At home Gel nail kit recommendations?

[LiveLifeToTheFull2]

I have my nails done at a salon she uses Semilac nail polish.
My nail tech is putting her prices up again this year for the third time and it's costing me a fortune ever few weeks for my nails.
I'm debating whether to get a home nail UV led lamp and polishes to do them myself at home.
But I'm wondering what brand to get, as my nail tech said any other brand out there arnt tested with chemicals in them etc like the ones they use are.
Any insight much appreciated.
Thanks!

I have mylee, but it does peel off - however this is probably because I'm doing it wrong and I'm a picker!

I have a Mylee kit too. My first few attempts did lift slightly at the sides but a nail tech friend told me to pay attention to two things: Make sure the whole nail is properly buffed and wiped before you start. Apparently people don't always do the sides of the nail thoroughly as doing your own needs some tricky manoeuvres. Then, when you're doing the topcoat, ensure the whole nail is covered. Again, the sides can be patchy. Take the topcoat over the free edge of your nail too, to form a seal.

Oh, and your nail tech is probably talking bollocks to put you off doing your own! Choose a reputable brand and you'll be fine!

I bought my daughter a Mylee set.

she does her nails and they look amazing. They set perfectly and she gets many compliments on them.

A lot of the Chinese-made brands you can buy on Amazon have unsafe levels of hema and other allergens and there's no way to know what's in them as they don't provide safety data sheets listing the ingredients. Most of the professional brands require a qualification and you have to provide your certificate before they will sell to you. Also not every UV/LED lamp cures every type of gel polish so you risk overexposure from undercured gel, which can result in allergic reactions.

I did my own nails for years before I trained as a nail tech and it still scares me how much I didn't know and the damage I could have done to myself.

Semilac is a decent brand but by no means the only one that is properly tested, that bit is bollocks. But it's not bollocks to say that there are lots that are not properly tested and could be potentially unsafe.

There are a couple of professional brands which will sell to the public for home use

I use Naio Nails and Kirsty Meakin

I don't know about Naio but this is in Kirsty Meakin's t&cs.

She still sells without asking for qualification certificates

Naio Nails also have the same blurb about professional products but sell to the public

So do we know if Mylee has been tested? I'm wary to get anything as previous poster has said that you can do damage if not professional kits

My understanding is that there is a risk even with the brands that have been tested because of the nature of the ingredients. It's the chemical that bonds the gel to the nail that causes the issue and you can have problems if there's too much of it or if it's too low grade. Proper application also reduces the risk - if you get the product on your skin when you're applying it or don't manage to cure it properly you're at higher risk of sensitisation or even an allergic reaction, which is why many reputable brands only sell to professionals. There are some brands that advertise themselves as non-toxic, like manicurist but I've never used it.

As above, its usually user error that causes the problems, mostly either curing it to the skin, under curing, and the removel process

There is no decent home kit.

You need a card to use a professional trade shop, get a good LED light box (preferably with a removable base so you can also do your toes), and good quality gels that will cost at least £8 each. You need base (builder), colour (builder), top coat. Builder gel is good if you have weak nails and do not even think about fancy add ons until you are any good at it.

Gelling to your cuticles is probably the biggest issue. To learn how to do it properly, get some cheap gels and keep practising until you learn how to manipulate the brush properly, with gels you tend to push rather than pull (hard to describe but pushing towards the cuticles rather than pulling away as you do with traditional polish). As my sister says (qualified BT and major chain spa manager) if its sits still, paint its nails and if it doesnt, knock it out and then paint its nails! She has been doing mine for years but still makes the odd mistake.

Doing your own nails, if you are no good at it, can be an expensive mistake to buy all of the proper kit. So rather than doing your own, maybe try a couple of new places first and see how it goes.

If you are determined to try, the biggest thing is to not overcure. It will wreck both the gel and your nails. If it says 30 seconds, cure for 30 seconds! Oh and keep the gels out of sunlight and if they are a bit thick, warm them up, they paint on better if they are warm.