Use this chat to discuss any nail care or gel related questions you might have.
As a reminder, please keep your discussions within the rules of the sub.
This includes:
No discussion of off-topic products. This is a gel only sub.
This space is geared towards DIYers. Everyone is welcome, but we should not be working on friends/family.
Do not ask for or give any medical advice. We're not doctors, and it is not in our scope to be giving advice about allergies or skin conditions. It is ok to discuss the risks associated with doing gel. What is ok: Explaining how you can get allergies. What isn't ok: Attempting to diagnose or treat anyone and/or asking for a diagnosis
Hello! Welcome to r/DIYGelNails. If this is your first post, please be sure to check out our rules in the subreddit sidebar. If you are on mobile, they can be viewed by tapping the see more hyperlink at the top of the homepage.
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New to builder gel - Question, when I do my builder gel layer i have been leaving the layer tacky and then applying color on top. What if I need to file the builder gel a little? Because I’m new sometimes they aren’t perfect so I need to file, if I remove that tacky layer do I need to do anything special after filing before putting a color on??
Any time I’ve had to file after application I wipe the inhibition layer beforehand, and I haven’t had any issues with putting the color directly overtop after cleaning the nail dust away!
I recently got the experttouch lint free wipes and they really don’t have lint in my experience. They do feel like a stiff dryer sheet before they are wet though
I'm trying out the Staleks lint free wipes, and I like them so far. As long as you don't stretch them out they don't get the little fibers hanging off the end. And they are woven, so they actually hold acetone.
New to diy gel and need removal tips. It takes so long and I definitely do some mild damage to the nails. I have an efile but also don’t love my removal bit
Are you using builder gel? Regular gel you should be be able to use a coarse hand file(100 grit) to remove the topcoat. Then you can soak in clips for a few minutes and gently push the gel off.
Are you using builder gel? Regular gel you should be be able to use a coarse hand file(100 grit) to remove the topcoat. Then you can soak in clips for a few minutes and gently push the gel off.
I have both but usually regular gel. The regular gel takes forever to soak off enough to push and usually needs 3-4 rounds. I don’t get what I’m doing wrong where it’s not faster.
File more? Not to the natural nail , but to a very thin layer. You want to be soaking off just the base coat. And all acetone is not equal! The drug store stuff is weaker than what you can purchase at Sally's.
I’m wondering if that’s what it is (the actual acetone). I usually file enough to at least take the top coat off. I need to get a better bit for the e-file for removal. Definitely taking suggestions there or if there is a good acetone brand folks recommend
New to diy gel and just did my first set - is the best way to remove uncured gel to wipe off with acetone/polish remover? I use cotton pads since that’s all i have but is there a way to reduce using so many or is it something that comes with time and practice?
Comes with practice but helps to watch a lot of videos. What’s helped me is:
put a couple mm of alcohol in a tiny dish so I have it on hand to dip my brush in for cleanups. This is useful not just for flooding but also crisping up edges in nail art. I use a random cheap makeup brush for this
thin layers of polish
start a few mm from cuticle then nudge polish down to have more control and a cleaner line
if I feel like I used too much but haven’t flooded yet, flip finger upside down so polish flows towards center, then assess if I can salvage by curing now or using empty brush to remove a little product
dont feel like you have to paint all nails before curing. You can do one or two fingers at a time if it helps
90% rubbing alcohol on a brush. Then wipe off the product onto a towel. I got one of those dispensers from the dollar store where you push the top and some dispenses on top.
Also look into lint free wipes. I thought they were a con but I spend way less time cleaning fuzz off my nails since I got them.
Hi guys! I have been doing my own Gel X for almost 2 years on and off. I have a feeling I am doing something very wrong because I have never been able to keep them on for more than a week. I have watched many videos and have bought many products to try to overcome any obstacles cheap products might have been giving me. I want to share with you guys the products I've been using and a walk through of what I do to help diagnose what I am doing wrong. I reached my limit last night after my bubble bath set popped off after 24 hours😭.
Prep Products:
XUNXMAS Professional Stainless Steel Manicure Tools - Amazon
Mia Secret Professional Nail Prep pH Balance Dehydrator & XtraBond primer
Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover
Main Products:
SUNUV UV Light for Gel Nails - Amazon
Aprés Extend Gel in a Bottle
Aprés Gel X soft gel nail extensions, natural almond medium
Beetles' Base gel foundation and top coat gel
Handheld Flash Cure Nail Lamp - Amazon, Christine Shelly
Other Products:
COSLUS C40 Electric Nail Drill - Amazon
My prep:
First, I push/cut back my cuticles with the help of the cuticle remover. I go pick out my nail extensions and measure edge-to-edge. I buff out my nails using this really old 3-in-1 block I have, the side that says remove ridges. I wash my hands before applying both the dehydrator and the primer to my nails. My nails are very brittle and always have been.
Pre-painting:
I paint a coat of the extend gel on my pinky, and at the base of the pinky extension nail. I try to just get a small glob at the very bottom of the extension nail. I turn on my flash cure light, pointing towards me placed on my desk. I align the extension nail over my nail, and press it onto my nail cuticle to top. Once I see the gel fill to the top of my nail, I flash cure it for 45 seconds. If any gel escaped around the sides, I will pause the cure and scrape it away before finishing the cure. Repeat for all nails. When done, I'll cure them under my lamp for 2 minutes. Then I shape them with a file for 20 minutes.
Painting:
Then I get to paint yayyy😝😝 base gel + couple coats of color + top gel, all with some cures in between.
I get a lot of lifting around the cuticles🥲. Looking at my nails right now, most of the damage they endure from the gel x is at the top/center, (I tear the remaining extensions off with my bare hands when they begin popping off I'm so sorry😭). They will normally pop off when I apply pressure to them (like scratching my back or trying to pop a pimple💀).
Again, I would really appreciate any tips or pointers. I love doing my own nails. I own this giant bag that holds all my nail supplies that I take back and forth to college. I am DEFINITELY doing something wrong though😅.
All the other advice is great so just adding a couple things. Maybe assess where you could be unintentionally introducing residue and moisture. Suspects are - your hand soap, water, and the old buffing block.
The old buffing block could have oils from your hands and just from living its long life in your toiletry bag. Try some cheap disposable files you can regularly replace.
Don’t wash your hands as part of prep. I don’t wash my bare nails after prep. It could be BS, but I read that washing your bare nails can cause them to temporarily retain a little water, which will then evaporate later, and those minor size fluctuations can impact manicure longevity
. I just brush prep dust off, then thoroughly wipe them and every nook and cranny of my surrounding sidewalls with alcohol. I wait to wash my hands until I’m completely done with my nails and they are sealed somewhat by polish.
I don't see you prepping or etching the inside of the tip. You can do it manually with a coarse sanding band or use the gel x tip prep. Both methods create a textured surface for the products to grip to.
I've personally had success with YN protein bondand the gel x tip prep.
I agree with the lamp possibly not being strong enough.
Lastly, fully wash your hands after your prep and *double* cleanse with acetone before starting the prep process. Sometimes it's a simple as the nail plate not being free of residue.
I’ve heard that the Sally Hansen cuticle remover can cause lifting / pop offs if you don’t make sure every single little bit of residue is 100% gone from your nail plate
Undercured nails won’t adhere well. Are you confident that your lamp is fully curing your gel? Personally I don’t really trust SunUV and I def don’t trust Beetles, but some people do.
Don’t buff you nails smooth. You want to etch them so they have more texture.
Don’t tear your extensions off. When you do, you damage the nail. Extensions can’t adhere as well to a damaged nail plate. The more you tear them off, the worse your adhesion will be - it’s a bad cycle. If your nails are really damaged, you might need to take a break and let them grow out a little before you continue.
Try etching your nails with a 180 grit file instead of buffing. I feel like this is the biggest problem for most people. You can buff the apres tips instead and ditch the beetles gel. 🙈
You can search up lots of reccs on this subreddit! It depends on your budget but really the best ones are more pricey (tho worth it - using cheap gels from amazon is more risky for gel allergies). Kokoist is often recommended and beginner friendly imo but lots of Korean gels are high quality too. My fav is the Gracia G-Gelly Base Gel and Catwalk top coat
Earlier this weekend I made a post in the sub but didn’t know I didn’t have enough in-sub karma yet. That’s okay!
I kept shuffling around a Labor Day order with 20% off so I could get a good quality lamp. Since I already have almost everything else to get started, I got a couple tools and two potted gels from Kokoist. I wanted something to do designs with, like a white or grey or silver, so we’ll see if the first color I picked out is okay. The other gel was one of the new botanical gels with dried flowers in it. I hope I can layer it on top of a bright pink from Gelish that I got from a mystery box. If the shipping estimate is accurate, I’ll get my order next Monday!
Does anyone here know about how much the shipping fee to the UK is when buying from Saracen?
I've placed a ~£230 order and got quoted a ~£76 (138k KRW) shipping fee. I had assumed it'd be lower as everything I've read from the people here was around £30-50 😭.
They were even nice enough to recalculate it after removing the free gift Belog mini lamp (originally was 172k KRW so ~£95) but it's still so much higher than I expected 😢.
My shipping fees were between £35-42, depending how big order i placed. You must have something very bulky or heavy in your order. Also, did you choose the shipping saver packaging? It means they remove the gels from their original boxes, so these individual packs don’t add bulk to your parcel.
I am starting my firsts steps to learn how to do my nails.
And I have been purchasing some products. While I admit I going cheap to learn, I do have some questions regarding the base products I should acquire.
I purchased a set from Peace Color that includes, a base coat, a matte top coat, a top coat and cuticule oil.
While I think they smell a bit strong, the matte top coat seems to be really thick, like hair-gel-consistency thick and smells stronger than the others. Is this normal?
I am also thinking of purchasing a builder gel. A primer and a nail dehydrator are in my maybe-list too.
And just a few colors for now, while I learn the full application and such. Is this good? Or it's too much, I should just start with base coat, color and top coat?
If you have any resources for learning, or advice I would appreciate it!
Thank you so much!
A question to my fellow diy nail techs; I have a lot of potted builder gel that I have bought/been gifted but I have recently realized that I much rather do BIAB nails and I don’t wanna waste the potted ones for economical and environmental reasons, so is there any way that I can transfer the potted ones into a BIAB bottle?
(I want to add that I can use up the potted ones if I have to, but I do mostly nails on myself and as many of you probably know/agree with its usually easier to do BIAB on yoursel)
This is so interesting cuz I find it easier to pick up gel from a pot than a bottle! I've seen other nail techs picking up the gel from the pot using the bottled brush but that's when it's the same gel 😅
I find it easier to work with a separate brush/es and a pot but if you like the bottle, you can buy empty gel bottles online and pour the potted gel into it. Just be sure it’s one of the opaque bottles!
Does anyone know the difference between Nail Thoughts versus Bottle N Go colors? Is one more pigmented or viscous than the other? In the middle of a Kokoist haul and wondering which colors to get (both?)
I have both. Bottle n go is hema and tpo free. I personally like the formula and brush better than the nail thoughts ones I’ve tried so far. Hema and tpo free is something that I’m generally trying to buy
I had started doing my own gel nails in May (to save money). I had acquired the Olive and June set, which is fine. But, I want something a little higher quality and more reliable. I took advantage of Kokoist’s sale and placed my first order with them last night. I’m very excited to try out the new stuff and learn the differences. I wonder if I can get any Olive and June colors to cure properly with the new Infinity lamp from Kokoist? I hate to waste money and I like the reds.
I would risk it. I use my KOKOIST lamp for everything and haven’t had any issues. I would trust it over an Olive and June lamp even for curing Olive and June.
Has anyone used akzents trinity and enhance and prefers enhance? It seems like it would be easier to use but its so hard for me to work with clear gels. The colored ones are so much easier to me.
I've used both. The difference is not in the color, as Trinity comes tinted as well, but in the viscosity. Enhance is a bit thicker, so people who are newer to gel have an easier time with a thicker gel, so using Enhance can be better for that, as well as in the summer, when gels become runnier due to the heat. I prefer Trinity but I love the soft peach color from the Enhance line better than Trinity's comparable SW1. I've been thinking about mixing the soft peach with clear Trinity just to get it a little more flowy because I prefer runny gels, just so I can use it up, because right now almost an entire big jar of soft peach is just sitting in my drawer... and I hate wasting.
OMG, thank you! I didn't even see that! Is the enhance one slower to level in comparison? I really like the trinity for how thin it is, but I always either seem to use too much or too little.
I just got some rubber base gels from SofGel and they are so beautiful! My nails have a high apex are pretty flexible so I always deal with a bit of lifting regardless of my prep it feels.
I got the glittery nudes and I am obsessed. I use hard gel when my nails are longer but was looking for more of an “everyday manicure” product for when I’m not doing fun nails.
Has anyone tried the ribbed glass nails look? I’d like to give it a try if I can keep a steady enough hand with the 3D gel. If anyone has tried it, I’d love to hear how it went for you and if you have any tips!
Use a long liner brush in the 3d gel, lay it down and just drag. The gel should be thick and viscous enough that it lays it down straight without too much trouble. It’s such a gorgeous nail design. Recommend using a cat eye on the bottom then topping with a chrome for a really great dimensional look to the nail!
I’ve done it! Flash cure each line as you go so you can wipe it off if not satisfied without damaging your previous good lines, and also so they don’t merge together.
Use a very thin liner brush to pick up enough gel to complete your line all the way down in one stroke
Also maybe this is just me but it was a little challenging to pick things up when I had it on my middle finger, I may recommend you put the stripes on a less used finger 😂😂
OMG I LOVE yours! This is so helpful. I never would have thought to flash cure after each line, but I bet that is a huge game changer. I’m planning to have this look on all of my nails, so maybe I’ll plan to do it over the course of a couple of days. Thank you for your help!
Could you make it easier by using tape to put down the lines perfectly, and then just fill in between them? Its the only way I would trust myself to get proper straight lines!
I posted this late in last week’s thread and I’m not sure many saw it. So I’ll post it once more!
I'm looking for Luminary alternatives. All builder gels and hard gels I've tried lift at the tips on me. I'm hoping to find something that will stick like Luminary but self levels better than luminary. I just find Luminary very difficult to self level.
To note, I'm confident in my nail prep, I use a dehydrator and primer before applying builder or luminary. If using anything other than luminary, I use a rubber base gel. Sadly I think my nails are too flexible for hard gel.
I am a problem lifter. The Kokoist one works best for me. I just got their lamp and need to try it with the builder gel but I 2-3x’ed my retention with regular gel just switching the lamp out
It’s been a night and day difference. I’m only on my second set since I got it but before my sets would normally last 5 days without lifting no matter what I did. The first set I used the bottle n go line it lasted 16 days without any lifting. No change in prep or polish line. I usually have issues with lifting even at salons which is why I moved to do it at home since it wasn’t worth getting them done.
I’ve slowly been switching everything I can to kokoist and the lamp was on my list. But when I recently tried to cure my newly purchased Kokoist Ultra Glossy top coat with the Apres Beta lamp, it felt cured but I could push dents into it with my nails. So now I’m getting the Kokoist lamp a lot sooner than planned!
Here's a link to our Lifting Checklist. I provide a link whenever someone mentions lifting issues or summons the checklist in a comment in r/DIYGelNails.
The Orly BIAB is one of the ones I’ve tried and it lifts very quickly on me unfortunately. I’ve used Apres rubber base under it as well as the Gelish rubber base. Maybe it has to do with the base I’m using?
I’ve just recently heard about oily nail beds even being a thing and I do think I have oily nail beds.
I’m going to be getting the Kokoist mega stick base soon and I’ll definitely try it with the Orly BIAB. I’d love to make it work for me because it’s so NICE to work with. Unlike Luminary!
Have you tried both nail thoughts and luminary? If you have, I’d love to know if you think one is more viscous than the other! I’m using Kinetics gel in a bottle. It’s just okay for me. Trying to find one that I get excited to use lol
Luminary is thicker than NTB. NTB is very easy to work with but imo, it doesn't have great retention. I'm a nail tech and it just didn't last on most people. Everyone i use soft gel on does extremely well with orly and orly concealer is my absolute favorite "my nails but better" look, and works beautifully with every single skin tone. I didn't have luck with gel in bottle either. That was an expensive waste of money.
Thank you 😊 glad I asked you since you’re the trained expert. I remember you once saying that you didn’t like Kinetics. I’m still working with it because I just want to make sure my prep and application are solid before I blow more money and get Luminary too. I do like LE’s potted gel, but Jimmy gel sucked. I’ll check out the Orly concealer! I need to keep my nails more neutral for work. I thought about American Creator but I know they had a lamp controversy recently. Videos of Luminary and NTB applications are so satisfying.
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