If you are a nail technician who hasn’t picked up on the growing trend of uv gel nails, then i am here to tell you it is your turn to get with the times! 
if you’re a new or soon to be nail tech, then you need to look into extending your education to include gel nails into your nail training as soon as you get a chance. If you are an experienced tech looking to expand your horizons, then go get a uv gel set and start offering more clients what they are looking for.
Why Not Get a UV Gel Set?
I have spoken to a few experienced nail techs recently who focus on natural and natural looking nails. I asked them if they had heard of uv gel because of how incredibly popular it is in Europe and how its popularity and demand are growing here in the United States. They all said they had heard of uv gel nails, but gave various excuses for why they weren’t interested in them. To me, this is a grave mistake. One reason given was that gel nails don’t come off, while it is true that most uv gel nails are not easily removed, there are various gel nail varieties that do “soak off” for easy removal, and there are removal kits for uv gel nails that although take time to use they are effective. The other common excuse was that gel nails don’t fit with doing natural nails. While it may be technically true that gel nails are not “natural” nails, they do provide many of the cosmetic benefits of natural nails while being durable and long lasting like acrylics. They wont yellow and if applied correctly they wont lift either if you get a modest length, no one will ever know you have a set of uv gel nails on at all.
What Comes In A UV Gel Set
In a Uv gel set, you will have many different tools and gels so that you can do the best job easily and effectively. Some tools may not be included, but you will be expected to have them if you are doing any kind of false nails anyway. You should have your basics for any manicure like your clippers, your finger bowl, orange wood stick, etc., etc. but the most important non-standard tool that you will need in your nail tech tool box will be a power file or power buffer, also called a nail drill. this is important for doing uv gel because if you are going to do a nail fill or a nail repair it is crucial. It is even incredibly useful just for doing the final shaping and application of your first gel nail set.
In your uv gel set you will get:
- a protein bond
- a primer or base gel
- a sculpting gel
- a building gel
- a finalizing top coat gel
- a finalizing top coat gloss
- various colored gels
- a uv lamp
- a dispersion remover for taking off the uncured resin after final cure
- some kits come with a removal soak for removing gel nails
- some less expensive uv gel sets will come with only one gel used for all stages
Many gel kits come with instructional videos or at least detailed manuals that you will use to review the basics if you haven’t been taught in any classes.
now that you know what you need, go check out a few different beauty supply shops or google around for a uv gel set that you think will work for you.
Till next time…
