Would you like to do your gel nails yourself? No problem! With our instructions you can conjure up perfect, eye-catching nails like a professional!
You don’t necessarily have to constantly run to the nail salon to have beautiful and well-groomed nails – You can also easily make gel nails yourself at home! Although this requires a little practice and a few utensils, in the long run you will save a lot of money and you can also decorate your nails with different shapes and colors as you wish.
What exactly are gel nails?
In contrast to classic nail polishes, gel nails consist of a liquid gel polish. Each individual layer of this gel polish is cured using a UV lamp, so that the gel can actually harden. This makes the artificial nails fairly break-proof. On top of that, you can come up with a completely individual nail design if you do your gel nails yourself. Regardless of whether it’s glitter, flowers or hearts, pretty much anything is possible. Since each layer of gel has to dry individually, you can even lay out your design on several levels and create very special eye-catchers.
What do I need if I want to do gel nails myself?
You need a few little helpers if you want to do gel nails yourself. Conveniently, there are whole ones Gel nail sets, which contains all the utensils. When buying, pay attention to good quality and, for example, read reviews on the Internet from other beginners.
In general, you need the following helpers for gel modeling at home:
- Gellake: building gel, primer and color gel as well as sealing gel
- UV nail lamp
- Cuticle pusher, alternatively cuticle remover or rosewood stick
- various files
- high quality cotton pads that do not shed lint or dust brushes
- Application brush
- Buffer
- Primers
- Maybe templates or tips
Extra tip: To ensure good nail care, it is also worth getting high-quality nails on a regular basis Nail oil to use.
Make gel nails yourself: step by step instructions
If you don’t have any experience modeling gel nails, feel free to take some time to do it. It’s best to take care of one hand first and then the other. Beginners should plan around 45 to 60 minutes to do gel nails themselves. Here comes our step by step instructions:
1. Prepare nails
If your natural nails are still painted, the first thing you have to do is of course remove the polish. Then comes the classic one manicure: Shorten your natural nails and file them into shape. Tip: They are particularly gentle on the nail Glass files proven. Now you take a cuticle pusher, Cuticle remover or a rosewood stick and gently push back the cuticles. Attention: Under no circumstances should you cut away the cuticles with scissors! In most cases, this only causes injuries and opens the door to bacteria.
Before you start applying the gel polish, two more steps are necessary: First, the nails thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Last but not least, you use the so-called Buffer – a type of sanding block that removes imperfections and roughens the nail so that the gel polish adheres better. However, the following applies here: less is more! Don’t grind for too long or you could damage the natural nail.
2. Apply gel polish
Basically, there are different types of gel polishes: A so-called All-rounder gel is suitable for inexperienced people because it basically combines all types of gel. So it works both for construction and for priming. If you already have experience doing gel nails yourself, you can too separate Gel polishes use for each individual step.
Whatever gel polish you prefer, the first thing you should do is always wear one Primers on. This prepares the nail again and ensures that the gel layers adhere better. Once the primer has dried, it’s time to apply the actual gel polish. The following applies: Each layer is applied individually and then has to harden under the UV lamp. Many high-quality products have a timer that you can use to dry them. In most cases, a layer of gel polish takes about two minutes to cure.
Danger: The hardening process often involves one UV lamp to a so-called sweat layer, i.e. moisture on the nail. Each time, remove this layer of sweat thoroughly but carefully with a lint-free cotton pad or a dusting brush before applying the next layer of gel. Repeat this until the nail is really smooth and there are no more bumps.
3. Shape nails
Just like the natural nail A gel nail is also brought into shape. Whether you file it round or pointed is of course up to your personal taste. Tip: The process will be as gentle as possible on the nails if you only file in one direction. In addition to a good file, the buffer can also be helpful when shaping. If you are satisfied with the shape of your nails, the next step is to use the sealing gel from your set. This often has to dry a little longer under the nail lamp than the other gel polishes – it’s best to take a look at the instructions for use and stick to the instructions.
4. Color and decorate
Now you can get creative! You can of course simply paint your homemade gel nails in any color (think of a base coat and later a top coat!), but also more elaborate designs realize on the nails. You can find lots of instructions on the internet to help you transform your gel nails into creative works of art.
Of course: Practice makes perfect! Don’t give up if the finished nail doesn’t look exactly how you imagined it the first time. With help of a classic nail polish remover You can remove major mistakes or even the entire layer of polish from the nail at any time and simply start the modeling again from the beginning.
Advantages and disadvantages of gel nails
Are you not quite sure whether you really want to do your gel nails yourself? Maybe they’ll help you Advantages and disadvantages in the decision!
Benefits of gel nails
- Compared to natural nails, gel nails are more robust and do not break as easily.
- In the long run, doing gel nails yourself is cheaper than going to the nail salon.
- All the necessary utensils are included in the set – for example, vegan or cruelty-free if desired.
- You can create your own individual nail designs.
Disadvantages of gel nails
- Doing gel nails yourself can be time-consuming and requires some practice.
- If care is not taken, injuries can occur.
- UV light is suspected of being carcinogenic. Whether this is the case given the short curing time for nails has not yet been scientifically proven.
Alternative helpers: stencils and tips
Do you want more length for your nails? Then you can also use stencils or so-called Tips (artificial fingernail tips). Artificial nails are particularly suitable for beginners because they are easy to use. This is how you can make gel nails yourself using stencils and tips:
1. Tips
Different from classic artificial fingernails Tips just tips to lengthen the natural nail. Corresponding sets are available in every drugstore. How to work with tips:
- First, file your nails as short as possible.
- Take a tip and place it on the tip of your nail – ideally it will fit exactly flush on the nail. Alternatively, you can choose one size larger and cut it smaller.
- Clean your nails and now apply some of the nail glue included in the set to the embossing. However, use the glue sparingly, otherwise it may later come out on the sides of the nail and stick your skin together.
- Now place the tip on the tip of your nail and make sure that no bubbles form.
- Once you have tipped all your fingers, let the glue dry thoroughly and then shorten the nail tips with a special one Tip Cutter.
- Then you can file the nails into shape as desired – especially blend the transition between the natural nail and the tip carefully and thoroughly.
- If you are satisfied with your tips, you can either apply normal nail polish or make gel nails yourself again by following the instructions described above from applying the primer.
2. Stencils
As an alternative to the tips, you can also use Stencils work to add length to your nails. They can be helpful, for example, if you are allergic to the tip glue or if you already have very damaged nails that can no longer be filed properly, as is necessary for tips. You can also buy stencils for nail building at the drugstore; depending on your taste, they are available in a round or square shape. This is how you can make gel nails yourself using the template:
- First clean and disinfect your nails as usual.
- Roughen the nails with a nail file or a buffer. Be careful here too and only file until the nail is no longer shiny.
- Shorten or file the nails, but in the end they should protrude at least two millimeters beyond the fingertip so that the template holds properly.
- Now carefully slide the template under the tip of the nail – it should line up with the edge of the natural nail without any gaps.
- Secure the wings of the template to the sides of your finger to keep it in place. Please also take a look at the instructions for use!
- Bend the template into shape as desired.
- Now take the builder gel and apply it to the template over the entire nail beyond the end to the desired length.
- Now the nail has to harden under a UV lamp for two minutes.
- Continue as described in the instructions above by first using the primer and then applying layer by layer of gel polish to the nail.
- When you are happy with the gel nail, gently squeeze the stencil under the nail and peel it off.
- The nail is carefully filed into shape with a fine-grain file and finally treated with the sealing gel.
- As a final step, you can now apply classic nail polish or create an individual nail design. Complete!
Nail modeling in this way is something more demanding than those with tips, but the result usually looks more natural.
You can find even more tips for nail care and beautiful nails here.