Doing your own gel polish nails at home might seem like an easier and cheaper alternative to going to the salon.
After all your nail professional makes it look so easy. You have watched them a hundred times and have a fair idea of the steps involved.
What harm would it cause if you went online and brought a few nail products to get started with your DIY gel nails at home? It’s just painting nails, right? That statement couldn’t be further from the truth. Let’s find out why.
So you decide your going to do your own gel polish nails at home and start browsing an online marketplace. How can you trust that these nail products you find are genuine?
What do you mean there are fake DIY gel nails?
There are a lot of fakes floating around out there that do not meet UK standards. Some of these fake gel nail products can be placed into reputable brand bottles. As a consumer you would never know the differnce.
You might also find non branded products also know as white label products. These products are unsafe to use and could lead to more problems than you bargined for.
Usually nail technicians will train with and buy products from an offical distributer. These distributer dont sell to consumers. Only to qulified industry professionals.
Your favourite nail technician has undergone the correct training for their chosen brand. Believe it or not its not only about the correct application.
“Once you go Shellac, you don’t go back.”
Nail training consits of nail anatomy, hygeine, nail prep, product chemistry knowledge. Nails are a science. After all we are dealing with chemicals here, inproper application can do more harm then good.
A nail technician will avoid touching the skin, leaving a gap around the cuticle area. This is on purpose and for good reason too. We know too well you want that gap around the cuticle area to be as tight as possible. Meaning you will have less regrowth and your manicure will last longer. But is it a good idea to get so close?
Allowing gel polish to touch the skin will lead to developing an allergy but we will get to that in a minute. Nail products are only designed for application to nail plate. Also, no uncured gel should remain on the nail or surrounding skin.
Each brand of gel polish has developed a U.V or LED lamp for its own gel to provide best curing time. If the correct lamp is not used then uncured gel can sit on the nail for weeks until the next manicure. There is no such thing as a generic lamp that cures all gels.
What is overexposure?
I’m glad you asked! Product overexposure is excessive exposure to potentially irritating substances. In the long term the over use of products can cause damage to the natural nails.
You can also develop an allergic reaction to the surrounding skin. These reactions may not appear at first but develops over a long period of time.
These allergies are irreversible. Once you develop one its for life. That means no more nail products for you as they are all made from the same chemicals. Not even regular nail polish.
More and more people now are developing nail product allergies from the use of DIY gel nails. An allergic reaction can also occur with UV gels, liquid/powder nail products, and wrap resins.
A nail product allergy can manifest in many ways. nail plate separation, redness, itchy, swollen, dry and peeling, cracked, tingling, burning, blisters or pain.
If you experience any of the above you should immediately remove your nail coating. Consult your GP, a nail professional will not be able to help you now. Their insurance will not cover them to work on unhealthy nail or skin.
So how should I do my DIY gel nails at home?
If you are wearing gels or other nail coatings then I recommend to have them removed in the nail salon. If you’re unable to get to one then follow my how to remove gel polish at home in five easy steps guide.
For strong natural nails you can use a nail strengthen to protect your nails. Keep you nails short and neat and don’t be afraid to apply some colour. I find the brighter and bolder the colour the more careful you are with them. Apply cuticle oil daily to keep your nails hydrated. Finish off with some good quality hand cream to keep your skin in good condition.
Yet if you do want to continue with your DIY gel nails then I will recommend that you do a bit of research first. Buy a complete kit from a reputable company. and always follow the manufactures guidelines.