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Do you hate going to the nail salon and being there for whatever how long it takes for you to get your nails done? Or are your nails costing you too much money? Have you been thinking about doing your own nails will be cheaper and less time-consuming? I’m here to tell you that when you first start out doing your own nails IT IS TIME- CONSUMING AND IT WILL COST SOME $$$ depending on your skill level and what you may have on hand at home.
Real quick. When I first seriously started doing my nails at home I bought some cheap dip powder kit from Walmart and practiced, practiced and practiced until I felt like I had it down. I used this kit up just for practice was it a waste of $12 yes did I regret wasting it for practice? No. I’m glad I got it because It helped me understand how to do dip powder that use to take me 2 hours now only take me 30 minutes.
If you are already a pro at doing your own nails at home but need a little help in removing the polish, dip powder, or acrylic click here to read on how to remove whatever you have on your nails without damaging your real nails. That post does contain affiliate links and I do make a VERY small commission when you use my link.
What you can do is go to your nail salon and ask for Americana (each salon calls it something different) basically it is when you get acrylic nails just no polish or anything basically it’s made to look like your natural nails. I’ve heard and seen people get this done and when they get home they finish everything else themselves. I personally never done this because the last year or so when I do go to the nail salon I get dip done directly done on my natural nails.
To do your own nails at home you will need the following:
- Nail Tips (any shape or length will work)
- Nail Buffer (Help to smooth out acrylic)
- Nail brush (To remove any dust)
- Liquid acrylic
- Powder acrylic (the link is to a white acrylic powder that is so pure white. But literally there are thousands of different ones on amazon)
- Acrylic clippers
- Nail Glue and here is a link to nail stickers if you don’t want to be committed to acrylic nails for weeks)
- Nail Primer (optional) (This will help the glue and the acrylic to last longer)
- Nail Drill (optional)
- UV Light (optional depending on you are using a gel polish)
- Your polish and topcoat of choice
Before you can apply the acrylic nails, you need to make sure that the nail bed is clean and dry. First, need to remove any existing nail polish or any lotions and oils that may be on your nails. Using a cuticle pusher, push back the cuticles. Remove the dead cuticle debris which tends to accumulate around the nail edges with the cuticle stick, experts also recommend buffing up the nails to ease the acrylic nail attachment. Once the nail beds are dry and clean, attaching the tips is easy.
Selecting the right size nail tips: While some people want to attach the acrylic nails to strengthen their natural nails, others are looking to attain the length. For those wanting to strengthen their nails, the powder and liquid can be applied directly. People who want to opt for length need to choose nail tips that match the width and shape of the natural nails.
Attaching Acrylic Nails: Once the nails are dry and clean, dab some adhesive on the tips and then gently place the acrylic nails on top. When applying the adhesive to the nail tips, make sure that the tip is a perfect fit for the ‘C’ curve of your natural nail. Now hold the nail tips make sure the nail isn’t too big or too small as this will cause the nail to lift or break easily.
Follow this up by dipping the nail brush in the liquid acrylic, and then drop in a brush into the powder. Apply the acrylic onto the nails using the brush, allowing it to spread evenly. Work quickly up and blend the two nails seamlessly.
Filing and Buffing: This is one of the LONGEST parts of doing your own nails.
Once the acrylic nails are done you can use your nail drill, buffer block to smooth out any areas that need it. File your nails if they need it and buff up your artificial nails to get it into the shape that you want. This will help remove any of the dust.
Once all of this is done you can now either leave the nails plain or natural-looking or you can polish them up. Once you feel confident in doing your own acrylic nails you can even use colored acrylic powder.
I hope you enjoyed today’s post. I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL NAIL TECH! I probably gave you crappy instructions because honestly when I do my nails I really don’t follow the rules. Good luck with doing your own nails!
