Thinking about rebranding to Nail Order and have 1 million questions? We have put this blog together to, hopefully, answer as many of those questions as possible.
We understand how daunting a thought it can be, thinking about rebranding, and we want to try and make that switch as easy as possible, should you decide to take the leap.
How do Nail Order recommend to prep the nails?
Good prep is the fundamental element to a successful manicure and good retention, its very important when thinking about using a new brand that you research how the brands you are looking into recommend natural nail prep as all brands will have a slightly different method of doing things. It can be tempting to use the method you have always used, however this may lead to poor retention with different products.
Our recommend prep method is the same for all the systems we offer and its super simple…
1. - Perform cuticle prep
2. - Always gently etch the natural nail with a 180 grit nail file or sanding band (never use a buffer, this smoothes the nail plate and doesn’t allow the gel to grip)
3. - Thoroughly dry dust the natural nail to remove dust and debris (never use any additional cleaners, dehydrators or acetone, this can over dehydrate the natural nail and lead to retention issues. Check out this blog https://nailorder.co.uk/blogs/tips-and-tricks/why-we-dont-recommend-the-use-of-cleansers-dehydrators-or-acetone-after-prep
4. - Apply Primer sparingly
Check out this blog
Do I need to use a base coat with your gels?
No, all of our gels have built in base coats, with the exception of gel polish.
What product should I use as a traditional builder gel?
AnGel builder gel is our traditional soak-off builder gel product. Its available in both a pot and a bottle. AnGel is HEMA free and UK made.
Shop AnGel here
Im confused about what all your gels are for, can you simplify it for me?
Base Coat = Standard base coat
Ultima = Clear rubber base coat
Flexi gel = Pigmented rubber base coat (Best Sellers: Minerva + Persephone)
Syner Gel = Hybrid gel (it bridges the gap between rubber base and builder gel, giving the flexibly of rubber base but strength of builder gel) (Best Sellers: Chaos + Vanity)
AnGel = Builder gel (Best Sellers: Peace + Rapture)
Dura Gel = Hard gel (Best Sellers: Haute + Boho)
Check out this blog
You have a few primers, what does each one do?
Primer – Standard non acid primer that cleanses and prepares the nail plate for the gel product. This is the primer we recommend starting with.
Xprime – Works in the same way as primer above but simply fits aesthetically with the Xtensions full cover range, non acid primer
Xprep – Exclusively for use with full voer tips, primes the natural nail and the tip.
Xetch- Exclusively for use on the full cover tip
Super Grip – Monomer based non acid primer that can improve adhesion, must be used very sparingly and combined with standard primer first for those with more oily nail beds. Apply a very small amount and let dry before gel application.
Is your top coat non wipe?
Our top coat is non stick, but even non stick top coats should be wiped over with an IPA based product after they have cured, and importantly, after they have cooled. All gels have an inhibition layer, even though this may be invisible, its important to ensure this is removed to avoid over exposure.
Are your products soak off?
All of our products are soak off with the exception of Dura Gel, all hard gels, by their nature are soak off because of the cross linking nature of them which makes them super hard.
I really want to extend with gel but the file off nature of hard gel makes me nervous…
First to say is don’t be nervous! Extending nails with the right products, such as hard gel and filing that off is much safer than using the wrong type of products (builder gel) and being able to soak it off. Our preferred method to remove hard gel is to file it down to the tinniest little layer and leave almost invisible patches on the natural nail to protect it. Alternatively you can use a soak off base underneath, Syner Gel is best for this.
Can I use my current brand of gel polish on your bases or vice versa?
There is no exact science to guide us specifically one way or another on this, however there are a few very important pieces of information to take into consideration if you choose to mix brands:
- -You must always remove any trace of an inhibition layer between brands of gels, do so by wiping with an IPA based product AND buffing, this is very important.
- -Using a HEMA free or minus 4 base with a gel colour that contains HEMA etc will not prevent a reaction from someone with an allergy
- -You must use an appropriate lamp for each brand
- - You should check with your insurance to find out their stance on this matter.
Where are your products made?
All of our gels (with the exception of Xgel) are made in the UK or EU. Xgel is made in China but third party tested to insure the ingredients as stated.
Are your products all HEMA free?
All of our products are HEMA free with the exception of Xgel (has low percentage (7.9%)) and original formula Dura gel (has low percentage (4%) and HEMA free formula is available).
Are your products hypoallergenic?
Hypoallergenic is a term we decided to stop using within our company, we feel it can be misleading as many people believe that “hypoallergenic” means that you cant have a reaction ,which is simply untrue. Instead we use the term “ minus 4”, this means free from the 4 main allergens you find in nail products (HEMA, HPMA, IBOA an di-HEMA).The majority of our gels are minus 4 and you can find this information attached to each product individually.
Check out this blog
Can I extend nails using your gels?
You can absolutely extend using Dura Gel, hard gel. As a brand we do not believe that soft gels (soak off gels such as builder gel) are suitable for extending nails. The reason being that soft gels such as builder gel can not cure at as thick a rate as cross linked hard gel, this means that to support the additional length, builder gel can be applied too thick, meaning its under-cured, under cured gel can lead to allergies.
Do I need to do a conversion course to use your products?
No, to use our products you simply have to be a qualified nail technician. As a brand we offer a plethora of free education so be sure to familiarise yourself with our application methods before you use our products.
What lamp can I use with Nail Order products?
Very simply, the only lamps we can recommend are ours. Whilst we have tested a small selection of other brands lamps and an appropriate cure has been achieved, we can not be sure that other manufacturers do not make changes to the internal workings of these lamps that could affect the curing efficacy with our gels. For clarity we have not tested any generic lamps, such as SUN UV, on the market with our gels.
Do you offer any training?
Yes, we offer fully accredited training for both online and in person courses.
Can I send back my old brand gels?
Yes! If you purchase through our SRS scheme you can send back your old brand gels for store credit.
Check out more information on our SRS scheme here