Gel nail polishes have become the talk of the town. No matter where you are - at work, at brunch or a gathering, everyone’s talking about gel nail polishes. These nail polishes are popular due to their durability factor. If you don’t know much about gel nails, then read on.

Gel nail polish is made of photo-reactive ingredients and needs curing under an LED or UV nail polish lamp. The process of curing create a powerful bond to the nail and provide it with long lasting shine and colour. While a lot of people visit a salon to get gel nail polish from professions, a lot of people prefer to do their gel manicure at home. However, you must learn about the supplies needed for the procedure and the process of applying the gel nail polish to create a salon-line manicure at home. Various home gel nail paint kits such as Shellac Kit, CND kit, gelish kit, etc. can be used for a gel manicure at home.

Gather the manicure supplies: As the gel manicure requires more steps than regular nail polish, the process will also need more supplies. You will need three nail polish products, i.e. the gel base coat, the Opi Gel colors polish and the gel top coat. For preparing the nails you’ll need basic manicure supplies such as nail file, nail clippers, nail buffer, etc. Gel nail polishes need to be cured. Thus, special UV lamps or LED lamps are required for curing the gel nail polish.

How to prepare your nails and cuticles for a gel manicure? Buffing and cleaning is an essential step in gel manicures as it helps the gel nail polish to adhere properly. To begin with, take off any of your old nail polish with the help of a nail paint remover. Then, buff the surface of the nails and remove the ridges. File your nails. Then use a gel nail cleaner to remove all the dust. Ensure that you dry your nails thoroughly before you apply the gel nail polish. Finally, use a cuticle pusher to push back the cuticles before you begin the application process.

How is gel nail polish applied?

You can use gel nail polishes of popular brands such as Geleration, OPI gel colours, Shellac, CND etc. Begin by applying the base coat. Make sure you apply a thin layer of the base coat using long and even strokes. The gel base coat must be cured after application.  Then apply two coats of gel colour polish and make sure you cure between each step. Finally, apply a thin and even layer of topcoat and perform the curing process again.

So how is the curing done?

The traditional nail paints take a lot of time to cure depending on how many layers of polish you are wearing. Gel nail paints cure within minutes, thus one can get back immediately after the manicure. You can choose a UV or an LED lamp for curing. The curing time will depend on the types of lights you choose and also on the coat you have applied.

Cleaning the nails: The final step is to clean your nails. The nails may feel a bit gaudy after the final curing. Rub your nails with a gel cleanser to fix this. If nails have bubbles or are uneven, then smooth them using a buffer. Finally, use a regular hand soap and wash off the excess of gel polish powder.

Whether you wish to purchase CND Shellac gel nail colours, OPI gel colours or any other brand nail colours, check out online stores to get good deals and wide range of products.