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When it comes to being attractive, nails are one of many essential parts of your beauty. By painting your nails with colorful polishes, you can give them an additional look. You can find different types of nail polish to polish your beautiful nails and give them a stunning, luxurious look. The polishes you can use to polish your nails are basic: lacquer, gel, chrome or metallic, acrylic, breathable, dip powder, poly gel, and shellac.
But for gel polish, what many people wonder is how many layers of gel polish can they put on their nails? It will depend but on average you can have about 3 to 4 layers of gel polish. But this number will vary because there are many factors to consider. In this article, I will help you by telling you how many layers of gel polish are perfect for your nails, what the importance of using the right layers of gel polish is, how to apply it, the benefits of applying it, and things you should avoid after applying gel polish.
How Many Layers of Gel Polish?
To achieve a damage-free, attractive look, it’s very important to apply a proper layer of polish to your nails. Neither can it start clinging to the polish on your nails or damage them by breaking them.
Whenever it comes to layers of gel polish, there are no exact layers you have to use on your nails. But there is an average recommendation to use gel polish. If you want to have gorgeous-looking nails on your hands, then apply at least 2 layers and a maximum of 3–4 layers of gel polish on your nails.
The layers are:
- Base Coat: You must apply a base coat before applying color coats.
- Color Coat: If you want a light color of the shade you choose to use, apply one coat of gel polish, and if you want the color bold, then apply 2 coats of the color coat.
- Design Coat: If you want a colorfully designed gel polish, then you can apply those colors to give your nails a perfect gel polish. But it is totally optional.
- Top Coat: After completing the color coating, apply a top coat to give it a long life.
As a result, we can say that you must apply 2 layers of gel polish to your nails. Remember not to skip any of these coats to get perfect gel polish, and apply each coat after properly drying the other coats.
The Importance of Using the Right Layers of Gel Polish
To get a perfect look with a long lifetime, using the correct layers of gel polish on your nails is very important. Why this is important, now I will describe it.
Adhesion
It is very important to create a great bond between your natural nails and gel polish. Properly applying all the layers to get a perfect gel polish helps to balance the bonding between them. And it gives the gel polish a long life with a smooth surface. But if you fail to use the correct layer of gel polish, it can make the polish lift up from your nails or damage them.
Durability
The proper layer of gel polish also increases the durability of your nail gel polish. Because if you give your gel polish too much thickness, it can start lifting up and cracking the polish of your nails, and if you miss any of the layers of gel polish, your polish can fade so quickly. So, the right layer of polish also gives you durability.
Coverage
Yes, gel polish gives you full coverage of your nails. The right layer of gel polish gives a glossy look to your nails and makes them last for a very long time, rather than traditional nail polishes, which fade away or peel off quickly.
Curing
The right layer of gel polish cures the process. Gel polishes are designed for LED light sealing and make your polish harden on your natural nails. The gel polish curing process, also known as polymerization, causes the molecules to bond together harder and result in a solid layer of color gel polish that won’t chip or lift up easily.
So, we can see that choosing gel polish instead of other polish will result in better results. To get a better result, you have to give importance to only applying proper layers of gel polish.
How to Apply Gel Polish Step-By-Step Guidance?
Applying gel polish to activate stunning nail beauty is vital. So, for your help, I am giving you step-by-step guidance here:
1. Clean Your Nails
The first thing you have to do is clean your nails with an alcohol-based nail cleanser. If you don’t have a nail cleanser, then apply a nail polish remover; it will also help to remove all kinds of dirt and oils from your nails and stick the gel polish perfectly on your nails.
2. Make Your Nail Plate Visible
Make your nail plates visible by using a cuticle pusher. With the cuticle pusher, push your cuticles backward to remove dead skin from your nails and make your natural nails visible. This will also make your nails look gorgeous after getting the gel polish.
3. Polish Your Nails
After making your nails visible, now it’s time to polish them. Take a high-grit file to polish them. While polishing with a file, make sure that your nails are not shiny anywhere. The shine of your nails can make gel polish cling to them.
4. Dehydrate Your Nails
Dehydrate your nails with a nail dehydrator. The nail dehydrator will make your nails dust-free, oil-free, fat-free, or free of any kind of bacteria to make the bonding between your nails and gel polish strong. It will also help you create a strong barrier on your nail to protect it from any kind of damage.
5. Apply The Base Coat
The base coat is the coat that makes your nail’s base smooth to give your gel polish a smooth surface to cling to. It’s mainly a clear, sticky polish that creates a layer on your natural fingernails. Base coats also offer protection from any kind of nail damage. Give it some time to dry. Only after drying can you move on to the next part.
6. Apply The First Layer of Color Gel Polish
Apply the first layer of your colored gel polish. After applying the color gel polish, you will find that it creates a glassy layer on your fingers with a smooth surface. It will make your nails look gorgeous. This gel polish will cling to your nails for a very long time, which is very useful for gel polish.
7. Apply a Second Layer of Gel Polish (optional)
If you want colorful nail art gel polishes on your nails, then apply different colors of gel polish to your nails. If you want a bold color on your nails, then apply a second layer of the color you have chosen. It will give bold color to your nails and give them luxurious beauty.
8. Apply The Top Coat
After completing the color gel polishing of your nails, now it’s time for the last touch-up on your nails with a top coat. The top coat is also a sticky, clear gel. But this gel coat layer helps to protect the color gel polish you have given your nails. It will also give your color gel polish a glassy look.
After completing the whole 8 steps, you are now ready to enjoy your gel-polished nails. Remember one thing: Never move to the next part before the previous layer is dry. If you apply it when it’s not dry, it can ruin your nail’s gel polish look. To make it dry quickly, you can dip your nail in ice bath water, it will make the polish harder.
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Things You Should Avoid After Getting Gel Polish
Gel polish’s durability is very long. You may expect that your gel polish will also last a long time on your nails. But some of your mistakes can reduce your longevity. To increase the longevity of your gel polish, you have to avoid the following:
- Warmth and Heat: After getting gel polish, you should stay away from the heat or any kind of gel polish. The heat or warmth can melt, lift, or chip your gel polish. So, after getting gel polish, stay away from activities like saunas, hot baths, or steam rooms.
- Water: Water also has the risk of making your gel polish solution weak and making it lift or fade quickly. Even hot water is very dangerous for your gel polish because it can make it melt or have streaks. So, whenever you are using water after getting gel polish, you have to wear gloves to avoid the touch of water and gel polish. Avoid water as much as you can.
- Harsh Chemicals: Using harsh chemicals is also dangerous for your gel polish. It can harm the Polish or make their lifetime low. So, avoid any kind of harsh chemicals by wearing gloves. But if you have to work with harsh chemicals, then always wear a non-latex glove to secure your gel polish.
- Rough Handling: Avoid handling your nails roughly. After getting gel polish on your nails, you must be gentle with them. Because roughness can create problems like chipping or lifting gel polish from your nails, if you find any kind of chipping or lifting of your gel polish, then touch it up or remove it and do it again.
- Nails as a tool: When you have gel polish on your nails, avoid using your nails as a tool. Using your nails as a tool increases the risk of making your gel polish fade away, chip, or lift. Instead of using your nails as tools, choose to use tools to increase the longevity of your gel polish.
- UV Radiation: UV radiation is harmful to our skin, as we all know. But sometimes it became harmful to our nails too. The ultraviolet radiation can make your nail gel polish discolor and fade.
So, if you have to work under the sun for a long time, then apply a sun-protective top coat to your nails. That will help protect the gel polish on your nails. If you have the courage to fully fill and avoid this thing, then you can protect your nail gel polish by keeping it on your nails for a very long time.
FAQs
1. How long does gel polish take to cure?
The base coat of gel polish takes only 45 seconds to cure, the color layer takes 60 seconds, and the top coat takes 90 seconds to cure. Apply all the layers of gel polish after curing them one by one.
2. How do you cure gel polish faster?
If you want to cure your gel polish faster, you can choose to use the LED lamp. That helps cure gel polish in only 30 seconds. But it can change because it depends on the layer of gel polish you are getting.
3. Is gel polish safe for your nails?
In general, gel polish is considered safe. But excessive gel polish can harm your natural nails by cracking, peeling, and becoming brittle, and it also increases your risk of getting skin cancer. So keep in mind to use it balanced on your nails.
4. How long are gel nails going to stay on your nails?
On average, gel nails are going to last 2–3 weeks on your nails. But it can change its durability depending on your regular activities. So, if you want to keep them for a long time, you must take a close look at your regular activities.
Final Thoughts
To get an outstanding look for your nails, getting gel polish is very useful. To get that look, you only have to choose the perfect layer of gel polish to use on your nails. The layers you have to use on your nails are first applying the base coat, then the color gel polish, if you want a bold or colorful look, you can use more layers of gel polish, and the last is the top coat of polish. You are ready to look gorgeous with colorful nails. Just remember to not make the color layer very thick, which can make your gel polish lift off the chip. Giving proper layers is very important for the adhesion, coverage, durability, and curing of your gel polish.
Now apply the gel polish step by step to your nails and receive a beautiful look. But there are some mistakes that can make your gel polish fade away, avoid them and enjoy your beautiful gel polish nails.
Key Points
- Gel polish is one of the most popular and trending polishes in this beauty-conscious era. People love to get gel polish on their nails.
- Gel polishes are known for their glassy look and longevity, unlike traditional polishes that fade quickly.
- To get a perfect gel polish, you have to apply the base coat first, then the color gel polish, if necessary, then the color gel polish again, and the last is the top coat.
- Gel polish will give your nails full coverage, long durability, adhesion, and curing to keep your absolutely gorgeous nails for a very long time.
- To avoid any kind of harm to your gel polish, you must avoid warmth, heat, water, and harsh chemicals on your nails.
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