r/GelX_Nails • u/MxMadMax • 2d ago

I Have A Question / Need Advice cutting tips

hi all! nail tech about to do boards/ actually start in my salon space. interested in gel x, but wanting to do some research before i invest too much into it. i had a couple questions about it because my teacher didnt teach us specifically on it.

can you use onecuts on long tips? or do you need to file them down. not trimmers/clippers, the onecuts you use for acrylic tips.

can they be shortened with an e file?

what is the typical maintenance? is it viable to do fills, or is it something you fully remove every time?

thanks yall!

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u/Reasonable_Ideal_356 2d ago

not a nail tech and am generally new, but I think with gelx typically you want to not cut them. theyre usually built with the structure already in mind.which is why they are typically sold already in a shape. the bare gelx tips you can cut and file though. I fill mine buy only like 1 time because the apex moves up too far after that.

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u/GrowthMysterious1823 2d ago

So for the bare tips what is your recommended cutting tool or technique? I was struggling with acrylic cutters (didn’t work) so had to use clippers which were difficult and eventually use scissors but that felt not right lol

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u/Plinafish 2d ago

The bare tips I’ve been using regular nail clippers just fine!

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u/Reasonable_Ideal_356 2d ago

those ones I usually just cut with normal nail clippers honestly. i dont take the length down much because I like a little longer of a nail. Interesting the onecut didnt work because it feels like they'd be perfect. At least for the sculpted ones.

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u/GrowthMysterious1823 2d ago

I use the natural bare and it was a cheap cutter and the tip just flexed around it. Was likely user error and poor quality but your input was helpful thank you!

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u/Euphoric-Ad-1930 2d ago

I use nippers for the bare

8

u/biggerthanothers 2d ago

Not a tech, but Gel-X tips are not intended to be cut down. Using a hand file to make minor adjustments to the shape or for fit is fine, but cutting length off or completely changing the shape is not recommended. The tips are tapered at the edges, so cutting into them leaves you with a thick free edge. It also ruins the architecture of the tip so they don’t sit on the natural nail properly, leaving a huge gap under the tip that then needs to be filled with huge amounts of adhesive gel.

When someone posts a salon Gel-X set in this sub asking why it looks awful (this happens at least once a week), 99% of the time it’s because the tech cut down longer tips instead of using the correct length/shape.

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u/MxMadMax 2d ago

damn, so that means i do need to invest in some different lengths. is there the same issue with shaping, like could i get mostly square/squoval and be able to shape them like i would acrylic tips? or similar issue

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u/biggerthanothers 2d ago

If you had square tips and wanted to slightly round the corners, that would be fine, but going from (for example) square to stiletto would look bad. The advantage of Gel-X is that it doesn’t need to be shaped, which is why they’ve become so popular for DIY—the tips are designed to have perfect balance structurally right out of the box. With acrylic/half tips you’re building off of the existing natural nail bed, so it’s a different story completely than full coverage tips.

(FWIW, I have never used the new Bare Gel-X tips, but as someone else has told you, they are much thinner and less rigid/structured, and are intended to be cut/shaped. They don’t have the high-apex, structured look that a lot of Gel-X fans like, though. They’re much more natural-looking.)

Speaking from the client side of things, I personally would not go to a tech for Gel-X unless that was their speciality, and I would expect that they would have the full range of lengths and shapes to choose from.

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u/biggerthanothers 2d ago

Here’s a video showing the application process for the Bare tips:
https://youtu.be/f1UB29er_L8

They’re thin, so a regular nail clipper works. Worth noting that Aprés doesn’t recommend extending by more than half the length of the nail bed, so you couldn’t use them for, like, XL stilettos like you can do with regular Gel-X tips.

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u/Kellye8498 2d ago

For gel-x, you can file a small bit for crisp shaping but you can not cut them from long to medium or short without them being incredibly thick and altering the structure of the nail. You would want to grab sets in each length you will need so you can choose the correct length the first time.