Fiber-Wrap Gel Nails
Gel nails are perhaps the most natural looking of all nail additions and
are definitely worth considering if you want to have longer and stronger nails
which appear to be your own. You create gel nails by applying layers of an
acrylic gel to the surface of your nails. These layers then combine and set
to produce a solid nail. To harden the nails, they are then normally placed
under an ultraviolet light or even sometimes simply an ordinary room light.
It can be difficult to apply gel nails yourself, although it is quite possible.
It's certainly a lot simpler to get a nail specialist to do the job for you,
but if you do wish to try it yourself, the following is a method for using
the fiber wrap technique.
1. Buff the natural surface of your nail using a buffer to remove the shine.
Don't overdo it! Then shape the free edge of your nail to the shape you require
using using a medium-grade emery board.
2. Apply a drop of nail adhesive to the nail tip whilst holding it at a 45
deg angle with the tip against the outer edge of your own nail. Then slide
the nail tip back and press it down when in position. Hold it in position for
a few seconds until it is held securely by the adhesive.
3. Now trim the extension tip to the length required. This is done using a
special mechanical nail tip trimmer.
4. Shape the tip using a nail file, sloothing away any rough edges. Then blend
the seam where the tip joins your natural nail with a fine file.
5. Buff and smooth the nails all over.
6. Apply the self-adhesive microfiber wrap
7. The fiber wraps are now treated with one or two thin coats of acrylic gel
which must be allowed to set before continuing.
8. When completely dry, cut away the remnants around the edges of the fiber
wraps and file the edges smooth.
9. Apply acrylic gel thickly to fill in the nail contours
7. To finish, file and buff the nails as you require. Then apply a top coat
varnish.
Note that all nail enhancements will need filling every two to four weeks,
depending upon how quickly your nails grow. This means filling in the area
in front of the cuticle to blend in with the existing acrylic fill.