Help with gel nails at home please

[carrottopper]

I have the LED lamp from sensationail. How long do I need to cure the nail for? Is it dependent on the brand of gel I'm using? How long for Bluesky with LED?

I have various bits and bobs for doing gel nails at home but can't work out if I'm missing anything. Can someone tell me if I'm doing this right?

Buff nail
Use prep and wipe
Base coat
3 layers of colour
Top coat
Prep and wipe

Is that right??

Can I buy opi gel to use at home? I love their colours.

Also any tips for removal please? It's a pain in the a&$e!!!

[iCoCo]

Hi I follow www.sallybeauty.com/on/demandware.static/Sites-SA-Site/Sites-SA-Library/es/v1360325905182/Landing_Pages/1108/gelish/images/gelish.pdf

For removal I use cotton buds soaked in acetone and tin foil to hold it in place. Leave for 20ish minutes and scrape with an orange wood stick.

Good luck

[Perfectlypurple]

I have one and it is a bit hit and miss. I now cure the nails for 3 goes in the lamp for each layer. One just didn't work and they peeled.

To get the off just soak in nail varnish remover and then scrape off. I have one of those pots from Wilkos with ridges and remover and just stick my finger in for ages, you can get some things from Amazon that you put remover on a pad and clip on your finger.

It will be trial and error though.

[GameOfGroans]

I have the sensationail kit and if I follow these steps I can get it to last for nearly 2 weeks.

1. File and shape the nail then remove remaining dust.
2. Clean nails with the gel cleanser.
3. Apply one layer of gel primer sparingly and air dry for 30 seconds.
4. Apply a thin layer gel base and top coat and cure for 30 seconds. (The lamp will beep at 30 seconds then turn off at 60).
5. Apply your colour and cure for 60 seconds between each coat.
6. Once happy with colour apply another layer of the base and top coat and cure for 30 seconds.
7. Clean with the gel cleanser.

[GameOfGroans]

Also try to apply really thin layers including the top edge of the nail, but avoid any skin around the edge. You don't need to use 3 coats of colour, it works just as well with less as long as you have used the base and top coat. Hth!

[winewinewhine]

When the gel cleanser runs out you can just use rubbing alcohol. Much cheaper and does the same thing.

[carrottopper]

Is gel cleaner and rubbing alcohol same as prep and wipe?

[carrottopper]

Game of groans. Do you just stick to sensationail gels?

[justaweeone]

I have a uv light I bought off eBay. Mind works fine when I used the timer( I think that it's 30s), also I use lots of different brands. The cheapest are organail from eBay.
When I went to the chemist to by rubbing alcohol the tip the sales pharmacy assistant ( who used to be a nail technician) was to double the time that the instructions say you need to cure the nail polish as they aren't as powerful as commercial lights.
As I said above the one I have is ok to use just the set time.
Hope that makes sense!

[GameOfGroans]

Yes I've only used Sensationail gels. Can't see why it wouldn't work with others though.

[poorbuthappy]

My lamp has a120 second timer on it.

[justaweeone]

Made a mistake it's 120 secs on mine as well !
£10 from eBay, bargain

[JaceLancs]

I use the clip on things from Amazon cotton pad soaked in acetone for removal and scrape off any excess
I buy cnd gel polish online also use their base and topcoat
My uv machine has a timer
I do 1 min for base coat 2 mins for each coloured layer and 3 mins for topcoat
Finish with an alcohol wipe
Lasts about 2 weeks
I still pay to have them done occasionally as a treat as it's such a faff doing my own

[carrottopper]

Any suggestions which is better between Gelish, Ibd and opi? Shellac doesn't last on me

[itsbetterthanabox]

Those are all professional only brands op.
Retail brands which are suitable for home use are sensationail and red carpet they provide you with full instructions and customer services bad are safer for non pros to use. When using an LED lamp you need to use the same brand lamp as the gel polish. You only get a full and correct cure with LED using the right lamp for the right gel polish. If you don't do this it may appear cured but over time under cured product causes overexposure and can cause you to have an allergy to the product.

[carrottopper]

So do salons have lamps to go with each brand they use? My local ones advertise a few brands eg opi and gel 2 etc. Will they have a lamp for each make of polish they use? A mobile nail tech I've used before had 4 different brands and one lamp

[justaweeone]

I do mine myself and not a professional
A lamp and 3 different brands and it all is compatible

[itsbetterthanabox]

A professional grade 36W UV lamp will cure most gel polish brands, but not all, but LED lamps are brand specific. So if a nail tech uses UV they have more options but a longer cure time.
There are nail techs that don't use the correct lamps and they are invalidating their insurance, not following the correct instructions and putting you at risk unless this has been cleared as OK by the brand who will have done the research.