Are your nail enhancements popping and peeling off? Did you know you have to prep your nails BEFORE applying dip or gel? This is one of the most important steps in your at home manicure that cannot be skipped! But why is it so important?
For your nail enhancements to stick on your nails for longer than a few hours or days, they need to be clean! And by clean, I don't mean you need to wash your hands before you start your manicure. Actually washing your hands does the opposite. Washing your hands right before you apply dip or gel will cause your enhancements to lift off! Nail enhancements such as dip powder and gel need the nail plate to be clean of any soaps, oils, nail dust, etc. Then how do you do that without soap?
That's where an efile comes in! Dry prep is actually considered one of the most effective methods to ensure your dip powder and gels last for weeks. Yes, you can use a glass cuticle pusher and nail file to do a similar cuticle/nail prep, but I've found my dip and gels last weeks longer using an efile. This is my favorite efile from Amazon for under $100. About 4 years ago, I got my first efile and spent hours watching every video I could find on how to use an efile. I learned early on that is is easy to damage your nails using an efile, so you have to use the right bits!
The only bit I use on my natural nails is a sanding band. Like this one. Then I use this bit for cleaning up my excess cuticles. You want to keep both bits at a slow speed- 3-7k rpm. Any higher and you can damage your natural nails or cut your skin! I also like to use a dust collector, like this one from Melody Susie when I'm using an efile. It keeps the dust going down into it and away from you. I didn't use a dust collector for at least a year and was so glad I switched to using one. The amount of nail dust that gets into the air is minimal now that I use the dust collector.
So what exactly do you do with the 2 nail prep bits I talked about above? How the heck do you use them?! I use the sanding band to gently go over any new growth on my natural nails. When you're holding an efile in your right hand and using it on your left hand, it should be in Forwards. When you're holding an efile in your left hand and using it on your right hand, it should be in Reverse. Once you've gently went over any new growth with the sanding band (or went over your entire nail if you remove all your old product), then you can use the cuticle bit to gently remove any excess cuticles stuck on your nail plate. I am very careful to not press into my skin hard. I'm just filing the excess stuck on my nail plate. After that, take isopropyl alcohol on a nail brush and gently scrub off the dust on your nails.
Now you're ready for Dehydrator whether you're applying dip or gels!
Check out this video for the full tutorial on how to use the efile bits mentioned above to prep your nails for enhancements! Click anywhere on the picture to go to the video!
*I make a small commission from any purchases you make by clicking on the links, which helps me to continue this blog and my YouTube tutorials!
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