DIY Gel-X Nails: Here's everything you need as a beginner (2023)

The price oflaw schoolgraduation was growing so I decided I wanted to do it myselfgel-x negligible extensions. They turned out pretty nice, if I do say so myself. If you want to learn how to make your own gel-x nail extensions, or maybe even someone else's, you'll find everything you need in this post. DIY Gel-x nails are appealing because it's just way too expensive to get them done these days. The products on this list definitely go together, but this is a case of "spend money now to save money later." Once you make the investment up front, you'll save a lot more in the long run. Here's a link to the full thingtutorial I saw to master DIY gel-x nails.

Everything you need for DIY Gel-X nails

the lamps:

You absolutely can't do real gel nails without the lamps, so here's what you need.

• inindividual lamp. Because you have to "cure" each nail under a UV lamp so that the glue can hold the nail in place before you fully cure your entire hand, you need a lamp that makes it easy to keep the nail under while you look at it. presses down on the adhesive.
• UV/LED-nagellampthat fits your whole hand. I use this one.

The protection

Since you're putting your hands under UV light, you absolutely need to protect them. Your options for protection against UV light are:

• sunshade.You can use any sunscreen you would use on your body for your hands, or you can use SPF hand cream. However, keep in mind that you need to wipe the oils from the sunscreen off your natural nails or else the extensions won't stick properly.
• fingerless gloves.These are specially made for applying gel nails. Honestly, even if you're not interested in doing your nails yourself, you should get these gloves and take them with you the next time you get your nails done. We don't want to age our hands prematurely!

Gel-x Nagelverlengingen

Gel-x Nails are essentially clear press-on nails that adhere to your nail bed with a "nail glue". So for the expansions, you have a lot of options based on your skill level, budget, and equipment.

• ApresGel-x nail extensions are what I have as standard because they are already shaped and sized so you don't have to cut or file them if you don't want to. I started my set with the round shape in itCardInmediumlengths. These are much more expensive than the option below.
• Beetles neglect extensionsare cheaper, but don't come in different shapes or sizes, so you'll have to do the extra work of cutting them to the length you want and filing them to the shape you want. Pro Tip: Buy the full kit that comes with a mini LED light and base coat.

The preparation and care of the natural nail

Gel-x nails last longer if you prepare your nails better. Removing cuticles, dirt and grime will give your gel-x nail a clean surface to adhere to, making it more likely to last. Technically, these are all optional, but if you're aiming for clean, long-lasting nails, you should have:

• cuticle remover solution, Acuticle pusher and a cuticle clipper(but be careful with this last one to make sure you don't cut your living skin
• a nail file and buffer
• preparation pads for alcoholor alcohol and cotton pads for cleaning the nail bed and removing dust from polishing.
• Cuticle oilto maintain soft and strong nails.

Gel-x Nail Preparation

To make gel-x nails there are a few products that you absolutely need:

• ph bonderor nail dehydrator to remove oils from the nail bed
• acid-free primerto chemically etch the inside of your extension and prepare your nail bed for it
• extend gel, which is essentially a powerful UV light activated nail glue. This holds the nail together and hardens as it cures under the light.

You can buy these items individually or in a set. I useone of Apresbut Amazon brands like Beetles and Aimeli also have and sell them at a more affordable price point, so shop around for the best and most affordable option if you want.

Note: If you get the Apres kit, it comes with a UV bulb, but I don't recommend the UV bulb that comes with the kit, as it's hard to work with for flash curing. So it might be a better option to buy the bottles in the kit separately along with the UV light I linked to earlier in this post.

The Polish

For nail polish, the only things you need are a base coat, gel polish, and top coat (and honestly, you can get away with not using a base coat). The Apres gel-x kit comes with a top coat, so if you get that kit you only need the polish and the base. Everything else is an extra. Here are the details of the nails I recently did for law school.

• base coat and top coat was of the brand Beetles.
• OPI "put it in neutral"is the perfect nude nail color that acts as a perfect base for a French manicure. I get all my OPI gel nail polishes from Beyond Polish.Note: You need a license to get most of the famous brands of gel nail polish from Amazon. Beyond polish is a site where you can get gel nail polish from brands like OPI and Essie without a special nail salon/tech license.
• "pink lady" fromBeetles pastel gel liner setwas what I used for my French manicure tip
• rock crystalfor nail art. A little glare never hurt. I used the smallest one in the pack and used the extended gel as nail glue.

Additional equipment

And then there are a lot of things you don't doneedbut it can make your life easier if you want to get better at doing your own nails:

• nail stamp. This is how I was able to do a french manicure on my nails! Highly recommend if you want to do the same as a beginner, especially with your non-dominant hand. For a demo, check outthis video.
• nail drill. So this is completely optional, because if you have Apres' acid-free primer, you don't have to file the inside of your nail to make it last longer. But if you don't have a primer, file the inside of the nail so that the extended gel adheres better. You also just can't file it if you don't want your nails to last and want to replace them more often. It's also great to buff the nail near your cuticle to make it look less bulky and more natural.
• lint-free pillows. This makes life easier if you make a mistake and want to remove the varnish before curing it.
• nail art brush setto remove gel nail polish flaws or to create nail art.
• glass dish for acetone. If you make a mistake, dip a nail art brush in acetone into these glasses and wipe it off.

That's about it! I hope this DIY gel-x nails post helps you on your journey to become your own nail technician. It's not an easy or short process, but it will be so satisfying when someone compliments your nails and asks where you got it done, only for you to say you did it yourself!

'Not that we are enough of ourselves to think anything of ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God” 2 Corinthians 3:5

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