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Acrylic nail training can use completely different nail equipment then other nail technician courses, and for some, these tools can be challenging to use. In our last post on nail equipment we talked about how you need to make sure that you know how to use your nail equipment well, because a practiced hand will bring you new clients and will help you keep your adoring fans coming back for more. This time lets look at what kind of acrylic nail equipment you may need to use in your classes.
Nail Glue and Tips
First you are going to need to have nail tips to go on top of the nail that will be like a base or canvas for your acrylics. To secure these tips, you are going to need some type of adhesive, specifically a high quality nail glue.
Make sure that your tips are straight and in line with the real nail. Do not, i repeat, Do not use super glue as this may lift the nail and can lead to nail fungus, which you should know (from your studies) can take quite a bit of time to treat and get rid of. When you are choosing tips, make sure you pick a material that you like to work with and that you have the proper nail equipment to shape.
Liquid Monomers
You can get regular or odorless monomers, and they each have their benefits and draw backs. The first and most obvious benefit of odorless monomers is that they are, well, odorless, if you have a sensitive nose, your clients don’t like the smell, or your work area doesn’t have a lot of ventilation, then you will really like using this type of liquid monomer. One drawback of the odorless liquid, is that it takes a while longer to dry and won’t appear done when you have finished, so you will have to wipe and/or file off the excess tacky residue. This is something you will have to get used to and practice with if you plan on using the odorless monomers exclusively. The regular liquid monomers are much more common, and many instructors will also be better versed in their use, so make sure to try out both types and see which ones work for you.
Acrylic Powders
Acrylic powders come in many colors and many also have different types of materials, like glitter. These differences, will change the way that they interact, and how they feel to work with, although it will all be relatively the same. You will use this with the liquid monomer over the tip that you have applied with the nail glue. When using your acrylic brush you want to make sure to be able to apply the powder and shape it into a real looking and feeling nail with long strokes to avoid clumping you need to be very careful not to get any of the liquid or powder onto the skin so practice well with your liquid and powders.
Acrylic Brushes
This piece of nail equipment you should be very familiar with 
. If you are working on acrylics then you will most likely have a very good brush stroke, but make sure to practice with the powder and liquid as much as possible to get a good nail shape. once you have used your acrylic nail brush to apply the acrylic to the tips and let those dry, applying the primer and the varnish will be very straight forward.
Nail Forms
Nail forms can really help you save time when applying acrylic nails, but are also great for creative nail art. First, you will prepare your clients nails as per usual, cleaning, soaking and treating. Then you will choose a nail form that fits your clients nail bed and then take it and fill it with your desired acrylic and liquid, you can use multiple colors and styles in order here in a way that you can’t on top of the nail without streaking, so get creative. Once you have filled your form, you will apply your adhesive to the nail and stick your form right onto the nail, in a short time it will dry and you can pop it off to reveal you beautifully design nail art. I think everyone should try these out, because they are pretty fun.
Nail Drill
This piece of nail equipment is used to roughen up the nail a little bit, so that the fake nail will have a more rough surface to hold onto. If you are working on the natural nail, you want to make sure to be very gentle and use a mild grit so as not to injure the nail bed. Make sure to check with your client on whether they want you to use a nail drill on their nails or not.
Nail Drills can also be used to great effect in repairing fake nails, removing old acrylic to reapply, and more. Check with your beauty instructor on how to use it effectively.
Hope you ladies liked the post, let me know if i missed any equipment or you want to know more.
Till next time…
