Tricks of the Trade: Applying Nail Tips with Acrylic

TIP OF THE WEEK #14:  TIP APPLICATION IN ACRYLIC by Vicki Peters

Diana Bonn posed a question about a comment I recently made on the list about applying tips with acrylic instead of glue, when I was addressing the tips not holding up. Glue, gel glue and most bonding agents and resins are all cynoacrylates. Cynoacrylates break down in water and acrylics don't, that is a fact. So every time you wash your hands you're contributing to the breakdown of the glue you are wearing.

Now I am not stating that glue is not good - do not misunderstand me - what I am claiming is that acrylic is stronger and bonds longer to the natural nail.

I am a huge fan of cutting the wells out of tips, refining the smile lines and placing the edge of the tip on the edge of the nail. It is a cosmetic way of applying a tip that gives very little strength, the strength is in the overlay. If the overlay does not have a properly balanced overlay and is weak on the sides and stress are the tip will break. Same goes for a sculpture. So make sure your overlay is providing the structure not the tip. Applying the well-less tip on the edge of the natural nail with acrylic will give it more strength to stay on.

 

Here are three suggestions for applying tips with acrylic:

#1  Size out your tips and refine them if you choose to. You can use this method with or without wells, with natural colored tips and French white tips. Prep the nail plate just like you would for a sculptured nail, primer and all. Let the primer dry. One tip at a time turn the tip over so the underneath is facing up. Place a small amount of liquid and powder on the inside of the tip where the contact area is going to be on the nail - a thin layer across the entire edge of the tip. Use pink or clear powder. Place on the nail and hold into place until dry.   This takes a bit more time having to hold the tip while drying but the results will be better. When the tips are secure cut and shape the tips and continue with your overlay procedures.

#2  Another way to do this is to place a small ball of acrylic on the tip of the  natural nail and spread it over the entire edge of the nail. Then press the tip into the acrylic. Again you must hold the tip in place until it is dry. Too much acrylic will squish out and not enough will not give enough strength. When the tips are secure, cut and shape the tips and continue with your overlay procedures.

#3 The third way to apply tips in acrylic is to overlay the entire natural nail with pink powder. Before the acrylic is dry press a white French tip onto the very tip of the acrylic on the natural nail and let dry. Apply the cuticle area very thin or not completely up to the cuticle area. Once you have done this on all ten nails cut and shape the parameter of the tips. Then overlay the entire nail with clear acrylic, right over the pink you already applied with a thin coat and over the white tip. Be sure to view from the side to make sure you have not applied too much clear acrylic on the nail bed and not enough on the tip.

Ok so mow another tip: there is no need to take the shine of the tips once you have applied them. The acrylic will stick to them anyway - however whenever applying gels and fibgerglass you may want to take a white block and remove the shine.

Vicki

The Peters Perspective

"When you stop learning your career ends and your job begins"

DISCLAIMER

Any products mentioned in the "Tip Of The Week by Vicki Peters" is not an endorsement of any kind.

 

 [JZ Note: be careful not to "squish out" the acrylic - when you apply the tip you gently set it on the nail and hold, not rock it on like when using adhesive.  My nail mentor - Terri Lundberg - described it like landing a plane - you "land" the tip very gently and then hold it until dry.  This  technique also gives a fantastic arch to very flat nails (and fills in the gap between the tip and nail)!]

Nail Adhesives

In this post I am specifically taking about adhesives used to apply tip and wraps (some tip application notes are at the bottom). The first few paragraphs came from my notes on the chapter on adhesives from Doug Schoon's Nail Structure and Product Chemistry book (aka, the nail tech bible)

Adhesion is a force of nature-molecules of one surface are attracted to the molecules of another. It is what makes two surfaces stick together. - An adhesive is a chemical that causes 2 surfaces to stick together. - Glues are made from proteins, usually animal proteins (think: Elmer's glue). (You will find that I am a big stickler for proper terminology)

Adhesion occurs when 2 surfaces are compatible - removing oils and waxes changes the nature of the surface and clean, dry undamaged surfaces allow for better adhesion. Moisture can interfere with an adhesive bond and heavy abrasives strip off the natural nail plate, leaving it thin and weak.

Nail Adhesives are cyanoacrylates - which are a class of adhesive that must be protected from air moisture as they are are sensitive to water, alcohol and weak alkaline. They are not cross-linked so they are easily attacked by polish and remover solvents. Extremely fast setting adhesives give lower strength bonds and break down faster with exposure to moisture.

So if you think of nail adhesives being on a scale of 1 - 10 with 1 being the viscosity (thickness) of water and 10 being a super thick gel, the adhesives on the lower end of the spectrum will set the fastest and break down the soonest while the thicker adhesives on the high end of the spectrum set up the slowest but also break down the slowest. I personally prefer to use a gel bond when I use tips (which is rarely) because I would rather my clients not have their natural nails separate from the tip by the first fill. Yes It takes me a bit longer to apply the tips because I have to hold them for a few seconds, but i fond it worth it. Now I know other techs who value the speed of the fast setting adhesives and that is perfectly fine. The point is to know the pros and cons and decide what is right for YOU.

As for applying adhesives on a tip, there are many ways to do it and not one it "right" or "wrong". I like to put the adhesive on the well of the tip. Others put it on the natural nail. Still others put it on both. And yet others hold the tip on the nail and use a very thin adhesive and drip it on the seam where the tip meets the nail so it "sucks" up under the tip. The most important part of applying a tip is to make sure that it is flat on the nail and that there are no bubbles in the adhesive. Bubbles mean its not adhered and can allow for bacteria to set up shop under the nail.

One more thing I should mention - "Super Glue", Nail Adhesives and medical "liquid stitches" are ALL cyanoacrylates. BUT they are NOT interchangeable! Super glue contains etching agents and is not manufactured in sterile environments. Nail adhesive is made to go on the body and is manufactured accordingly. Medical adhesives are similar to nail adhesive but are manufactured in the strictest sterile setting as they are meant to come into contact with sensitive tissues and possibly blood.