What Is Nail Primer For? (Everything You Need To Know)

Have you ever visited a nail salon for a gel or acrylic manicure? Then chances are you’ve seen how many steps are included in creating a flawless set of nails. This includes shaping, trimming, polishing, curing, and priming your nail plates.

Nail primer is an essential tool for most nail enhancements. They offer strength and longevity for every set of nails. However, most individuals can gloss over the importance of primer because many alternatives exist, like a base coat or bonder.

Bonders, dehydrators, and nail primers are all different products and essential to a manicure, so it may not be wise to leave one out depending on your nail service. Nail primer can completely transform your manicure and its wear time. 

So what exactly is nail primer for? Nail primer is a product applied in most nail enhancement services. It’s designed to offer protection to the natural nail plate and create a clean canvas for your manicure. It can also prevent chipping and lifting.

Without nail primer, you can risk weakening your natural nails or shortening the lifespan of your nail enhancements. Nail primers are a crucial step for nail preparation, so what else should you know about this particular product? 

What Is A Nail Primer?

A nail primer (we love this one from Young Nails) is one of the essential products used in nail prep alongside a base coat, dehydrator, and more. It’s often the first step in any nail enhancement service and can help create a clean canvas for other materials to latch onto.

Nail primers are a must-have product to promote the longevity of your manicure and keep your real nails intact. Also, primers are arguably just as important as using a base coat or pushing back your cuticles. 

These prep items can provide numerous benefits for the nails and are available in different formulas. 

Benefits Of A Nail Primer 

What happens if you don’t use a nail primer? You can risk weakening your nail plates and shortening the lifespan of your manicure. 

Both can lead to using excess resources to restore your nails to health to ensure they can handle nail enhancements.

Some expected benefits of nail primer include protection, adhesion, and reducing chipping or lifting. Nail enhancements like gel or acrylic can affect your nails’ health due to improper nail prep or application.

Protects Natural Nails 

Nail primers will nourish the natural nail plates. A primer is required to prepare the nails for your enhancement because most services rely on seamless adhesion. For example, the lifespan of your gel can be shortened without nail primer.

Like a base coat, nail primer can reduce moisture, oil, and debris from the nail plate and offer a clean foundation. Once the nail primer is applied, the rest of the prep products have a better chance of working, thanks to this solid foundation.

It acts as a barrier between the natural nails and the enhancement.

Prevents Lifting

Lifting is a common term to describe the detachment of the nail enhancement from the nail plate. It can occur with gel and acrylic services, and the bottom of the enhancement near the cuticle can lift and start to peel or fall off the nails.

However, a primer will prevent lifting because it will ensure the nails are properly prepped and a strong, tacky layer for the enhancement to stick onto. In addition, lifting can lead to damaging your nail plate if it’s not addressed on time.

Minimizes Chipping 

Have you ever left the nail salon for your polish to chip two days later? Chipping can be frustrating because it can be challenging to reduce hands-on activities. Also, when most people prep the nails, it’s usually focused on the base of the nail plate.

However, the tips of your nails need the same TLC. Nail primer can also be used to prep the free edge of your nail to ensure maximum adhesion and prevent chipping. That extra layer of protection on the free edge will give color something to stick to. 

Promotes Adhesion 

One of the main goals of nail prep is to promote adhesion. This means you want to create a protective layer on the natural nails that offers a tacky base for your enhancements. This can also depend on what type of nail primer you use. 

For example, an acid nail primer is suitable for those with damaged or weakened nails that need extra help with adhesion. Without the proper bonding, you can risk your nail enhancements from prematurely lifting, falling, or chipping.

Types Of Nail Primers

What else should you know about nail primers? 

First, it’s crucial to understand there are different types of nail primers. The most common two are acid and acid-free primers. Each primer has its pros and cons and which nail characteristics they fit best.

However, acid-free nail primers are more popular thanks to their gentler formula. So, when people refer to a nail primer, they could likely mean an acid-free nail primer. So, what are the differences between an acid and acid-free nail primer?

Acid Nail Primers

Acid nail primers are highly potent but work wonders for weakened or damaged nails. They also need to be applied sparingly to avoid altering your enhancement or to prevent burning the surrounding skin due to its intense formulation.

Acid nail primers promote incredible adhesion, especially for damaged nail plates. You only need one or two drops of acid-based nail primers; too much can lead to complications. Finally, acid primers usually dry down within a few minutes.

Acid-Free Nail Primers 

Acid-free nail primers are what most people are gravitating toward today. This type of nail primer has a gentler formulation to promote adhesion. Also, acid-free nail primers are used in almost any service like gel, acrylic, or gel polish.

This formulation will create a durable bond for nail enhancements and promote adhesion for almost every nail plate. It’s simple to use and is often considered a necessary product in every nail preparation routine.

What Nail Services Use A Primer?

You may be wondering, when is the correct time to apply a primer? Unless you have no issues lifting or chipping or only apply regular polish, you can significantly benefit from a nail primer. It’s used in a majority of services like base coats.

For example, most of today’s nail enhancement services like hard gel, gel polish, acrylic, or tips all require the use of a primer. It will ensure your set of nails lasts for as long as possible without causing unnecessary damage to your nail plates. 

Gel 

Gel is one of the most common nail enhancement services. Gel can be applied to natural nails, or you can create your own extensions. However, a primer is usually required to make gel last, regardless if it’s hard gel or gel polish.

A nail primer will promote longevity and ensure you get the most from your nails. It can also prevent gel polish from chipping around the free edge or your extensions from lifting at the base. It’s usually one of the first products applied in nail prep. 

Here’s a tutorial for doing your own gel nails at home the right way from Gabby Angelique on YouTube.

Acrylic 

Acrylic is another popular nail enhancement service, but they have a bad reputation for causing excess damage to nail plates. However, with the correct nail prep, removal, and care, you can wear acrylics freely without harming the natural nails. 

Nail primer is a key product required to ensure you have maximum adhesion and protection before applying acrylic enhancements. It can prolong the wear time of acrylics and ensure the plates are shielded underneath.

For a tutorial on doing your own acrylic nails, take a look at this one from Nail Career Education on YouTube.

 

Other Enhancements 

Countless nail services require the use of a nail primer. For example, applying tips to the nail plates can also benefit from using a primer to ensure adhesion, especially since tips don’t offer coverage for the entire nail plate.

Another popular nail enhancement is dip powder nails. Nail dip or dip powder nails require using acrylic powder to coat the entire nail with pigment. However, use nail primer to ensure your nails are protected and have a great base.

You can also consult with a nail tech to see what other services can benefit from using a nail primer. 

How Do You Apply A Primer?

Nail primers aren’t overly complicated to use and easy to incorporate into your nail routine. They can look and feel similar to a base coat and are usually clear in color. In addition, some nail primers may dry quicker than others, aiding in nail prep.

Primers are typically the first product to be applied after trimming, shaping, or filing the nails. A nail primer will lay the groundwork for the following products: base coat, bonder, gel polish, or acrylic.

Always Follow Manufacturer’s Directions 

One of the best ways to use nail primer is according to your manufacturer’s directions. How you use your nail primer heavily depends on what type it is and its formulation so the brand should provide all instructions. 

Using a nail primer according to its label will ensure you get the most out of your prep product. You can rest assured knowing you’ll achieve a smooth and even finish. Also, not all primers will act the same, so it’s better to follow the directions.

Primer Goes First

Nail primer is usually the first step in nail enhancement application. However, other nail prep like cuticle care or filing/trimming the nails should always be completed before applying any products, including nail primers.

So, you’ll want to ensure all your nail care is completed so you can apply your first product, nail primer. A little will go a long way, and following your brand’s application instructions will ensure you get a seamless finish.

Apply To Dry Nails 

Once ready to apply nail primer, please ensure the nail plates are fully clean and dry. Applying nail primer to wet or dirty nail plates can hinder the adhesion of your nail enhancements. The nails’ natural oils can also disrupt your enhancements.

Also, any lint, dust, or debris can get trapped under multiple products like nail primer, base coat, or bonder. This can ruin the smooth finish of the nails or shorten their lifespan. A dry, clean nail plate will be the perfect canvas for nail primer.

Give It Time To Dry

After applying your nail primer, you’ll want to wait a bit before going in with your following product. Again each nail primer will have a different dry time, some taking seconds, others taking minutes. So always follow your brand’s directions.

Allowing the nail primer to dry ensures it has adequate time to provide all the benefits the primer has to offer. It then creates a smooth canvas for the rest of your base items. 

Continue Your Nail Service 

Once your nail primer is set and complete, you can now move on to applying other nail prep products. For example, if you’re performing an acrylic set, you may want to add a bonder, or if you’re working with gel, you can also benefit from a base coat.

After all the base products are on and cured, you can continue applying the rest of your nail enhancements. You can incorporate a nail primer for your at-home nail routine or learn how to use it properly from your nail tech. 

Do You Always Need A Nail Primer? 

So do you really need a nail primer? A nail primer will be incredibly useful for almost all nail services. They can boost longevity, promote adhesion, and protect the natural nails. Nail primers also lay all the groundwork for your enhancements. 

You may not need a nail primer if you’re doing a simple service like applying regular nail polish. However, nail primers are usually an essential step in creating nail enhancements that last. 

Related Questions 

There are too many nail prep products to keep track of, so it can be overwhelming to differentiate each item. Nail primers, bonders, dehydrators, and base coats are all prep products, but what sets them apart?

Nail Primer Vs Bonder?

Nail primers and bonders are similar but can’t be used in place of each other. Primers focus on creating a solid bond between the enhancement and the nail plate to help promote longevity.

Bonders remove excess oils and moisture from the nails and help raise the nails’ pH balance to ensure proper adhesion. These products are used together to perfect an acrylic enhancement. 

Nail Primer Vs Dehydrator?

A dehydrator can also cause confusion because, unlike a primer, a dehydrator dehydrates the nails. This means it removes excess oils and moisture from the nail plates, but then how does a dehydrator differ from a bonder?

A dehydrator will promote longevity by soaking up excess moisture, except it won’t necessarily raise the pH levels of the nails like a bonder. 

Nail Primer Vs Base Coat?

Is primer just another word for base coat? While they both ensure the longevity of your nails, a primer will be more drying to create a moisture-free nail plate. It will ensure the enhancement has something to stick to.

A base coat is similar because it provides a tacky layer for nail enhancement to adhere to. However, a base coat also smooths any texture, bumps, or ridges on the nails and prevents staining.

Wrap-Up

Overall, nail primers are a must-have tool for almost any nail enhancement. You can choose from acid or acid-free nail primers, but acid-free are more common and have a gentler formula. 

Primers will prolong the wear time of your enhancements by preventing lifting, chipping, and promoting adhesion. This will allow you to get a beautiful set of nails without ruining the integrity of your nail plate. 

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