How long to cure gel polish under UV light

Thinking of doing it yourself gel manicure at home and not sure what products to use and how to apply it? Great, because I'd like to show you the how-to and tips for doing gel polish at home.

Doing Gel Polish at Home? Really?

Photo by Photo by Element5 Digital

The idea of getting your gel nail polish done at home is very popular nowadays since applying gel nail polish is getting way easier now and it will save you money in the long run. No need to go to nail salon anymore or waiting for your appointment.

Applying gel polish nowadays is just like regular nail polish in regular bottle without the painstaking steps. There are tons of brands of gel nail polishes to choose from now since a decade ago when it all started. Since Esther's Nail Center offers just the popular brands such as CND Shellac, Gelish, Daisy DND Gel, OPI, PureGel, in this article, we'll only discuss these brands.

Shellac or Gelish? Help Me to Choose

The first thing people usually ask is which brand of gel polish I should choose. In my opinion for doing gel nail polish at home, each brand has its own pro and contra. Let's compare them in detail below.

One best way to find out is to try them out. You may go to a salon and see what and how the nail technician does your nails. Then see which one stays longer on your nails as everyone has different nail condition. Some people has better application with one brand while not on the others. 

Gel Nail Polish at Home Step-by-step

Updated 4.3.2020 - We posted an updated instructions for using Gelish gel polish system at home. If that's the brand you use, you may want to jump there. 

What You Will Need

Basically what you need for doing gel nail polish at home are listed below. It's recommended to use gel polish as a system to ensure the optimum result. This instructions below can be used for any gel polish, no matter what the brand is. Follow the recommended curing time from the product info or the manufacturer. 

Application

1. Prepare nails by cleaning the nails or removing old nail polish.
2. Push back the cuticle and clean the surrounding nail plate.
3. Shape the nails with 180/240 grit nail file.
4. Buff nail lightly with nail buffer block.
5. Remove the dust and wipe the nail with Nail Cleanser using a lint-free wipe.
6. (Optional) Apply a coat of nail bonder. Wait until it dries. Why nail bonder? Read tips below.
7. Apply Gel Polish Base Coat in a very thin application and seal the edges of the nails. The key to successful application is to apply in a very thin layer. Make sure the gel doesn't touch the cuticle. If it does you can wipe it off later with wood cuticle stick.
8. Cure (by placing all fingers) in the UV Lamp for 1 minute or LED lamp for 30 seconds. 
9. Apply Gel Polish Color in a very thin application from cuticle to free edge. Be sure to seal the edges.
10. Place hand in an UV light for 3 minutes for dark colors or 2 minute for light colors. Or 30 seconds for LED lamp.
11. To even the coverage, repeat step 9 & 10 as necessary.
12. Apply a thin coat of  Gel Polish Top Coat from cuticle to free edge.
13. Place hand in UV Lamp for 2 minutes or 30 seconds for LED light.
14. Wipe of the tacky surface with nail cleanser and lint free nail wipes.
15. Massage cuticle oil to the skin surrounding the nail. 

Check out these video tutorials on Gelish application.

Tips for Applying Gel Polish at Home

• Shake, shake, shake your polish before application to make sure it mix well. A good shake make your application easier. Invest in a good nail polish shaker. 
• The purpose for applying nail bonder is to ensure optimal performance by increasing the bonding between natural nails and the gel polish. If you feel that your application doesn't last as long as it should be, try using a nail bonder.
• Get yourself a nice and handy cuticle oil, like CND Solar Oil or Gelish Nourish Oil, because you often need to keep the nails moisturized as using gel polish can be dehydrating.
• Any brand of 36-watt UV Lamp or LED light works. The professional LED light that can cure 5 fingers at the same time is preferable.  With UV Lamp you have to change the bulbs regularly and takes more time to cure. With LED lamp, you don't need to change the bulbs, it last longer and cure in a shorter amount of time.
• If you are concerned with UV Light exposure you can apply sunblock on hands or wear the UV Lamp fingerless gloves before application.
• If you find out that your gel polish is thick, use gel polish thinner before application. This is a recommended product to save your gel polish life.

 --Update (May 2014) : Since CND Shellac application is slightly different than Gel polish, we posted a simple, photo tutorial on how to do Shellac Nails at Home. Check it out!

RELATED PRODUCT

One of the most common questions that people ask is how long it takes for gel polish to cure under a UV LED nail lamp. Most people read the instructions but do not believe that gel polish is done in such a short time, and they tend to cure them a little longer.

Gel polish should be cured according to its manufacturer’s recommendation. The curing time for the gel polish base coat is 5 to 30 seconds, gel polish color should cure for 30 to 45 seconds for each layer, and gel polish top coat should cure no longer than 60 seconds. Curing gel polish longer than recommended time turns it into a solid, and it will be difficult to remove later.

How long should a gel polish base coat be cured?

The characteristic makes it adhere well to the nail plate underneath and help the color gel polish stay on it for up to two weeks. If a gel base coat is overcured, it losses its adhesive strength and its flexibility. Worse yet, it becomes a hard solid layer that will not interact with acetone during the removal process.

Do not over cure gel base coat longer than 45 seconds even if you think the time is too short. Gel base coat will go under an LED lamp and exposed to more UV light as gel polish color and top coat need to be cured additionally. In the end, over cured gel base coat will go under curing for at least 3 more minutes.

Therefore, even if you do not over cure gel base coat, it will be over cured because of the additional curing steps anyway.

How long should gel polish color be cured?

The main quality of gel polish is flexibility. That is why it should be cured properly to retain this quality.

When gel polish color is over cured, it loses this unique flexible quality. Even though it is not easy to tell the difference then, but later during removal, you will see that the gel polish color will stick directly to the nail plate and the gel base coat seems to disappear or evaporate as if it was not there in the first place.

When this happens, you will have a hard time trying to remove the over cured gel polish off your nails because it will not be affected by acetone. You have to file it off with a nail file or an electric file. Using either one will thin out your natural nails that you want to protect.

Sometimes, a customer came into my salon for gel polish removal who had this problem. At first, I thought that she used some unknown brands that she bought on the internet. After I tested my products by trying to over cure them, the results were the same. Any over-cured gel polish will become hard solid and lost all of its flexibility. Acetone was not able to soften it.

The only way that I could do was slowly and gently file it off with a nail file so I would not thin out her nails.

How long should gel polish top coat be cured?

Gel polish top coat should be cured for no longer than 90 seconds if you are not convinced that 60 seconds are enough.

Gel polish topcoat is a sealer. It protects the color and adds mirror-shine quality to the gel polish color.

Over curing the gel polish top coat will alter this quality and turn it into a hard solid. What this does is the over-cured gel top coat will not interact with acetone any more, and removing it will require manual filling.

Have you ever wondered why most Vietnamese nail techs are skinny? If you are overweight, you can lose this stubborn extra weight for good using this recent AMAZING DISCOVERY

Disclosure: NailsFaq.com is supported by readers like you. When you purchase through links in our posts, we may earn an affiliate commission and we only recommend products or services that we like and all opinions expressed here are our own. Thank you. Read full privacy policy here

Gel base coat and top coat you should buy

The Fantastic Four gel base and top coat kit

WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT FOR GOOD? Easy! You can even DO IT

Could you cure gel polish longer?

No. Over-cured gel polish will not interact with acetone which is the strongest removal solution on the market for the time being. You will have to file the hardened gel polish off your nails one by one. This could take up to two hours of your precious time.

As for me, it took me a good hour to remove over-cured gel polish on my customer’s nails.

Also, because I was careful, not to file too deep or buffing too much, there was some old gel polish still left on her nails, making the nail plates uneven. This caused the new color that went on them was not nice and smooth-looking at all.

No matter which brand is your gel polish, it should be cured according to the manufacturer’s recommendation. Also, keep in mind that no two gel polish brands are the same. Take time to read the instructions carefully when you purchase a new brand.

And remember, gel polish is at its best when it becomes plasticized after being properly cured. Over-cured gel polish will become hardened. This makes it easier to chip or crack.

Worst of all, you will have to file it off, one nail at a time.

One super easy way to make fat fingers thinner. Find out how.

What causes fat feet: how to make your chubby feet thinner.

WANT TO KNOW THE BEST NAIL SALON NEAR YOU? There are five things you must know

Related articles:

CHECK OUT this recent amazing discovery weight-loss method from the tropics

If you happened to over cure your gel polish, this is the correct way to remove over-cured gel polish

How to apply thin gel polish. The first thing you can do to avoid over-cured gel polish is knowing how to apply thin gel polish

Lastly, make sure your gel polish is thin enough so you can apply it on your nail with ease. Thick gel polish will create a thick layer on the nail plate, no matter how good your polishing skill is. You will know how to make thick gel polish thin in this article.