Gel nail polish is getting popular day by day for its gorgeous and elegant colors, long durability, quick application, and affordable price. Gel nail polish needs UV light to cure. It can’t dry naturally.
UV light is now a popular manicure product for providing prodigious nail arts. UV light cures the nail polish in a short time. That’s why people like to cure their nails with it.
The using process is easy. After setting the UV light for once, you do not have to set it up further. You have to plug in the power cord and set the timer.
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How To Use A UV Lamp For Gel Nails
In this article, I will tell you how to use a UV lamp for gel nails in an easy way. Let’s get started.
What you need to use UV light
- File and buffer
- Cuticle pusher
- Basecoat
- Gel nail polish
- UV light
- Power supply
- Topcoat
Set up the UV light
The first thing you have to do is setting up the UV light if you haven’t used it yet. Some UV light doesn’t have to fix. Those are fixed automatically in the packaging. And some have to be fixed by yourself.
Follow the instruction paper and fix the light bulb into the lightbox. The final task to prepare the power supply place. Just plug in the two-pin plug into the power plug connection.
Buff and shape your nails
Before you start applying gel nail polish, the first shape your nails in your desired size and shape. You can use a nail clipper or a nail file to shape your nails.
Give an oval or square shape and file down the length of the nails to reduce the sharpness of the nail tip. Finally, use a nail buffer to make your nails smooth. Nail buffer helps to adhere to the nail polish properly.
Use cuticle pusher
Apply a little bit of cuticle oil onto the nails. Then use a cuticle pusher to push back the skin around the cuticle. This process increases the durability of gel nail polish. Do not force the cuticle pusher to move off the skin. It can hurt your finger.
After that, take a cotton ball and pour some acetone into the cotton ball, and rub it on your nail to remove the excess oil. Excess oil obstructs the gel nail polish to adhere to the nails. Make sure there is no oil on your nails.
Apply base coat
After removing the excess oil properly, apply a thin layer of base coat, and cure it in UV light for 60 seconds. In the application of gel nail polish, a base coat is vital.
Because gel nail polish needs to cure in UV light, that can be harmful to your natural nails. Basecoat protects the natural nail beds and helps to adhere to the nail polish properly.
Apply Gel nail polish
Apply a thin layer of gel polish on the nails. Make sure the first coat should be thin. Apply the polish both on the surface and tip of your nails. Then set up the timer of the UV light for three minutes and cure your nails.
After drying the first layer of the gel nail polish, you will see the nail polish gets a very light color on your nails. Don’t be panic. Apply another coat of the same color gel nail polish and again cure it for three minutes.
Apply top coat
To increase the durability of the nail polish and, to keep your nail polish crack and chip-free, use a top coat on the nail polish. Again cure it under UV light for at least one minute.
The gel polish may be tacky or sticky after curing. Take a cotton ball and some rubbing alcohol and gently wipe over the nail to get a smooth and durable finish.
Caution about using UV light
- UV lamp emits ultraviolet radiation. That may cause serious damage to the skin. It may cause premature wrinkles, age spots, and even skin cancer. To reduce the possibility of damage, try to wear off nail hand gloves. That will protect your skin from harmful ultraviolet radiation.
- Hand gloves can be uncomfortable. So, you can apply sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher.
- Do not use UV light frequently.
Though UV light is not safe for the skin, following some precautions, the damage can reduce. UV light has now become an essential tool for designing nails. Most nail salons and even nonprofessionals are now using UV lamps regularly.
If you obey the precautions properly, you can get your desired nail look without damaging your skin and nail.
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