Gel and acrylic nail extensions can be done both at home and in a beauty salon. Gel extensions are the most popular among similar nail care procedures. The composition of the gel is selected in such a way as to maximally repeat the structure of the nail plate.
Which is better: gel or acrylic?
Advantages of gel extensions:
- Natural look.
- No smell.
- Lack of the possibility of fungus development.
- Multifunctionality (decor, French manicure, modeling).
- Able to adhere very well to the nail plate.
- Significant strength, elasticity, so nails are not susceptible to cracks, do not break even with strong mechanical stress.
- Ease of correction (new extensions, silk stripes).
- Protection of the surface of the natural nail from the harmful effects of the environment.
Disadvantages of gel extensions:
- Poorly tolerates sudden changes in temperature.
- The withdrawal process takes a lot of time.
Advantages of acrylic extensions:
- strength,
- hygiene,
- flexibility,
- ease of care,
- resistance to chemicals,
- easy correction and removal (you need to hold it in a special solution that does not contain acetone),
- varied design.
Disadvantages:
- smell;
- the coating does not allow air to pass to the nails, which is why their condition and appearance deteriorate after removal;
- less natural look than coal.
The acrylic mass prepared from acrylic powder and a special solution hardens very quickly in air, so experts advise doing acrylic extensions from an experienced master. Acrylic nail extension can be done on tips and nails.
The choice of material should be based on an analysis of the merits and demerits of each material, as well as on the client's requirements for the final result.
Types of gel for nail extension
Gel is a polymer with a porous structure. Safer than acrylic due to its breathability. Gels, depending on the building technology, are single-phase, two-phase and three-phase.
Single-phase gel is convenient to use at homebecause it serves as a base, fixer and is suitable for modeling. It is well distributed over the nail, the shine does not fade over time. Can be applied to both tips and forms. Dries in a few minutes in a UV lamp.
For nail extension using two and three-phase technology, it involves the use of two and three types of gels, respectively.Work time is much longer than with single phase technology.
There are several types of sculptural gels that will also be needed for nail extension:
- Transparent gel, with the help of which the required shape and length are created.
- Camouflage or camouflage gel, which has a shade identical to the color of the natural nail, lengthens the nail bed.
- French manicure gel is white and designed to be applied to the edge of the nail.
The best gel for nail extension
Good material meets these requirements:
- Viscosity. The gel should not be too thick or too thin. In the first case, it will not work to make a smooth, even surface of the nail. In the second case, the gel will spread strongly, which can lead to cracks in the nails.
- Quality certificate is a guarantor of product quality and safety.
- Freezing. Certain drugs require special catalysts to solidify. The complexity of working with such catalysts lies in the density, which makes them quite difficult to apply to the surface of the nail. Experts advise using materials cured with an ultraviolet lamp.
- No smell. High-quality gels are odorless and cannot cause allergies.
The most popular products of such companies:
- IBD.
- Ezflow.
- Formula Profi.
- Global.
- BBWT.
- Nubar.
- CNI.
How to remove gel nails
Gel nails can be extended or removed at home.
To remove gel nails without visiting the salon, you will need acetone, cotton wool, foil, petroleum jelly, a fine-grained nail file and a file for polishing.
There are two ways to remove gel nails at home:
- Soaking.
- Sawing.
For soaking, you need to pour acetone into the container and heat it in a water bath. This will make the liquid more concentrated, due to which it will better react with the gel and weaken it faster.
It is better to smear the skin around with petroleum jelly or a product containing it, so as not to dry it out. Cotton swabs are soaked in heated acetone, applied to nails and wrapped in foil. Leave the compress for at least half an hour.
After half an hour, foil and cotton wool are removed from one nail. If the gel has dissolved and is easily removed from the nail, then you can remove the lotions from all fingers. Otherwise, you need to hold the compress with acetone for another 10 minutes. Further, the remnants of the gel are removed from the nails, the nails are filed, polished and lubricated with moisturizing cream or milk.
Removing nails by filing is more dangerous, traumatic way. This is done very carefully so as not to damage your nail.
To begin with, the artificial nails are trimmed with tweezers, then the gel is cut off carefully, layer by layer, with a coarse grained file (at least 150 grit). When the artificial nail is completely cut off, the remaining gel is removed with a fine-grained file and the nails are polished.Oil or lotion is applied to moisturize and nourish the nails.
How to remove acrylic nails
Having built up acrylic nails at home, you also need to know about ways to remove them. For soaking, it is better to take not acetone, as is the case with gel nails, but AcrilikRemover, which does not contain acetone and is available in various forms: liquid, spray, patch and is used in the same way as acetone.
Contraindications to building
Contraindications to nail extension are:
- Herpes virus.
- Diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
- Diabetes.
- Diseases of the thyroid gland.
- Recently completed chemotherapy course.
- Hormonal disorders.
- Antibiotics.
- Pregnancy.
- Allergy.
- Stress.
- Injuries to the nail plate.
- The presence of fungus on the nails.
If there are any contraindications, there is a great risk that the extended nails will not hold, although these diseases in themselves are not absolute contraindications.
Is it possible to extend nails during pregnancy
The opinions of experts were divided: some believe that the build-up does not pose any danger either to the health of the mother or to the health of the child; others advise abstaining from this procedure during pregnancy.
Neither chemists nor doctors can say unequivocally whether the components that make up the nail extension products have a negative effect on the fetus. There are no unequivocal studies on this score.
Nail extension rules
In order for the nails to last a long time after building up at home, you need to know what rules to follow:
- On the day for which the procedure is scheduled, you cannot smear your hands with cream.
- Before the procedure, a trim manicure is done, dirt and cuticles are removed.
- Experts recommend taking vitamin complexes, as well as calcium supplements, in order to minimize the harmful effects caused by this procedure.
- In order for the tips or forms to better adhere to the nail plate, it is imperative to degrease the nail with a special solution.
- The design should be versatile - both for going out and for everyday life.
Extension for the first time
For the first extension, the most important thing is to choose a master successfully. The surest way is the recommendation of friends. If the procedure is carried out at home, then for a successful outcome of the case, you must clearly adhere to the instructions.
Build errors
Errors:
- Excessive use of primer.
- Heavy filing is the result of an incorrectly selected nail file.
- Incorrectly chosen architecture (shape, length).
- Air pockets are the result of a very thick application of the base.
How long does the procedure take
On average, the procedure for nail extension takes 2.5-3 hours. If the client chooses a rather complex design, then the procedure will take a little longer.
How long will the extended nails last
The grown nails usually last for 2-5 weeks.
After this period, a correction is required.
In rare cases, artificial nails last no more than a week, which is due to the specific structure of the nail, in which any materials are rejected.
Is it possible to build up nails without gel and acrylic
If there is a desire to have beautiful nails, but for some reason there is no way to build them up with acrylic or gel, then you can easily make a beautiful manicure at home without using these materials. To extend nails without gel and acrylic, you need tools for edging manicure, glue, tips and auxiliary fluids.
First you need to do a manicure, file your nails and cut off the top layer of the nail a little. Treat the surface of the nail with a degreaser or primer. Gently apply glue to the tips and attach it to the nail, pressing firmly. When the tips grip well with the nail plate, you need to cut them to the desired size and shape them with a nail file. Top of the tips is covered with varnish and then with a fixative. However, the service life of such nails is no more than 4 days.
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To build up your nails yourself you need:
- purchase all the necessary materials;
- clearly follow the sequence of actions;
- to practice.
Step by step gel build-up at home
Nail service masters know how to build up nails at home. They advise using tips for building up to avoid unevenness and adjustments that arise when building on special stickers that form the nail.
Instructions:
- The first and very important step that should not be skipped is the disinfection of the hands of both the master and the client, regardless of where the extension takes place, at home or in the salon.
- Selection of tips. The size and width of the tips must match the client's nail plate.
- It is imperative to remove the cuticle and make the nails of the desired length.The free edge should be at least a millimeter.
- The top layer is cut off with a highly abrasive file (180 units).
- The nails are cleaned with a dry brush and covered with a base gel. The gel is blotted with a napkin, but the nails should be slightly damp.
- The tips are applied to the nails in such a way that there are no gaps and gaps.
- With the help of a special brush, the shape and length of the nail is formed. This layer is fixed by placing hands under an ultraviolet lamp, for about 30 seconds. In order for the arch to form correctly, the gel, after the UV lamp, must be slightly soft.
- Further, the nail is covered with gel from the so-called stress zone, which is the highest point of the artificial plate and is located above the border of the natural nail. The wrong choice of a stress zone threatens with many problems in the future - fragility, fragility of the extended nail and, accordingly, damage to the nails of the natural nail plate. A small amount of gel is applied to the stress area and, when it spreads a little, it is evenly distributed over the entire surface (provided that the extended nails are not French, because the extension technology is different).
- The nails are placed in a UV lamp for a few minutes.
- After the end of the building process, modeling is done. To do this, you need to use a sapphire file with a hardness of 150 grit to remove excess frozen gel from the nail and periungual areas.
- At the last stage, the nail is varnished and decorated with various decorative elements.
Step-by-step build-up with acrylic at home
For the procedure to be successful, you need to know what to do and how.
It will be easier to build up nails at home with acrylic, knowing the main steps:
- The first step is preparing the nails.
- Further, tips are glued to natural nails with glue. It is important that the tips are not glued to the very base of the nail.
- Trim the tips to the desired length and adjust the shape.
- Treat the tip with a special nail file to remove the shine.
- Remove dust. Apply a primer.
- Dip the brush in monomer and acrylic powder. It is necessary to get a ball that is applied to the entire surface. Gently distribute this base so that the layer is thicker at the tips and thinner near the cuticle. It is important that there is no difference in the place where the tips are attached to the nail.
- They clean the brush or take another, apply a monomer, with which the corners are smoothed and the acrylic layer is polished.
- After the acrylic has dried, the surface is treated with files of various degrees of hardness, shaped, polished, giving shine.
- The final stage is the application of colorless varnish, treatment of the cuticle with a special oil.
Organization of the workplace
The room in which the master works should be bright, with good lighting and ventilation. The work table should be well lit both with natural light and equipped with artificial light sources that are aimed directly at the client's hands.
The master should always have the following materials and equipment in stock:
- UV lamp for drying gel, manicure tools (files of various hardness and purpose, tweezers, orange sticks, buffs, scissors, paws, sterilizer).
- Forms and tips, varnishes, gels, napkins, nail polish remover, disinfectants.
- Creams, lotions, oils for the skin of the hands and nails, cuticle softeners.
All the accessories that are needed during the work should be prepared in advance so that they are always at hand.
After each client, not only tools are disinfected, but also the surface of the work table.
Necessary tools and tools - list
In order for the work to proceed quickly and easily, the master must have in his arsenal special means, tools and equipment.
Equipment:
- Ultraviolet lamp... It is used for gel nail extension and for drying acrylic paints. With its help, the material hardens faster and is evenly distributed.A timer is optional, but desirable.
- Mini vacuum cleaner for the table - to remove small particles, dust. It is necessary to keep your workplace clean.
Materials (acrylic extension):
- Colorless acrylic and white powder, camouflage and colored powder.
- Special liquid.
- Liquid drying the nail plate (dehydrator).
- Antiseptic liquid for disinfection of hands and instruments.
- Acid-free product for first coat as acrylic primer.
- Acetone-free nail remover.
Tools:
- Tips, forms.
- Special file (buff) for grinding and adjusting artificial materials.
- Several files with different degrees of abrasiveness for polishing and grinding.
- Mixing bowl.
Materials (gel extension):
- Disinfectant.
- A product that prevents nail delamination.
- Means for fastening tips with a nail.
- Tips and forms.
- Degreasing agent.
- Moisturizing cuticle oil.
- Various types of gels - camouflage, finishing (for glossy shine), basic (colorless), multi-colored.
Tools:
- Hard bristled brushes.
- File for grinding (buff).
- Tongs and scissors for manicure.
- Special wipes to remove the sticky layer.
- Nippers for cutting tips.
- A special tool for removing rough skin, ingrown nails, and also used in design - a pusher.
Preparation for building
In order for the extended nails to last as long as possible, a thorough preparation of natural nails must be carried out immediately before the procedure.
Hands are washed with soap, dried and treated with disinfectant, if available. If the old coating remains on the nails, then it must be removed with a liquid without acetone.
The cuticle is softened with a special tool and after 20 minutes it is pushed back with an orange stick. It is better to cut it off, but not necessary.
When building on tips, the protrusions of the nail are slightly removed with a file. When building on forms, the protrusions are completely removed.
The shiny layer is removed with a special nail file. Dust is removed, a degreaser is applied to the nails.
Extension to tips
Instructions:
- First, the preparation of the nail plate is performed.
- The glue is applied to the tips, which are applied to the nail and pressed firmly for 15 seconds.
- Excess glue is removed.
- The tips are given the desired length and shape.
- The line connecting the tips with the nail is filed, and the entire surface is treated with a buff to a visible shine.
- Next, a primer is applied and the modeling gel is evenly distributed over the nail. In order for the solution to lie flat, the hand must be turned over. The gel is applied in two layers and dried in a UV lamp.
- The sticky layer on the nail is removed with a cotton pad dipped in a special solution.
- The top layer is sanded with a nail file and a polishing block.
- The third and last layer is applied to the polished nail and dried.
To upper forms
The upper forms are reusable blanks, similar in appearance to tips.
Benefits:
- ease of use;
- low material consumption;
- no need to file for a long time;
- reducing the time of the procedure;
- large selection of designs;
- natural look of finished nails;
- both gel and acrylic are suitable for work.
To lower forms
The formation of the nail is carried out on special paper forms.
Consider this technology:
- They perform antiseptic treatment of hands.
- Pusher lifts the cuticle and pushes it towards the base of the nail.
- With a 240-120 grit file, they shape the free edge of the nail, thinking about the convenience of fixing the paper form.
- The nail is cleaned with a file from the cuticle at the edge.
- The paper form is cut out to fit the shape of the nails and fixed at the top and bottom using an adhesive layer.
- They coat the nail with a degreasing agent, then a primer.
- The gel is applied to the entire surface of the natural nail.
- Dry the coating in a UV lamp for 1 min.
- Without removing the sticky layer and controlling yourself along the lines on the form, they lengthen the edge of the nail to the desired length.
- Dry the nail in a UV lamp for 3 minutes.
- The constructing gel is applied in the direction from the cuticle to the nail elongation line.
- You can repeat the application of the gel.
- Then a C-bend is formed and the nail is dried again in a UV lamp for 3 minutes.
- Peel off the form and the sticky layer.
- The nail is filed with a buff, giving it the desired shape.
- Remove dust with a dry brush.
- Apply a high gloss finish gel.
- Fix the gel in the lamp for 1 minute. Remove the sticky layer.
- Apply a cuticle care product.
Base build-up
You can build up your nails with a base coat. The stages of work are almost identical to the stages of building on tips. Removal of nails extended with a base coat is possible only by soaking in a special solution.
Build up without UV lamp
You will not need a UV lamp if you purchase gels that are not sensitive to light.
They are divided into two types, depending on the type of drying:
- Drying is due to the application of a catalyst - cyanoacrylate monomer.
- Drying is done by immersing your hands in cool water for 7 minutes.
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After removing artificial nails for natural nails, it is imperative to carry out comprehensive care:
- If the procedure for removing artificial nails was carried out in the salon, then the master will offer apply a special nutritional composition to the nail, which acts on the principle of sealing, i.e. protects the nail until it is fully healed.
- If artificial nails were grown and removed at home, then products that contain nutrients and herbal extracts can be bought both in pharmacies and in specialized stores.
- Massage... It should be carried out every day using creams, oils, lotions with a high content of vitamins. Oils - burdock, vegetable, olive - have a good regenerating effect. The oil should be slightly warmed up before application. Vitamins A and E are often added to the oil. Freshly squeezed lemon juice will help remove the yellowness of the nails if you rub it every day into the nail plate.
- Baths... They help to restore nails well after building up a bath with sea salt and chamomile decoction. To prepare a bath with sea salt, you need to take 200 ml of boiled hot water and pour 3 tbsp. l. salt, lower your hands for 15 minutes. The procedure is carried out every day.To prepare a decoction of chamomile, you need to take 3 tbsp. l. flowers of this plant, pour boiling water over them and insist for 30 minutes. Strain, put your hands in the bath for 20 minutes.
After nail extension, in addition to carrying out the above procedures in the salon and at home, you must also adhere to such rules as:
- Performing all household chores that involve the use of harsh chemicals in rubber gloves.
- Using a nail polish remover that does not contain acetone but is enriched with vitamins.
- Using acetone-free nail polish.
- Frequent application of nourishing hand and nail cream, especially after contact with water.
- Application for filing nails is not an iron, but a glass nail file.
Knowing the technology of nail extension with gel and acrylic, women save money and successfully carry out this procedure at home. Gel and acrylic nail extension allows you to enjoy a perfect manicure for 3 weeks.
How to build nails at home: video
How to build up nails with gel, on tips, find out in the video clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYLo3jH8RCE
Learn how to make acrylic nails at home in the video: