Getting a trendy manicure that fully expresses your personality — think intricate designs, nail gems, the whole nine yards — has gotten increasingly expensive, yet extremely popular amongst the online beauty community. So when TikTok began circulating a cheap hack using press-on nails and gel curing, DIY-ers everywhere rejoiced. But nail professionals have issued a dire warning against the viral beauty trend.
"I personally think this is a very alarming and scary trend that's happening on TikTok at the moment," says Amber Thomas, founder of The Healthy Nails Collaborative, in her video. "UV light cannot go through a full cover press-on nail that is colored. It needs to be absolutely clear… You are leaving yourself open to developing an allergy to gel products."
The trend in question began circulating earlier this summer when creator @yasyyada's video brought it to the spotlight, raking in 2.3 million views. It involves using a bonding gel adhesive like Aprés's Extend Gel to attach inexpensive press-on nails that you'd typically get from a drug store. After applying the nail, the technique tells viewers to cure under a UV lamp, which should dry out the gel and produce a long-lasting and intricate manicure for low effort and low cost.
Both the issue and the draw, however, are that most affordable press-on nails from a drugstore come pre-designed. The nails are already painted and often feature impressive designs that nail novices can't accomplish themselves at home, making the whole process much easier. But those designs make the nails not completely clear, as Thomas says is necessary, and therefore block the UV light from actually fully curing the nail and the gel bonder beneath it.
A gel bonder like Extend Gel is meant to be used with entirely clear nail extensions, to be painted after application and fully curing. If gel is left uncured or only partially cured, the nails underneath may develop contact dermatitis and/or have an allergic reaction, which prevents the wearer from ever properly using a gel-based product again. According to Thomas, improperly cured gel also allows moisture to get trapped under the press-on nail, which could possibly lead to mold.
In many TikTok videos recommending the hack, viewers are told to use any affordable UV lamp they'd like to purchase, with a popular option being a mini lamp meant to be used for flash curing. Thomas has a separate video outlining the requirements for a safe nail UV lamp, which she says should be at least 48W and have a reflective bottom border to properly cure gel onto nails.
Other TikTokkers are also warning against the trend after trying it themselves and experiencing adverse effects. "My nails looked great until they started itching so bad that I had to pour almost boiling water on my nails just to try to ease the pain," said user @k.wamp in her video. "And then my fingernails were so squishy underneath they were falling off."
If nail enthusiasts do want an affordable alternative to salon-quality manicures, nail techs do agree that a gel bonder can still be used at home — it simply must be under a clear nail attachment and with a proper lamp. This, of course, then does require you to paint them yourself, making the hack much less useful to the less artistically inclined.
Somehow, taking the time to pick up some nail art skills seems worth it to avoid the burning, itching pain from a gel allergy. But maybe that's just us?
