At the dawn of the development of the modern nail industry, lengthening the nail plate required a little: acrylic powder, monomer, brush, acid primer (which was not thought of whether it was acidic or not) and paper forms. Two nail files were used to shape the nails: one side 180 grit, the other 150 grit. For polishing, a three-sided polisher was needed: 400, 800 and 1200 grit. All materials could be bought in the department of a large department store for a nominal price.
With the development of this industry, the emergence of competitions and international championships, the requirements for the work of a master have grown. Modeling has become an art, and nail design has become a decoration. Interest in him is growing more and more, and many are looking for the answer to the question: “What is needed for nail extension?”
There are many related details in this area that help to build a beautiful shape of artificial nails. How can a beginner figure out what is necessary and what can be abandoned for now? What to choose - gel or acrylic? Which lamp to buy - UV or LED? What forms are needed - upper, lower or arched? Which tips to use - white, transparent or natural, which C-bend is better? But first things first.
What does the salon master use for modeling
In the conditions of the salon, all types of nail extensions are used. Each master chooses for himself the one that he likes best. The quality of properly extended nails does not differ, as well as what material was used for this - gel or acrylic. But all methods have their own technology, on which depends what is needed for nail extension.
In gel technology, the material laid out on the mold is polymerized in an ultraviolet or LED lamp. Therefore, without it, you can’t start modeling. The gel itself is applied with a brush, often using several sizes for different tasks. The gel, as a rule, belongs to a three-phase system. This means that the work is carried out in three stages, and each has its own material.
Acrylic for nail extension polymerizes in air, respectively, does not require a UV lamp. But now the craftsmen are using mixed techniques and instead of polishing the acrylic they apply a gel topcoat, and a lamp is already needed for it. To build acrylic powder and monomer are required. A brush forms an acrylic ball, which is distributed in shape.
Tips and shapes
Extension is carried out on tips or on forms. Tips are considered the earliest form of modeling that has never been recognized at nail championships. But they are widely used for unprofessional building. There are several types of tips, among which are transparent and white, with a C-bend in half a circle, without a contact zone. Together with them use glue for tips, which happens at different rates of polymerization.
Forms for nail extension are used disposable and reusable, upper and lower, classic and arched. To properly shape the architecture of the nail, the professional will choose a disposable paper form that can be cut and bent under a specific nail. Upper forms that are already manufactured taking into account the C-bend do not require constructing the structure. But their formulation is difficult for many.
Arched forms
The arched forms for nail extensions that have appeared relatively recently have proven themselves in both gel and acrylic technologies. With them, even a novice will build beautiful, durable nails. They are transparent plates, similar to tips. In a set of fifty reusable forms of all sizes. They can be cut for ease of production, signed with a marker.
The setting of the arched form on the nail is carried out not with glue, but with gel. Not all gel nail extension materials are suitable for this operation. The manufacturer recommends using a transparent VIP gel polymerizing in an LED lamp.
These forms are the innovation of Formula Profi. The video describes in detail what materials will be required for gel modeling. The same forms can be done acrylic building.
Nail extension tools
To get started, you need to prepare the necessary tools. This is a tip cutter if you plan to work with tips. Necessarily cuticle tweezers - after sawdust there may be burrs on the skin that can be easily removed by them. Files for processing natural nails, sawdust of artificial nails, grinding and polishing (with classic acrylic extensions) and buff for removing gloss from the nail.
The use of electrophoresis is not allowed in the championships, but greatly reduces the work of the master. Therefore, the manicure apparatus will only help in the processing of natural nail plates, filing of artificial nails, and during correction - they are doing removal of excess length, exfoliation and sawing of an overgrown natural nail.
For the correct formation of the C-bend, there are metal tubes that are selected for each nail. If you plan to work on paper forms, you need to have them. When working with gel, reverse tweezers will be required. To use the upper forms in gel technology, you will need a rotary lamp for nail extension.
A variety of gel for building
All gels have different characteristics. They are thick, liquid and medium consistency. There are self-leveling ones and those that need to be laid out. There are gels that polymerize only in UV lamps, and there are ones that can dry in an LED lamp. Camouflage - allow you to lengthen the nail bed, white - a bright tip for a French manicure. Transparent gels make it possible to smooth out all the defects allowed when laying out the previous layers, they are used for french with tips, for aquarium design.
Not all gels that the master will need can be found. Due to the nature of their production, some simply do not exist. Therefore, you have to either combine several technologies, or be content with those that the manufacturer offers. The acquisition of gel nail extension materials is always associated with the manufacturer's recommendations. If you do not follow them, you can get unpredictable results. For example, there are non-self-contained gels that require a stiff substrate. This is usually camouflage. When applied to a nail bed extension, they will bend and the nails will break on the first day.
Nail extension kit
There are ready-made sets on sale. They are found in stores selling all sorts of things, and on large Internet sites. As a rule, these are substandard materials and tips. In order not to earn an allergy from their use, it is better to assemble such a set yourself and do it in a well-known training center where masters of nail service are graduated.
The training center works on a certain brand, it is a respected manufacturer and certified materials. With such a center there is always a store, and its sellers will help to assemble a starter kit for nail extension for a beginner. Trainees are entitled to a discount of up to 30% of the amount, so taking advantage of this offer is beneficial. During the training process, you can ask the instructor questions of interest, including materials from other brands.
Online purchase
Not everyone has the opportunity to attend the training center, but usually large companies have their own online store. In it you can buy a starter kit - what you need for home nail extensions. Usually it is trial and complete. The trial set allows the master to test new material, to understand whether it is convenient and in case of a positive answer - to order a full one.
The Formula Profi mini-kit for acrylic technology, for example, has a set of top forms, acrylic powder, monomer, two auxiliary fluids, a brush and a UV coating. For work, you still need a lamp for nail extensions, nail files and a manicure machine.
Auxiliary liquids
For modeling, special formulations that improve adhesion (adhesion) to the nail will be required. This is a degreaser, or prep primer. It contains alcohol and copes well with the task of eliminating excess fat and moisture from the nail plate. This is what you need to build nails. After it, a primer is applied: acidic for acrylic and acid-free for gel. It provides reliable adhesion to keratin nail artificial material.
The primer is used very economically, so it is better to purchase it from well-known companies - OPI, CNI, KODI, Formula Profi, Mozart House. These brands are based on American raw materials and are therefore interchangeable. Chinese materials may not be compatible with them, and then the nails will quickly break.
The acid primer, which is used to build acrylic, should be applied very carefully, barely touching the surface of the nail with a dry brush. It contains strong acid, which can cause a chemical burn. Although the keratin cells on the surface of the nail are dead and do not feel anything, the skin surrounding the nail - the cuticle area and the lateral ridges - is exposed to danger.
Acrylic Nails at Home
Any business has its own nuances. Working with materials for building involves the use of aggressive fluids and potentially allergenic materials. Therefore, without special knowledge, one can easily damage health. Having studied at a good school, you can quickly pay back the money spent and even make money. For home use, it is better to choose acrylic.
If you learn how to properly take a drop of acrylic, and quickly distribute it on the nail, then acrylic building will require a minimum of tools and materials. Acrylic for nail extension at home has several advantages:
- Independence from UV or LED lamps.
- In good daylight, independence from electricity.
- When correcting acrylic does not pull off the detachment.
Acrylic home modeling starter kit
For beginners it is better to take the finest grinding acrylic powder: white, camouflage and transparent. Monomer is best chosen with anti-yellow additives. Then the nails will be even and will not turn yellow. You can squeeze the arch with your fingers, just choose the right moment: the acrylic should bend, but not smear. For sawdust you need a file of 150 grit, for working with natural nails - a file of 180 grit. Buff 240 grit to remove the gloss from the nail and polisher from 1000 grit. Auxiliary liquids - prep-primer and acid primer. And, of course, arched shapes - that's all you need for nail extensions at home.