What is Nail Primer and How to Use it? [Easy Guide]
Nail primers are used before gel manicures to prime the nails. To make your base coat stay on your nails, you must clean the oil and grease from them. There are many types of nail primers. There are some that are acid-free, and there are others that contain acids. Acid-free nail primers are the most popular. Meanwhile, By using nail primers, you can create tiny cracks and fissures in your nails to allow acrylics and polishes to adhere better, but never neglect nail care. There are two types of primers.
- Acidic Nail Primer
- Acid Free Nail Primer

Acidic Nail Primer Vs Acid Nail Primer
Acidic Nail Primer
- The reason why acidic primer is called acidic is that 95% of it is made up of methacrylic acid.
- If not used properly, they can turn the enhancement yellow.
- It dries in 3-5 minutes, leaving behind a whitish color on the nail plate.
- Apply it sparingly. It’s very easy to do, just dab it on your natural nails in tiny circles (five nails at a time before putting the brush back in the bottle) until they’re dry.
- The application of an acidic primer directly to the skin can cause irritation and chemical burns.
- When it comes to acid-based primers, less is definitely more!
- Whenever you apply primer, avoid touching soft tissues around it.
- Acid-based primers need to be used with extreme caution.
Acid-Free Nail Primer
- Acid Free Primer is the most preferred and most commonly used product for increasing adhesion of products to the natural nail plate.
- As a result, gel polish and gel bases adhere extremely strongly to the plate.
- There is no substitute for it, regardless of whether you create gel nails, acrylic nails, or gel polish manicures.
- You should use acid-free primer to ensure a strong bond.
- In particular, gel technology requires this.
- If you use an acid-free primer, the enhancement will not discolor or burn the skin.
- The style is protected from air pockets and lifting.

DIY Nail Primer: Homemade or Substitute of a Nail Primer
You can make a DIY Nail Primer and Dehydrator by mixing Acetone and Isopropyl Alcohol together. Acrylics, gel polish, and even regular polish cannot adhere to your nails due to moisture and oil.
How to use Nail Primer:
- Over your nails, apply alcohol and then acetone.
- Make use of an old but clean nail polish brush.
- Use Isopropyl Alcohol to clean your nails.
- Once the alcohol has evaporated, you can apply acetone to your nails.
- Let the acetone evaporate. Once the acetone has dried completely, you can use your products.
Benefits of Nail Primer:
Alcohol kills any germs that may be on the surface of your nails when you use it on them. When acetone is applied to your fingernails, greasy sediments are dissolved and dirt & debris are removed.
How to apply nail primer?
Acid free primer
A primer is always the first component of your manicure. Apply an acid-free primer with a brush that is nearly dry, allowing it to dry for approximately 40-60 seconds. You can work on acid-free primer that hasn’t completely evaporated because it won’t fully evaporate. Apply a base coat only to the natural.
Acidic primer
Apply 1-2 small dots of acid primer to the nail before applying the acid primer. As a result, it will spread across the nail plate on its own. Ensure that your acid primer has completely evaporated before applying your gel manicure.
Nail prep dehydrator and nail primer
Nail Prep is a Degreasing Liquid that gently dehydrates the natural nail surface before applying the Nail Primer. Using this product, you can seal the nail pores after polishing them in order to make them matte. As it does not change the nail’s own PH, it is recommended for obtaining optimal results when doing permanent nail polish. We can minimize oil formation on our nails during our job by using it repeatedly.
What is the difference between Nail primer and base coat
Nail primer
Primer removes moisture, oil, and grease from the surface of your nails. If you get a manicure after all this, the results will be good and long-lasting. The purpose of a primer is to dehydrate your nails so your acrylics or polish will adhere better. When applying acrylics or if you’re prone to peeling or chipping, primers and dehydrators are truly necessary.
Base coat
Base Coats are clear polishes that help gel or regular nail polish last longer. As well as helping your polish adhere more readily to the nail, they will prevent your nails from staining. Base coats are formulated with plasticizers to enhance their flexibility and adhesion to nails. Invest in a stain-preventing base coat if your natural nails appear yellowish. By forming a protective layer on top of your nails, base coats protect them from damage. As a result, your nails are protected from any potentially harmful chemicals in the polish or gel you’re using.