the top coat, cure for 2 minutes, and then gently wipe them off with rubbing alcohol and a cotton pad, and you’re done! The best part about gel nails is they’re ready to go instantly, and last so much longer than regular polish.

A Few Things To Remember

• They will not be perfect the first time. Gel nails take patience and practice, but the more you do them, the better you’ll get!

• They’ll probably pop off the first few times you do it. But the best part about doing them at home, is if one or two pop off, it’s super easy to fix just those one or two nails instead of having to wait to go back to a salon or taking them all off!

• In case I didn’t stress this enough, THIN COATS.

xoxo,

Audra