Why is nail prep so important and and the Nail Order method of prep

Nail prep is crucial for several reasons, particularly when it comes to maintaining nail health and achieving long-lasting, aesthetically pleasing manicures. Here are some key reasons why nail prep is important:

1. Longevity of Manicure: Proper nail preparation ensures that nail enhancements adhere better to the natural nail. This minimizes the risk of chipping, lifting, or peeling, making the manicure last longer.
2. Health and Hygiene: Clean and well-prepared nails reduce the risk of infections. Removing dirt, oil, and bacteria from the nail surface and surrounding skin helps prevent fungal or bacterial infections. Properly adhered nail enhancements reduces lifting which can reduce the risk of greenies
3. Smooth Application: Properly prepped nails provide a smooth and even surface for applying nail products. This helps in achieving a professional-looking finish with fewer imperfections.
4. Prevention of Damage: Filing and shaping the nails correctly can prevent breakage and splitting.

Every brand will have a recommended method for prep to suit their range of nail enhancements. It’s super important that nail techs research and implement what their brand recommends. So with all that being said what is the recommended Nail Order prep method?

Step by step

1. Sanitise the hand and nails using your favourite Nail Order hand sanitiser / multi purpose spray
2. Push back and tidy the cuticles
3. Gently etch the surface of the nail plate using a 180 or 240-grit file or sanding band (NEVER a buffer)
4. Thoroughly dust the nail plate to remove debris
5. Apply primer

Top tips

1. Never use a buffer for prep on the nail plate, it will smooth the nail plate too much and not give a grippy surface for the gel to adhere to.
2. Do not use any cleansers, dehydrators or acetone once you have prepped the nail. This can over-dehydrate the nail and lead to retention issues (just trust us on this one ;) )
3. When performing treatments such as builder gel, hard gel, rubber base etc always ensure your first coat of the product is applied thinly and you get good contact between the brush and natural nail. Its important not to simply float the first layer over the nail as you want to ensure the gel gets into the etches you have created.
4. Wait for the primer to be totally dry before applying your base layer of gel.