IBD Soak Off Gel Nails - The Right Way

Okay so after about a week of first putting on my IBD soak off gels I had a few incidents (listed in my other posts) about tips coming off and nails cracking etc. etc.

After doing much research and having to re-glue my tips and then having the gel crack and lift I realized I was putting it on waaayyyy too thin.

Gel nails are absolutely not supposed to be thin. They don't need to be anywhere near as thick as Acrylics usually are but they do need some thickness.

I hated how thick Acrylics were, I found it hard to use my fingers the way I needed to with super thick nails. 

I found a perfect thickness for the gels and they turned out absolutely beautiful.

This is Day 2 of these thicker nails: 

As you can see they are not super thick but thick enough that they have some stability.

If you make them too thin, they will crack.  

Here's the steps I took to get these nails:

1. Make sure your nails are clean and free of any oils.

2. After finding the right size of tips for each finger buff out your natural nail with a buffer block. This removes any shine or oil.

3. Clean off nail with nail cleanser or rubbing alcohol and using good nail glue (I use Bliss Pro from Sally's) apply the nail tips, cut, and file.

4. After filing clean the nail one more time to remove any dust or debris. Then use a dehydrate on your nail, let dry for 3 or 4 secs, and apply bonder/primer (thin coat). And cure under an LED for 30 seconds.

5. Apply the first thin coat of gel (IBD clear gel is what I was using although I would like to start using the builder gel for a thicker consistency). Start at the top middle of your nail because the gel will run. So stay a little ways away from the edges to avoid gel getting on the skin and wait to see how far it runs before extending to the side. Keep this gel coat thin. Cure for 30 secs.

6. Apply a second, thick coat of gel. Again start at the top middle of your nail. Do not pad the gel. You are litterally just 'floating' the gel on the nail. It's not like Acrylics where you pad it flat. You are just guiding the gel onto your nail and it will run a little and level out. Anytime you add more gel add it to the middle of your nail and go from there. Do not let any part of the gel be too thin...especially on the sides - that will cause lifting. Once you have a nice thick coat on your nail place you hands upside down which will allow the gel to float to the middle and give you nail a nice rounded shape. Do this until you are happy with the shape and cure for 30 seconds - If you do not plan to add anymore gel then cure for 1-2 mins.

7. Check your nails and add gel to the spots that might not be quite leveled out. However many coats you put on just remember to cure for 1-2 mins on the last coat.

8. Do Not Wipe Your Nails Clean. I use Sensationail Transparent Gel Top & Basecoat because I've had problems with the IBD Intense Seal cracking but it might have been because the gel was way too thin. But the Sensationail Gel looks just as shiny and good so after your last coat of gel is cured apply gel top coat and cure for 1 min.

Wipe your nails with rubbing alcohol to remove the wet layer and Voila!! Beautiful salon nails at home. 

I will keep everyone updated on how long these last but I've been very hard on them today. I was washing dishes and doing laundry and other house chores and I haven't had any tips pop off or any lifting or anything. They still look brand new.

The hardest part about this process is learning to work with the gel so it doesn't seep onto the sides of your nail or be to thin or thick in some parts. The IBD gel is very easy to work with, it self-levels but I do find it a bit runny. I did read somewhere if you place it in a cooler area then it's easier to work with but the builder gel is suppose to have a bit thicker consistency so I ordered that and I'm anxious to see how much different it is than the clear gel.

Will keep everyone updated!!

~Gwen S~

IBD Nails Day 1, 2, & 3

Day 3 IBD Gel Nails Pic

My nails looked great after I finished them I was very pleased. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of my nails first done but I do have pics for Day 3.

The process was EXTREMELY simple. I'm actually quite surprised how simple it was to do my nails with the right tools.

First thing was buffing the tops of my nails with a buffer block (which gets rid of shine and dehydrates the nail) and then cleaning my nails with rubbing alcohol.

I made the mistake of first using drugstore nail glue (KISS) for my nail tips. Before you do any of this make sure you have good glue! I lost a tip the second day and that made the gel crack and created air spaces.

Anyways, after applying all of the nail tips to my nails I cut them using a nail cutter specifically for tips. Then you file down the corners a little bit until your nails are shaped the way you want them to be.

Then wipe I wiped my nails off again with rubbing alcohol to clean away the dust and get rid of any oil that might have gotten on my nails in the process.

I applied a thin coat of IBD bonder/primer all over each nail and cured in an LED lamp for 1 min.

I should mention, although it says to use a UV lamp in the instructions I was curious to try out my Sensationail LED Lamp because my UV lamp had not arrived yet. As far as I can tell it works perfectly.

I will try using the LED and the UV (one on each hand) next time and see if it makes a difference with how long the gel lasts.

From what I've read, LED lights are stronger and therefore faster at curing. I did a lot of research on UV vs LED and I really couldn't find a lot on the topic so I will experiment with both and maybe save some of you the hassle of having two lights for different products.

Anyway after curing the bonder/primer, I applied a thin layer of clear gel and cured that for 1 min. I then applied another coat of gel and cured that for 3 mins.

The last part of this was applying the Intense Seal to add shine and smooth out the top. I cured that for 2 mins.

That whole process is surprisingly quick I was very impressed. Especially since I'm use to having to take 4 hrs out of my day to get the perfect salon nails at home from lightless UV kits from the drugstore (that look good for about 3 days)...never again!!

Day 2

Lost 2 tips because the glue didn't hold well....so I went to Sally's and bought better glue.

Day 3

Tips were fine, noticed some lifting in the corners which I think is due to my own fault of getting a bit of the gel on my skin. Very minor though. Also noticed some cracks in either the top coat or gel itself...other people wouldn't notice it because they are hair pin cracks but I could see them and it bugs me....

See the lifting in the corner??

Day 4

Lost a tip that had the old glue on it... I did put the new glue underneath all of my other nails but that can only do so much....so now I need to redo that nail with the new glue.

That's as far as my journey has gone so far....

I really want to try the 'builder' gel which I've already ordered. The soak-off clear gel has a thinner consistency than the builder gel from what I've seen on tutorials.

If you have naturally uneven nail surfaces, such as I do, with little dips and whatnot, I would recommend trying the builder gel. It's suppose to be self-leveling and be a little thicker.

Once I get that in I will post the results.

Hope this was helpful and if you have any questions just post them up!

~Gwen S~

IBD Gel Soak-Off Nails...Follow Along

Through the next week or weeks I will post everyday on how my IBD nails are doing. After watching a tutorial on Youtube that used IBD soak-off gel I decided to give this a go. I discovered you can purchase salon brand nail products from Sally's Beauty Supply or other beauty supply stores or one of my favorite places to purchase things - Ebay.

After doing some research on the IBD nail products, I went on Ebay and bought IBD soak-off clear gel, IBD gel remover, IBD bonder/primer, IBD intense seal, and and IBD nail brush. This all costed me around $40...so not too bad. And all of this will last awhile so in the end its actually very cheap.

I will talk more about this tomorrow, along with LED vs UV light which is another experiment I'm throwing into the mix.

I'll start posting pictures so you can see my process as well. Currently I'm on Day 2 of IBD nails and so far so good... :)

Talk to you all tomorrow!

~Gwen S~

How To Soak Off Acrylic Nails

This is a "How To" on getting rid of your acrylic nails. I've struggled with this so much and have made my nails so brittle doing this the wrong way.

You don't need to go to a salon to get your nails soaked off.

First here's some tools you need to have to start this process:

1. 100% Acetone ($3 or $4) at Walmart, Shoppers, or other drug stores or department stores.

2. Metal Cuticle Pusher/Scraper

3. Nail File (rough grit or electric nail drill)

4. Cotton Balls

5. Aluminum Foil

6. Cuticle Oil


These things are ESSENTIAL to get this done quickly and properly. And it's still not a fun process.

In my previous post I was saying how I used to soak my nails in a bowl of acetone for 15-20 mins. This is just not the way to go...trust me. Its hard on your nails and your skin and the smell will give you a headache.

What you want to do first is cut your tips as short as possible and file the top of the nail down as much as possible. Be careful to file down your actual nail. The purpose of this is to physically remove as much of the acrylic as possible before using the acetone.

Then take the aluminum foil and tear them into thin strips that can easily wrap around your fingers.

Have a bunch of cotton balls at hand (I tear each cotton ball into smaller parts, just big enough to cover each nail) and soak the cotton balls in the acetone, place it on top of your nail and wrap your finger with aluminum foil (this prevents the acetone from evaporating).

This is a way better way of doing it because your skin is left alone, although if you want you can put some petroleum jelly on the skin surrounding the nail to protect it even more.

And you just wait.....for 15 mins or so.

After 15 mins remove the foil (only one finger at a time) and take your metal cuticle pusher and scrape away the acrylic. It will be mushy and should scrape away fairly easy. If not, replace the cotton ball and foil and soak for awhile longer.

Only remove the foil one finger at a time. If you remove all of the foil at once, the acrylic re-hardens and you will have to replace the foil and soak again. So work with one finger at a time.

If you have soaked your nail long enough the acrylic will be mushy and will scrape away. You have to be fairly quick because the acrylic will harden.

After you have removed the acrylic from your nails, wash your hands and apply cuticle oil. Your nails might be very brittle after having acrylic on them. You might choose to put on a nourishing top coat then applying cuticle oil afterwards.

Be good to your nails for a bit because they will need a little TLC.

I know I'm not the biggest fan of acrylics. I like how they are durable and very long-lasting but I definitely prefer gel to acrylics...which I will talk about in another post.

~Gwen S~