natc said:
Hi i need abit of advise. i did a course in acrylic and they told me that acetone is one of the best way to dehydrate the natural nail plate before application of acrylic is this true? also how do you deal with cracking and lifing when doing infills? whould you remove and replace the nail or how would you fix it? thanks!
Hi Natc,
Acetone is not recommended for dehydrating the natural nail plate before enhancement application as it may leave a residue on the nail (Doug Schoon advised me of this) which may prevent adhesion.
The number one cause of lifting is improper prep. Check through all your prep steps- and I recommend using the steps Creative Nail Design recommends-
PREP- Use CND Cuticle Remover to eliminate cuticle from the nail plate.
Apply a small amount liberally to the base of all ten nails.
Slide a metal cuticle pusher gently to loosen the cuticle.
Use a curette to gently remove the cuticle from the nail plate up to, but not beyond, the eponychium and lateral edge. Be sure to check all the way around the nail plate along the cuticle line and lateral walls for any thin transparent tissue that might be hiding! This non-living tissue contains oil and moisture that could act as a barrier between the nail plate and product.
Use nippers to carefully remove any loose pieces of non-living cuticle or hangnails.
Rinse thoroughly and towel dry.
Use a Kanga Board to shape and smooth the free edge of the nail. When tipping, gently round off the corners of the nail to match the fit at the tip contact area. If sculpting on a form, leave corners more square for best form fit at sidewalls.
REMOVE SHINE- Use a 240 grit buffer to lightly remove the shine from the surface of the nail plate in the direction of the nail growth.
Remove the dust particles with a dry, sanitized nail brush.
PURIFY NAIL PLATE LAYERS- Use Scrub Fresh with a fiber-free pad to cleanse the nails. Pull the lateral folds back with your fingers and scrub the nails with the pad, concentrating on the cuticle and lateral walls where oil and dust can hide. Scrub as though you were removing red enamel from the nail plate (5 seconds each nail).
The causes of cracking may be: incorrect mix ratio (too wet/too dry), over filing the natural nail plate, product contamination, nipping/drilling/heavy abrasives...
Your method of dealing with a lifted and/or cracked nail will vary- lifting can be remedied by removing the entire area of lift by beveling an abrasive above the area of lift, creating a 'seam' along the lift and lifting the product away from the nail plate gently with a cuticle pusher or orangewood stick.
For cracks- you need to bevel into the crack - a "v" shape-- all the way down to the natural nail plate (be cautious to not 'over file' and damage the nail plate), and apply fresh product.
I wish you the best of luck- hope this helps!