Confused About How to Take Care of Your Acrylic Nails?
If you have questions about acrylic nails, you’ve come to the right place. When you first start doing your own acrylic nails at home, it can be tough to know how to take care of them. At V Beauty Pure, we believe everyone can be their own nail artist – it just takes some practice, knowledge, and the right tools. This article will get you up to speed on everything you need to know to create your own acrylic nails at home, maintain them, and, when it’s time, remove them easily.
How Acrylic Nails Work
Acrylic nails are made from a mixture of acrylic polymer and liquid monomer. When mixed, the polymer and liquid monomer polymerization occurs and the product becomes spreadable. When you do your own acrylic nails at home, you’re building the structure of each nail out of this mixture by applying it on the surface of artificial tips that are glued to your natural nails. These tips make your nails appear longer and add definition and shape to your nails. Tips come in different shapes and lengths, with some looking more rounded and others being extra pointy. The shape of the tip that you go with depends on your personal style preferences – it’s up to you how you use acrylics to express yourself!
Once the acrylic is applied and smoothed to the desired finish, applying gel polish gives you infinite opportunities for creative expression – you can blend different colors and use different sized brushes to turn your acrylic nails into beautiful masterpieces.
The process of creating your own acrylic nails at home often takes at least an hour, so it’s worthwhile to set aside free time. You should have a little extra time available for your first attempt since it’s best to take things slow when you first start doing your own acrylic nails. When you apply the acrylic mixture on, it needs time to dry. It’s important not to rush any aspect of the process.
How to Do Your Own Acrylic Nails
When you apply your own acrylic nails at home, the first step is always getting your natural nails prepared for product application. You will need to make sure your cuticles are pushed back towards your knuckles to make room for applying the acrylic product. This prep stage can be a bit daunting, but it’s a key aspect of the acrylic enhancement process.
After you’ve finished prepping your nails, the first component of the acrylic nails that you put on each of your fingers is the artificial tip or the nail form. With a brush, coat the bottom of each tip with glue and stick it to your finger, extending it past the end of your natural fingernail or to the desired length. These artificial tips will make your fingernails look much longer. When you spread the acrylic mixture over the tips and the exposed portion of your fingernails, it blends the artificial and real nail together to create a seamless, perfected nail shape.
Once the tips are glued on or the extension is made, it’s time to put the acrylic product on each nail. As you’ve learned, acrylic nails are made when a mixture of acrylic polymer and liquid monomer is spread and solidifies. When you mix the liquid monomer with an acrylic polymer using a brush, a small bead will form at the tip of your brush. In small amounts at a time, spread these beads of the mixture on each nail. Once you’ve covered your nails, the mixture will dry and solidify, and you’ll see the fully formed acrylic nails. After this point in the process, you’re ready to paint your nails with gel polish or apply gel top coat if you are happy with the finish look..
How Long Do Acrylic Nails Last?
When you take good care of your acrylic nails, your nails will last for months, with biweekly rebalancing. Professional nail technicians offer fills for acrylic nails, which help to keep them looking good as your natural nails grow out underneath. As your nails grow, it’s important to touch them up to make sure they stay looking good as long as possible. You can fill in your nails at home or get them done professionally, but learning to do them yourself can save you money! You’ll learn more about doing your own fills later in this article.
What You Need to Remove Acrylic Nails
When it is time to remove your acrylic nails, you’ll need just a few tools. First and foremost, make sure you have a 100% acetone solution on hand. Acetone helps to dissolve the acrylic mixture, dissolving it and making it easier to remove. You’ll be soaking your acrylic nails in an acetone solution to dissolve. This process usually takes about 20 minutes. For the best result use 100% acetone to remove acrylic enhancements, and you can find it at a drugstore or grocery store near you.
Before you soak your nails in acetone, you can make the removal process much easier by trimming them as short as possible. You can cut acrylic nails short with a standard nail clipper. The shorter the nails are, the quicker and easier the acetone can work to dissolve the remainder of the acrylic mixture. Be careful not to cut too close to the natural nail that is growing under the acrylic.
After you’ve clipped and soaked your nails, there might still be a bit of the acrylic product leftover. If so, you can buff the leftovers out using a soft nail buffer. Afterward, you should be back down to your natural nails. When your acrylic nails are stubborn in coming off, the best option is usually to soak them in acetone for longer. The acetone solution is more effective at dissolving your nails than buffing, which is more of a last measure to get any extras out of the way.
Filling in Your Acrylic Nails At Home
To do a fill at home, remove the gel polish from your acrylic if any is used, by filing it off with a hand file or an electric file. Once you’ve removed the nail polish, you’ll be able to see the acrylic underneath and the growth of your natural nails. A fill serves the purpose of rebalancing the acrylics with a combination of acrylic polymer and liquid monomer. You can redo your nail polish after the fill is complete.
Once you’ve removed the nail polish from your acrylic nails, you’ll want to gently smooth down the now-exposed acrylic with a buffer and natural nail, then apply dehydrator and primer to each nail. The primer helps the natural nail adhere securely to the acrylic when applied.
Next, it’s time to apply the acrylic product to the growth of the natural nail and blend it with existing acrylic powder. This is the same mixture you used to initially create your acrylic nails on top of the nail. Filling in the product helps keep your nails looking good even as your natural nails grow out.
Acrylic Nail Aftercare
After removing your acrylic nails, take the opportunity to care for your natural nails in preparation for the next time you paint them. Properly caring for your nails will keep your acrylics looking good and staying intact longer. One of the best ways to strengthen your nails is to eat a healthy diet that is rich in antioxidants. Supplying your body with an adequate amount of antioxidants helps your body produce collagen, the protein responsible for giving your nails structure and strength.
How to Level Up Your Acrylic Nail Painting Skills
Painting your own acrylic nails an art form, and there are multiple skills and techniques to learn to master the process. Now that you know how to touch up and remove your acrylic nails, it’s time to get acquainted with a few of the practices you’ll need to work on to get closer to mastery.
Painting acrylic nails takes patience and a steady hand. When you first get started with this method of doing your nails, it’s easy to get discouraged by inevitable mess-ups. Take any mistakes in stride, though – it’s all part of the process. One of the most rewarding aspects of doing your own acrylic nails is the ability to experiment with different techniques and approaches. You can work with different sized brushes to see what helps you manipulate the nail polish best. In addition, following design tutorials online can help immensely, whether you are a seasoned veteran of nail art or just beginning.
Sources:
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/nails/a31123254/acrylic-nails-what-to-know/
https://www.womansworld.com/gallery/beauty/acrylic-nails-163605