Whether ramp or social evenings, dressing up is not limited to couture or makeup. Your hands presentation also casts an impression. Nails are an essential part of the overall dressing. Long nails are something all ladies love to adorn. Applying nail paint to long nails brings a strong personality, but not everybody is lucky to sport long and healthy nails.
For those who cannot have naturally long nails, nail extensions are a life savior. It essentially means adding an artificial tip to your original nail to give length to your nails. The artificial nail uses acrylic, gel, or fiberglass materials. Most social media babes are fond of putting up nail extensions for an element of fullness to their hands. However, redoing your nails at the nail salon frequently is not only time-consuming but expensive. Here are some easy steps to help you get a nail extension at home.
1. Remove Old Nail Paint
The basic premise of any DIY nail extension is to remove old gel polish from your nails. Pick a nail color remover enriched with Vitamin E to help you strengthen your nails and prevent excessive drying on and around the nails. Focus on removing your nail color twice to fade off any traces.
Soaking your nails in rubbing alcohol or applying alcohol to nails with a soaked cotton ball is one of the workable nail ideas to dissolve the polish. Alcohol is a solvent that helps break things down. This method may take more time than traditional nail polish remover but saves you the trip to a cosmetic store. You can also use a hand sanitizer to soften your nail polish.
2. File Your Nails
Use an electric nail filer to file down the areas near your nail cuticles. You may also use a regular nail file, but the e-filer is super-efficient and gets into the perfect angle. The electric nail filer is gentle on natural nails but firm enough for acrylics.
Do only a few minor retouches in doing gentle nail filing. Excessive nail filing can damage the nail extension and compromise its equilibrium, ruining it. Consider going to your preferred nail technician, who knows how to proceed with nail extension, causing no damage. Avoid using a nail clipper or scissors because you risk breaking the entire nail extension.
3. Use Nail Buffer
Nail buffering is an essential step when putting nail tips or extensions. Gently buff over the entire top of both the nails. Remove all the shine from your natural nail to create a more textured surface for the nail glue to stick to. Make sure the nail corners and edges look entirely matte.
Now push back your nail cuticles with a metal cuticle pusher tool. Cut your cuticles off, or clean up any loose bits, if needed. Make use of the dual advantages of a cuticle pusher–a sharp edge on one side cuts and scrapes away dead skin while the other side gently sweeps back cuticles.
4. Select Your Nail Extensions
Now is the time to go through the nail extensions variety to choose the size of your choice. Make sure the nail tip covers your nail from side to side. When you are done with nail size selection, start filing and size each to fit your nails. Use an electric filer to buff the inside of each nail extension. Create a textured surface for the nail glue to adhere to.
Now apply the nail glue to the inside of the nail extension. You can also use a thin layer of glue on your natural nail.
5. Put Nails Under The UV Lamp
After the nail glue application, you need to cure the glue under a UV lamp. Place the nail extension onto the nail and use the other hand to position it under the UV lamp. After 20 seconds, let go of the nail and let it cure under the UV lamp for some time. When the UV lamp light turns off, move on to your next nail.
The UV lamp has 24 LEDs to give you a faster and more accurate nail gel drying experience. The good news is that the UV lamp itself won’t harm your nails. LED nail dryers are quicker and safer than UV lights, which is a definite advantage for nail extension clients.
6. Apply Nail Polish And A Top Coat
When the nail extensions are in place, wait a few minutes before applying a thick coat of your favorite nail color. Apply at least two nail coats based on how light or dark the nail color is. Once the nail painting is done, place your hands under the UV lamp again to enhance the drying.
Finish the nail extension procedure by applying a transparent top coat. It will make your nail polish last longer, at the same time, give it a glossy finish. Place your hands once again under the UV lamp.
The Bottom Line
Once you are done with the nail extension procedure, be careful about its maintenance. The regular stay period of gel polish extension is three weeks before it wears off.
