Becoming a nail stylist

5 June 2025

Becoming a nail stylist: the complete guide for a healthy and successful start

Becoming a nail stylist is more than being able to create a beautiful design. It’s a craft where every detail matters. Your career doesn’t start with speed or complex nail art but with the right foundation: knowledge, technique, hygiene, and reliable products. What you learn in the first few months determines whether you’ll grow steadily and professionally — or make mistakes that cost you clients, health, or reputation.

This guide is for anyone who wants to start as a nail stylist. We’ll discuss the most important rules, mistakes to avoid, and explain which VERIN products are perfect for a safe and professional start.

1. Avoid contact with the skin

A common beginner’s mistake: touching the skin or cuticle with gel polish or base coat. This can lead to:

• lifting (product coming off within days),
• incomplete curing and a burning sensation,
• increased risk of allergies,
• loss of shine and adhesion.

Rule number one: no product on the skin — not even a little.
Use HEMA- and TPO-free products from VERIN for extra safety, even if your technique isn’t perfect yet.

2. Choose a lamp with sufficient quality and power

The lamp is your most important tool — without proper curing, nothing works well. Beginners often underestimate:

• that lamps lose power after 10–12 months,
• that old diodes cause incomplete curing, leading to allergies and lifting.

Recommended: Lamps of at least 72W power for reliable curing, especially for dark colors or thicker bases.

3. Work with a dust collector: for your health and hygiene

When filing old product _s, you create:

• fine dust that you inhale (harmful to the lungs),
• allergens in the air,
• mess on your desk and products.

A good dust collector with a filter is essential — not only for hygiene but for your long-term health.
Also check out one of our dust extraction systems for more information.

4. Use safe, stable, and beginner-friendly products

Never start with cheap or unreliable brands. They can:

• fail to cure properly,
• cause allergies,
• deliver unpredictable results.

For beginning nail stylists, we recommend the following from the VERIN range:

• Silicone Base – flexible, easy to apply, doesn’t run.
• Medium Base – ideal for leveling and strengthening, smooth viscosity.
• Top Crystal – no sticky _, high gloss, scratch-resistant.
• VERIN Gel Polishes – HEMA-free, TPO-free, highly pigmented, safe and easy to use.
• Unique Gel – our most user-friendly builder gel. It doesn’t run, self-levels, is easy to file, and perfect for strengthening and shaping for beginners.

Combine with Silicone Base for maximum adhesion.

5. Don’t mix brands without chemical knowledge

Different brands = different chemistry. If you mix products:

• _s may lift,
• a white haze or bubbles may appear,
• the result may be unstable or even harmful.

VERIN is a complete system: base, color, top, primer, cleanser — all designed to work together chemically.

6. Don’t rush – technique before speed

Rushing leads beginners to:

• mistakes near the cuticle,
• product overflow,
• poor shaping.

VERIN products are developed with enough “working time”: you have time to apply and correct without the product running. Ideal if you don’t yet have a steady hand.

7. Don’t forget primer and cleanser

Preparation determines adhesion. Use:

• VERIN Prep – removes oils and moisture without drying the nail.
• VERIN Acid-Free Primer – ensures strong adhesion, especially on moist or oily nails.

8. Hygiene is standard, not optional

• Use disposable or replaceable files on a metal base.
• Disinfect all tools after every client.
• Keep your brushes, table, lamp, and drill clean.

VERIN offers high-quality replaceable files with a titanium base for a hygienic workflow.

9. Client communication is part of professionalism

Learn to explain to your clients:

• why you work with safe products,
• how they should care for their nails at home,
• why picking or peeling causes damage,
• that you invest in health and quality.

Say confidently:
“I work with HEMA- and TPO-free products from VERIN — according to the latest EU safety standards.”

Conclusion: Want to become a nail stylist? Start smart and safe

You don’t have to be an expert on day one. But you should:

• want to work safely,
• invest in quality,
• keep learning and improving,
• show respect for yourself, your clients, and your craft.

With VERIN, you’ll work from the start:

• stable,
• safe,
• stress-free,
• with visible results.

Want to become a nail stylist? Start smart. Start healthy. Start with VERIN.
Want to learn more about starting your own nail salon? Read our informative blog about starting your own nail studio.

Would you like to read more blog posts? Go to the page News.