Our Gel Nail Courses will take you from beginner to professional nail technician using industry leading interactive teaching techniques which include The Nail Trainer - which is a life-like hand on a flexible arm, articulating jointed fingers, flesh like finger tips and replaceable exercise nails. A 250 page Diploma in Nail Technology book which covers every aspect of the nail industry and a Interactive DVD

The Gel Nail Course is split into four main parts.

Part 1 “Foundation” This part of the course provides you with general information on working in the nail industry, in a salon, from home or as a mobile Nail Technician. It'll tell you about the different nail systems, how they work, the tools and products you'll be using to service your clients. You will learn about the natural nail and about some of the diseases and problems that affect it, you'll learn the correct way to deal with your clients and the importance of good hygiene.

Part 2 “Essential Techniques” This part will teach you the basics of the Nail Technician's art: hot to file correctly, how to prepare the nail, apply and blend a tip. How to apply and cure the Gel and finally how to finish and polish the nail.

Part 3 “Working the Whole Hand” In this part of the course you will learn about practicing for speed and efficiency in the salon and working on different shapes and sizes of nail.

Part 4 “Maintaining Gel Nails” The last part of this course will teach you how to provide the common maintenance tasks such as rebalancing and in-fills, as well as how to repair lifting, cracked and chipped enhancements.

The full course topics are listed below

This course will teach you every aspect of becoming a Nail technician so please take the time to read all the chapters and topics below and compare them to other courses you have looked at as this will put you in a much better position to make the right choice on which course is best for you and which course is the best value for money in terms of training you to become and professional Nail Technician.

Part 1. Foundation.

Chapter 1 - Why nails?
The advantages to the client.
Nail extensions: some common names.
The different nail systems
Acrylic Nails.
Fibreglass nails.
Gel nails.
Common techniques.
Why be a Nail Technician?

Chapter 2 - Introduction to Home Learn.
Why home learn?
The practice problem.
Your perfect model: The Nail Trainer.
Your perfect teacher: on video.
Getting qualified.

Chapter 3 - Gel nails. Getting ready to learn.
The Products: what they are and what they do.
Cuticle massage oil.
Tip glue.
Nail polishes.
Top coat .
Nail tips.
Nail sanitizer and cleaner.
Extender nozzles.
Gel.
Simulate broken nails.
Electric Files.
Progress cards.
The Essential Techniques Progress card.
The Whole Hand Practice card.
How you learn: Run, Repeat, Read & Review.
Time management and practice regime.
Setting up to practice.

Answer test paper 1, Tools products & Systems.

Chapter 5 - Salon skills.
Attitude and personal appearance.
Preparation and your surroundings.
Client consultation.
Manners and courtesy.
Communicating.
Your colleagues.
Ethics.
Retail sales.

Answer test paper 2: Salon skills.

Chapter 6 - Chemicals, hazards and safety procedures.
Understanding health hazards.
Safe use of nail tools.
The file.
The buffer block.
The brush.
Cuticle knives.
The Electric File.
The UV lamp.
Know your nail products and chemicals.
Inhalation, absorption and ingestion.
Extension tip remover.
Acrylic primer.
Nail polish remover.
Gel prep and residue remover.
Accelerator.
Acrylic liquid.
Acrylic powder.
Nail adhesive.
Filing dust.
A quick guide to understanding the risks!
A quick guide to working safely with nail products.
Storage of chemicals.
Disposal of chemicals.
Extension tip remover.
Nail polish remover.
Gel prep and residue remover.
The chemical reaction.
The nail systems.
Acrylics.
Gels.
Fibreglass.

Answer test paper 3: Chemicals.

Health and safety procedures.
Hygiene.
Disease and bacteria.
Infection.
How infection occurs.
Minimising infection.
Sanitation.
Disinfection.
Sterilisation.
Other nail tools.

Chapter 7 - The nail.
The parts of the nail.
The matrix.
The Eponychium.
The Proximal nail fold.
The Cuticle.
The lunula.
The Perionychium.
The Nail grooves.
The Distal grooves.
The Hyponychium.
The nail bed.
Different nail shapes.
How the nail grows.
Chapter 8. Common nail diseases.
Disorders and contra actions.
Disorders of the nails.
Disorders that must not be serviced by a Nail Technician.
Bacterial infection.
Paronychia (paro-nik-ia).
Onychomycosis (oni-komi-ko-sis).
Onychia (on-nik-ia).
Onychogryposis (oni-ko-grey-posis).
Onycholysis (oni-kol-i-sis).
Onychoptosis (oni-kop-toh-sis).
Onychocryptosis (oni-ko-krip-toh-sis).
Onychomadesis (oni-ko-mad-esis).
Onychatrophia (oni-chat-troh-fee-ah).
Psoriasis (sa-ria-sis).
Disorders that may be serviced by a Nail Technician.
Bruised nails.
Corrugations.
Discoloured nails.
Eggshell nails.
Habit tic.
Hang nails.
Koilonychia (kol-on-ik-ia).
Leukonychia (loo-kon-ik-ia).
Onychoclasis (oni-cho-klas-is).
Onychauxis (oni-kik-sis).
Onychophagy (oni-kof-aji).
Onychorrhexis (oni-kor-rek-sis).
Pterygium (te-rij-ium).
In case you are not sure!.
Contra actions.
Pre-service checklist .

Answer test paper 4 : Parts of the nail and the pre-service rules.

Part 2. Essential Techniques.

Chapter 9 - Basic techniques.
Filing.
Grips and Positions.
The file Grips.
The correct sequence.
The corresponding finger Positions.
Combining Positions and Grips.
Groove Positions and Grips.
First Joint Position and Shape Grip.
Side Positions and Grips.
Free Edge Position and Grip.
Practising the Positions and Grips.
Practice regime.

Chapter 10 - Six steps to perfect Gel Nails.
How you will learn.
Initial speeds.
STEP 1 . Removing nail polish.
Acetone based polish remover.
STEP 2 . Preparing the natural nail.
Object of the exercise.
The procedure.
Equipment and product required.
Clean the nail with Gel Preparation.
Push back the cuticle.
Removing the shine.
Key the nail.
To key or not to key?
Dust.
Salon speed demonstration.
Salon target speed.
Practice regime.
Answer test paper 5, Basic techniques and preparing the nail.
STEP 3 . Nail tipping and blending.
Object of the exercise.
Nails tips.
How are tips made?
How to choose a nail tip.
Applying a tip.
The procedure.
Equipment and product required.
Choosing the correct size of tip.
Shaping the free edge.
Sizing the tip’s width.
Cleaning the tip’s well.
Tip adhesive.
Applying adhesive to the tip.
Judging the correct amount of glue.
Burp the bottle.
Placing the tip on the nail: the correct angle.
Rotate the nail and look out for air pockets.
Problems sticking on tips.
Glue setting times.
Cutting the tip.
Streamlining the edges of the tip.
Shaping the free edge.
Free edge shapes.
Thinning the free edge of the tip.
Blending the seam.
Blending the centre of the seam.
Blending the left side.
Blending the right side.
Fine blending.
Salon speed demonstration.
Suggested practice regime.
Answer test paper 6, Nail Tipping.
STEP 4 . The Gel overlay.
Object of the exercise.
The procedure.
Equipment and product required.
Cleaning.
Acetone problems.
Application 1 . The bonding layer.
The power of light boxes.
Cure application 1. The bonding layer.
Remove the hand from the UV lamp.
Application 2 . The building layer.
The correct shape.
Cure the second layer.
Checking the shape.
Why is the cured Gel still sticky?
Remove the sticky residue.
Salon speed demonstration.
Practice regime.
STEP 5 . Finishing.
The correct shape.
To file or not to file?
The procedure.
Equipment and product required.
Tidy.
Smoothing the nail.
Smoothing the top.
Smoothing the middle / left.
Smoothing the middle / right.
Buffing.
Dust the nail.
The final application of Gel.
Cure the final layer.
Remove the sticky residue.
Streamlining the left edge of the nail.
Streamlining the right edge of the nail.
Final check of the free edge shape.
Clean your brush.
Buffing to a high shine.
Applying cuticle oil.
Keys and money.
Clean hands.
Salon speed demonstration.
Salon target time.
Practice regime.
Answer test paper 7, The UV Gel overlay.
STEP 6 . Polishing.
The object of the exercise.
Base coats.
Nail strengtheners / hardeners.
Ridge fillers.
Nail polishes.
Which colour?.
Type 1: ‘spring’ colouring.
Type 2: ‘summer’ colouring.
Type 3: ‘autumn’ colouring.
Type 4: ‘winter’ colouring.
The procedure.
Equipment and product required.
Mix the polish.
Load the brush with polish.
Polish perfect nails.
Topcoat.
Interlocking.
Other tips on polishing.
Salon target speed.
Suggested practice regime.

Answer test paper 8 , finishing and polishing.

Part 3. Working The Whole Hand.

Chapter 11. Creating your first set of 5 nails.
The procedure.
Using the light box on the whole hand.
Time.
Click the Nails into The Nail Trainer.
The maintenance nail.
Working on the hand.
Preparation.
Tipping.
Apply the bonding and building layers of Gel.
Finishing.
Polish.
Practice regime.
Test results, your ENP certification and route to further skills.
What happens if you fail?.
Putting it all together.
What to do next.
Maintaining nail extensions.
Acrylic Tip and Overlay nails.
Acrylic sculpting.
Fibreglass.
Airbrush nails.

Part 4. Maintaining Gel Nails.

Chapter 12. Defining the maintenance tasks.
Rebalancing.
What is rebalancing?
The procedure.
1. Pre-service.
2. Remove any lifted product.
3. Re streamline the side walls left and right.
4. Reshape and shorten the free edges.
5. Smooth the re growth ledges.
6. Move the crown back.
7. Clean away the debris.
8. Apply antiseptic.
9. Apply Gel nail prep.
10. Apply first thin layer in regrowth area and cure.
11. Build the crown and cure.
12. Shape the nail, if required.
13. Buff nail.
14. Dust away the debris.
15. Apply final thin, sealing layer of Gel.
16. Apply cuticle oil.
17. Clean nails.
18. Polish, top coat or buff as required.
Cracks in overlays.
Some common causes.
Tips stressed.
Poor adhesion of product.
Repairing cracks.
Lifting overlays.
What is a lifting overlay?
Why do enhancements lift?
Cleaning.
Remove cuticle and pterygium completely.
Dehydrating.
Avoid contamination by finger oil.
Avoid product contamination.
Make your first Gel application thin.
Avoid long immersion in water.
Mechanical shock.
Make the overlay thin at the cuticle.
Keep the product off the skin.
How to repair lifting overlays.
When to start afresh.
Use of nippers to remove lifted product.
Repairing chips in the free edge.
Removing nail enhancements.
Bad reaction.
A fresh set.
The latest thing in nails!
Bad workmanship.
How to remove Gel enhancements.
Soaking off. The tools and products you need.
The procedure

Chapter 13 . Practical maintenance. Gels
Initial inspection.
The procedure.
Complete pre service.
Clean up & re-tip the thumb and index finger.
Rebalance the remaining three nails.
Application of thin bonding layer to thumb and forefinger.