Hiya!

One of my favorite parts of my job is trying new products and recommending the good ones to you all, and then in turn, seeing photos of your beautiful nails or hearing stories of how my recommendations have worked for you. Sometimes, I get some comments asking if the things I recommend are really necessary or if I can suggest any amazon versions of xyz product instead. So today, I want to break down my thoughts on different product categories and if I think it' really matters which brands/products you use when doing nails.

Disclaimer: I obviously haven’t tried every product ever, so this is based on things I’ve had time to really test and use, combined with my learnings from industry experts and educators. My main goal with my platform is to educate and inform so everyone can feel like they are making the safest decisions when doing nails. These are my opinions and you can use whatever you feel comfortable with of course!

If you’re new, I’m Kara! I’m a licensed nail tech and certified educator with a passion for natural nail health. Thanks for being here! ☺️

Does It Really Matter What You Use?

Disposable Prep Tools: No

I’ve been using disposable prep tools (i.e. single use, porous tools that should be disposed after each use) from amazon for pretty much as long as I’ve been doing nails. I love how you can buy files, buffers, wipes, and orange wood sticks, etc in large quantities and get them delivered quickly for pretty cheap, especially since you only use them once on clients or a few times on yourself.

I think this comes down to personal preference, but I’ve found that as long as you’re being safe using these tools and disposing after each use, that using amazon or drug store or bulk beauty store versions of these products is totally ok. I actually just ordered files from Kokoist and I’m excited to see how I like using them and if there is really a difference. Stay tuned :)

My prep tool favorites are linked here!

Reusable Prep Tools: Yes and No

I’ve tried a variety of tools and implements throughout the years and this is an area where I think you don’t realize what you’re missing until you upgrade. With that said, I do think most of the drug store/amazon tools I’ve tried are fine or pretty good for most people! But when I upgraded some of them to professional grade products… 😮💨 the difference was pretty noticeable.

So the tools I use every manicure in this category are cuticle nippers, e-file bits, and a cuticle pusher and again, I think this comes down to personal preference but there are some pretty awful versions of these products in the world tbh. One time I tried cuticle nippers that were just way too large and dull that I just threw them away (dull nippers are not safe to use)! I think you have to try a few styles and versions of these to find what works for your method and preferences, and just know that not all of these tools are created equally.

These are my favorite tools to use!

E-File Bits: Yes

The one area I really have changed my mind on in the past year is with e-file bits and this is now a YES from me. I love using an e-file, but there’s a learning curve and a lot of nuance to using one and they can be very damaging if used incorrectly. Especially if you are using low quality bits and using them incorrectly.

I took an e-file certification this past year, and I learned that many e-file bit manufacturers call their cuticle bits “diamond” but are actually using sand and glass which scratches and damages nails instead of gently exfoliating them like diamond bits are supposed to.

Also, I’ve used carbide bits from amazon that hardly remove any layers of gel with 5 passes, compared to the higher quality bits I’ve switched to which can cut through several layers of gel in just one or two passes.

This means that you can work faster and there’s less risk of damaging your nails too. And these higher quality bits last for 150-300 services each and I feel like I needed to replace my amazon bits every month because their performance declined so quickly. This is a buy it nice or buy it twice situation if I’ve ever seen one!!

Even if the amazon listing says the products are made with stainless steel or diamond, I have found they also include this wording:

“Disclaimer: While we work to ensure that product information is correct, on occasion manufacturers may alter their ingredient lists. Actual product packaging and materials may contain more and/or different information than that shown on our Web site. We recommend that you do not solely rely on the information presented and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before using or consuming a product. For additional information about a product, please contact the manufacturer.”

So we truly have no idea what it’s made out of… Just be aware, and I promise you will notice a difference once you upgrade. This was one of my favorite changes I made last year.

Overall, I would recommend using bits from reputable nail brands either directly buying from them or from nail supply stores. And double check the materials they use in their products too. I personally won’t be using amazon/cheap bits anymore.

These are my favorite bits!

PS - I’m hosting a new certification class next month! If you’re interested in learning more about my Erica’s ATA + Nail Thoughts or Kokoist Certifications, put your email here and I’ll notify you when the class is live! :)

E-File: Yes and No

I had this e-file from Amazon for 4 years before I upgraded and I really liked it… until I upgraded 😂 (I think I’m sensing a theme to this newsletter).

I think this e-file is perfectly good and gets the job done and would be great if you are a hobbyist. I’m still keeping mine and I will use it whenever I have to travel.

If you’re a professional and using an e-file more than once per day, you will really enjoy upgrading to one that is quieter, and doesn’t vibrate as much which can cause strain on your hands and wrists, and has more power so you can work faster.

Here are my e-file recommendations!

Dust Collector: Yes and No

This is pretty much the same as above. I had this one from amazon for many years that worked well and then eventually just lost power so I upgraded. I love my new one but it was over 4x the cost as the previous one..

If you’re a professional and you’re doing multiple sets per day, I definitely think it’s worth using a really high quality powerful dust collector. But if you’re just doing your own every few weeks, the amazon one is an great option!

Nail Lamp: Yes

There are only a few things I’ll be a really huge stickler about when it comes to these items and the nail lamp is one of them. This is my stance: Using a professional nail lamp is an absolute must if you’re using gel polish even if you’re not a professional. I just don’t trust any random company that is making lamps to ensure that they’re truly working to cure gel polishes to safe levels like I trust actual professional gel companies who have in house chemists doing this work.

If you’re in the market for a lamp, I always recommend one from Kokoist. They have two really great options, the Hybrid Infinity and the Le Blanc. Here is a video about the differences between the two. These lamps are made (and tested/proven) to last over 50,000 hours, so you won’t need to replace it as often as you would if you buy one from amazon.

I have also been getting messages from people asking why their professional gel polishes are lifting/they haven’t changed anything in their routine, and one of the main causes of sudden lifting is your lamp not working as well anymore. It’s really hard to trust anything you buy from amazon to know how many hours that will take to happen. If you want to use an amazon lamp for now, just know that you will likely need to replace it sooner than you would if you invested in a pro lamp. This is the one I recommend from Amazon but I really mostly just recommend the Kokoist ones if I’m being honest!

And please, don’t even think about using a mini lamp or one made for flash curing or one that costs $10. That’s just not safe at all. Your gel lamp is the number one thing you should be investing in when using gel in my opinion.

Gel allergies are not a thing to mess around with. I wrote a blog post about it here if you want to read more.

Ok this is getting lengthyyyy and I really want to dive into my thoughts on specific gel products so I’m going to save that for the next post if you all like this one! Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it!

Let me know if you have any questions!

BYE! 💋