DIY Gel Nails

Doing your own gel-nails is very easy! Especially when you've had your nails done before and can compare a nail technicians work to your own!
All these products you can buy at Sally's.

First use nail polish remover to clean your nails even if you have no nail polish on:

my nails are so short! i bite them :( fake nails help allot w/ this bad habit!

Then wash your nails with soap to sanitize them, focusing on your cuticles and under the nails:

Dry your nails very well!  And if your nails are soft from the water I like to wait a while otherwise the filing and buffing can hurt (i have super thin nails):

I buy my nail tips from Sally's they cost about 6 dollars, i'm going to be using my white tips but i also really like the natural and clear tips:

Then you will also need a file, a buffer, nail glue and scissors or nail clippers:

You can buy files and buffers at Sally's that say on the sign they're for artificial nails and the nails glue i'm using is a no-clog glue, it takes longer to dry but i hate glue that clogs!

Now buff all your nails so the glue and nail tip will stick better:

After buffing your whole nail, including tip it's time to measure the tip to fit the nail. Look at your nail and find where your nail bed ends and where the white part of your nail grows, you will glue the tip above this point.  Too low and your natural nail growth will contrast to the tip:

I like to lay out all of the tips so I don't get them confused and start with my whole left hand then do my right:

 Buff underneath the tip so it adheres better to your nail, apply a drop glue to the bottom and press and hold down firmly into your nail:

Creepy long nails!

Now use your scissors or a nail clipper to cut the nails close to the desired length, i leave some room for filling because if you cut one nail too short then they will all have to be sort so its safer to file them down:

After trimming all your nails file all the edges.  File the sided, the tip to whatever shaper and the top where the tip is glued to your nail and file it down until it blends evenly and isn't raised:

The nail on the left has been filed and you can tell it looks more cohesive to my nail then the other nail.

Buff your whole nail, natural and tip so the tip isn't shiny and all the rough edges from the filing are gone:

The gel and the gel spray you can also but at Sally's which both are like 9 dollars each and will last you a couple of months depending on if you break a nail and growth:

 When applying the gel i do it 3 times, once just covering my natural nail, then just on the tip, then lightly over the whole nail:

Applying the gel just to the pink part of the nail

Spray the nail twice to cure it

gelled nail!

Apply gel to the tip, covering the whole tip in a thin layer.  Applying the gel too thickly will make it run onto your skin and can adhere to it!

Spray twice!  Each time you apply the gel spray twice.  Working in smaller increments will insure no gel gets on the skin.

After all the gel is dried its all lumpy and bumpy but you file and buff that all away so no worries!

File the sides, around the cuticle, and the tip to create a smooth look like at the nail salon:

Then buff the whole top of the nail to smooth it out, lots and lots of buffing!

Buffed on the left vs. not buffed

After buffing the heck out of your nails wash them and dry them to get all the powder off and apply clear nail polish:

insta dry by Sally Hanson

Ta-Da!! DIY gel nails! So easy and cheap and no one will know!!!