The Truth About TikTok Nail Hacks That No One Tells You

The rabbit hole of NailTok

If you have ever found yourself deep down a rabbit hole on nailtok at 1 am, then you know that there are some pretty cool nail hacks, and there are hacks that have you wondering if they just created this for the views.

As a licensed nail tech turned content creator, I've seen it all from the game-changing hacks to the ones that make you want to yell WHAT THE HECK! Through your phone. TikTok is wild, but it's also powerful. But let's be real with ourselves. Not all hacks should be tried. Honestly, most nail content creators won't tell you that they practice for hours, sometimes days, to get a trending design or hack right. Then it's not until they perfect it that they make it look so seamless and easy.

So let's break it down. Here's what works... and what should not be tempted

Hacks That Actually will help You Save time on a client

Gel X retention: After you are done sealing the cuticle area, you want to go in with a small flat brush with the tiniest bit of acetone and run it over the cuticle area. What this does is it helps the cuticle area to look more flush to the nail bed and helps to keep the nails from lifting when the nails grow out. This technique melts the enhancement into the nail plate. So I also advise that you do an extra cure in the gel light to make sure it's cured completely.

Source: @Notjustamanicure

Cutting down your time doing a set of nails: No one actually likes sitting down a getting their nails done for 2 plus hours. So here is what works to cut done your work time.

1. Debulk before soaking off, turn your nail drill up and drill down safely. This will cut back on your soak-off time.

2. Just put the primer on the nails; you don't need to take 5 seconds to prime each nail (just be careful and avoid the skin ).

3. Stop taking so long to shape the nails, using the correct grit, and filing with long strokes instead of short strokes also helps to cut down work time.

   
   

   Nail designs that are not as easy as TikTok makes them look :

4. 
   

   The heart cat eye design: if I had a dollar for all the paper clips I had to bend to try and achieve this design, I would be rich. Yes, this works, but it takes some fine-tuning to get it right.

   

   Source: @Heluviee

   
   

   Chrome design Isolation: This, for me, is the hardest thing! Either the chrome comes out glittery, or the chrome doesn't grab in the places I need it to grab. I feel like I've tried all the troubleshooting tips, too!

   
   

   3D Art: This, for me, is an easy one, but if you aren't using the right sculpting gel, it will take longer to perfect the design you are going for.

   

   Source: @notjustamanicure

   
   

   Nail tools that have been recommended. Some that are great and some that aren't

5. 
   

   Russian manicure drill bits: Yes, yes, yes, but please get training before using these. Your nails can easily be damaged from improper use.

   
   

   Melody Susie Russian Manicure Bits $7.99

   

   Source: Amazon Melody Susie Drill bits

   
   

   Dental Floss to take off nails: This isn't even a tool and should not be used to take off nail enhancements. Please don't do this, I promise your nail tech will be happy to soak off your nails.

   
   

   A Cheap Gel lamp: I don't recommend going cheap with this. They usually lack adequate wattage, which can lead to improper curing that can then lead to uncured product that can then lead to contact dermatitis.

   
   

   Using Extend gel underneath your press-on nails: A BIG fat NO! Just don't do it. This comes back to the contact dermatitis I just mentioned above. If the press-ons you bought were meant to come with extend gel, then they would have included that in the instructions.

   
   
   
   

   There are so many Nail hacks and tips out there that I didn't mention. Just please always do your research and don't just opt for a cheaper product because some say it works the same. It's usually cheaper for a reason. It's fun to try these TikTok hacks and tricks, someone always comes up with a different way to do certain things, and that's what I mean when I said earlier that TikTok is powerful in the way that it helps people to expand their artistry I whichever way they decide to use it.

   
   
   
   
   
   

   Happy Nail Journey!

   XOXO

   Ashley