Doing your nails at home can be fun and save money. However, you’ll need a few tools to fill, shape and remove acrylic nails. The easiest way to get everything you need is to purchase a beginner acrylic nail kit.
A Look Inside the Kit
Your kit includes all the necessary equipment for an acrylic nail manicure, as well as the actual acrylic product:
- Swipe to prep the nail by removing dirt and oil
- Clear and natural-colored nail tips to extend the length of your nails
- Manicure brush to clear away acrylic dust and clean under your natural nails
- Acrylic brush to hold and shape the powder
- Glass dish to hold product and reduce mess
The kit also comes with a variety of manual files to help you shape and buff the acrylic once it hardens. You’ll also find a range of colors to work with, brush-on glue for your nail extensions and rose cuticle oil to soothe and soften cuticles after your mani.
Affordable & Convenient Accessories
Once you have your kit, you can purchase individual items as necessary. For instance, an electric file is incredibly useful when working with acrylics.
While you can and should use a manual file for minor touch-ups, manually buffing a thick acrylic nail will take forever and not produce the best results. An electric file works much more quickly, allowing you to shape the nail in a fraction of the time. Additionally, it makes removal much easier.
You have two main choices for e-files: rechargeable and power cord. The rechargeable options are more affordable, especially if you choose the “pen’ design, but having a power cord may be more convenient, as you don’t have to wait for your e-file to charge between uses.
Once you have the e-file, you’ll need bits, which are the pieces that rotate and file down the nail. Various bits achieve different effects:
- Coarse-grit cross-cut diamond for smooth finishes
- Steel sanding mandrel for shaping
- Diamond round bit for sanding out the cuticle
The more bits you have, the more diverse your abilities, so don’t be afraid to add to your collection.
You can also expand your manicure options. For example, if you want to add gel polish to your repertoire, you’ll need a UV light for nails.
Unlike acrylics, gel polish doesn’t dry when it makes contact with the air. Instead, the formula requires an ultraviolet or light-emitting diode light to activate its chemical bonds. Each gel polish has its own unique requirements for chemical bond activation, so it’s crucial to get a light that matches.
Colorful Dip Powders
Do you want more nail products to experiment with? If so, consider dip powders.
Nail dip powder is similar to acrylic but doesn’t require a brush or e-file. A dip powder mani is quite easy to achieve, as you simply dip your prepped nail into the powder, then apply a clear coat over the top. For a more opaque look, repeat the process several times.
Doing your own manicures at home allows you to express your creativity. From dip powders to gel polishes, there’s a wide world of nail art techniques to explore.