At Home Gel Manicure Supplies and Tips

I originally posted this last year, but I'm revamping this blog post as I have not only gotten better at my at-home gel manicure, but I also wanted to share photos of the many supplies I use and recommend! 

On a whim in 2023, I bought supplies to attempt my gel manicure at home. I love having my nails done, and over the past 10 years, I have gone practically every 2 weeks. I love the feeling of having manicured nails. It makes me feel good. It's costly, though, and I don't love the experience and time it takes. I love a pedicure, but there's just something about a manicure at a salon that I would happily avoid. It seems like such a task, and I'm never thoroughly pleased with the results.

The supplies to do your own gel manicure at home are minimal. I've collected most of this stuff over the months as I've learned. It costs about the price of a salon gel manicure for all of the supplies, so I figured even if I only do my nails once or twice, it's worth it. Spoiler alert, I've done them many times in the last year! The cost of the supplies has been well worth it. 

Now that I know I can actually do a gel mani at home and I don't mind doing it, I've also been collecting some other OPI colors (one of my fave pinkish nudes) since that is my favorite brand of polish. You can find many colors available on Beyond Polish. I've also had luck with Walmart. 

Anyway, I wanted to share some tips with you since I'm a seasoned pro now. 

What you'll need:

Gel Nail Light

The Gel Nail Light is exactly like what they use at the salon. I've used this frequently for a year, and it still works perfectly. I've even traveled with it (by car), and it's nice and lightweight. this tends to go on sale. I know the Amazon sale is coming up on October 8th, so you may want to wait to see if it goes on sale then! 

Bonding Primer

Base and Top Coat

There are a lot of gel colors and sets that come with top and base coats that are available on Amazon. I specifically recommend this top and base. It works so well, and the top coat is beautifully shiny. I have purchased the sets and other brands from Amazon, but this is the best. 

Cuticle Remover// Cuticle Trimmer// Cuticle Pusher

The cuticle remover gel will give you a clean and manicured look around your cuticles. It also helps me to avoid trimming too much.

Buffer and File Set// Wood Manicure Stick// Q-Tip// Nail Polish Remover

Gel Colors! 

My favorites are:

OPI Big Apple Red

OPI Love is in the Bare

DND Cute Bunny

DND Boston University Red
DND C'est La Vie

OPI Red Hot Rio

OPI Got the Blues for Red

Beyond Polish is the most reputable site for getting these colors. Buy them at once to hit the shipping minimum! I have ordered via Walmart before, and they have worked, but some have gotten goopy pretty quickly. DND is the best bang for your buck, and I love the formula. It's easy to apply. I've purchased several different Amazon brands and don't care for them. 

 

How long does it take?

From start to finish, it takes me about 20 minutes. When I have the extra time, I'll take my time and be extra precise, and that adds on another 10 minutes for a total of 30 minutes, but it's all doable in 20 minutes.  It would take me 10 minutes to get to my nail salon and 10 minutes to get home, so it is a time saver right there. I also love not being beholden to an appointment time or waiting as a walk-in. I can do my nails at 10pm or 6am when the salons are closed. It's so much easier to fit into my schedule! It took me longer when I first started, as there is a learning curve, but practicing really does help. 

It's relaxing and actually something I look forward to. I like to put on a show, set up my little salon area, and get to work. I enjoy it. 

The prep is the most time-consuming part. The actual painting is quick. 

How do you prep your nails to look clean and neat?

I use:

- Buffer and File Set.

- Cuticle Trimmer

- Cuticle Pusher

- Cuticle Remover Gel

How long do you use the curing light? 

It has several different time settings, but I always use the 30-second button. When doing your base coat and color coats, you want them to stay tacky so the coats all stick together. This is especially important for the base coat. Once I do the topcoat, I usually cure it for 60 seconds to finish. For the 60-second period, I do two 30-second periods to check in between. If you are doing many layers, you may have to cure for a longer period at the end, but less is more! Remember to make sure each coat is clean and just as you like it before you cure it because once each layer is cured, you can't go back and fix it. 

Any tips?

There are three things that I think make the biggest difference between an OK manicure and a great manicure: 

- Ensuring your nails are bone dry

- Applying very thin layers

- Capping the nails at the top and ensuring nothing is pooling at your cuticles 

How do you ensure your nails are bone dry?

I ensure I don't wash my hands within 15 minutes of starting! I also ensure that if I use sunscreen on my hands, I strategically apply it so the cream does not hit my nailbed. I use nail polish remover on my nails and lightly buff if I think my nails need a little bit of texture to hold the base coat. I do this lightly because the more you buff, the weaker your nails will be. You want to create an environment where the gel will stick to the surface, and any moisture will prohibit that. I go in with a light layer of the Bonding Primer which is a must. Do not skip this step. It helps SO much. If you are going to do your nails at home, the bonding primer is a non-negotiable. It makes all of the difference. 

How many coats do you do?

It depends on the color. Usually, two color coats, sometimes three. For each coat, I apply the layers as thin as possible. It took some trial and error to figure out how to get the layers really thin, but you just have to wipe the brush on the bottle a lot. The thinner the layers, the better they will hold up and the less likely they will peel. When I began learning, I started out too heavy-handed. Don't be discouraged if your first few manicures aren't perfect! 

What is capping?

You want to ensure that you extend the polish over the tips of your nails so that it is 'sealed'. Doing this keeps the polish from chipping and lifting. Capping is a painstaking process that takes a lot of practice. I'm very right-hand dominant, so doing my right-hand takes a lot of patience. Similarly, you want to ensure a small space between the polish and your cuticle. You don't want anything pooling at the base of your nail because that will also cause the polish to lift! I recommend doing your first manicure with a darker color so you can clearly see where the polish is going. Then, once you see where the polish goes, do your next manicure with a lighter color so you can practice capping. When you are a novice, you can get cleaner results when using a light color because anything that goes out of bounds is less noticeable. Use this tiny Wood Manicure Stick if you get polish on your skin or in an area you don't want. I also use an acetone-soaked Q-tip if needed, but I try to avoid that as sometimes a fiber from the Q-tip will drop onto my nail, which can get frustrating. 

How do you remove the gel at home? 

This is the most common question I am asked. Removing it is really easy. You just buff your nails so the top coat is buffed off, and soak your nails in a cotton ball with acetone and aluminum foil overtop... just like they would at the salon. Once soaked, it should come off easily, but you can buff it off in stubborn areas if needed and also use the cuticle pusher. If you are having issues, you could use this gel nail polish remover product. Someone recommended it to me. I have not needed it, so I haven't tried it, but it's worth looking into if it could help you! 

I don't have great nails or hands, but I'm now getting a better result than I would at the salon! I would highly recommend trying it out and all of these products have been really great!

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