Salon Cosabella Blog > UV Light Wattage for Gel Nails

UV Light Wattage for Gel Nails

Posted by Brooke in Gel Nails, UV Light

Hi, I have acrylic nails and have been having uv gel nail top coat put on as i find itleaves a really nice strong high sheen finish.

Im considering buying a uv gel light (as well as the gel top coat) to use at home as it costs me an extra $8 to have this done at a nail salon and over time the cost adds up. Could you tell me if a 9watt uv light would work just as well as a 36watt uv light or does it have to be a certain watt. Is there a difference? Thank you!

Hi and thanks for your question,

A 36 watt lamp is just a lamp with 4 9-watt bulbs in it. So the single bulb will do the same job, but you just need to use it differently. Try putting 4 fingers in at a time  and cure for 3 minutes. Or you can do 4 fingers and the thumb of the opposite hand. If the gel sealer is tackless, you will not need to remove the dispersion layer. Some topcoats will seem sticky, even after they are fully cured. You will need to use a gauze pad that has been saturated with 99% alcohol to remove this layer. Doing this yourself is no easy task and may take a bit of trial and error to get it right. Just be very careful not to make contact with your skin.

Best of luck to you :)

Brooke Gilliam

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