How Long Does It Take To Get Your Nails Done [Generally]

If you are contemplating getting your nails done, its always good to know long it is roughly going to take. How much time do you have to set aside? Having worked in a Salon for many years, I’d like to present to you some information on this topic to set your expectations and help you to understand whats invovled.

So, how long does it take to get your nails done? Getting your nails done can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. It depends on a number of factors including the service you ask for, experience of the nail technician, products being used and the methods adopted.

Unfortunately, how long it takes to get your nails done is not a question with a set and definitive answer. The reason for this is because there are several factors that come into play.

Nonetheless, there are some ways you can get a good understanding of the amount of time it will all take so be sure to continue reading to the end!

Kind of Nails You Plan on Getting & From Where You Get Them Done

To start with, the kind of nails you are getting done is key. Also, whether or not your nails are going to be done by a specialist also matters.

As a general rule of thumb, a simple nail job should only take an hour of your time in order for everything to go from start to finish.

Other techniques might take longer to finish, as something like 3D nails might take as much as four or even five hours.

For Acrylics, the kind of nail service that you need has a tremendous impact on the length of time involved.

A clear overlay for medium-length nails might only involve 45 minutes, even including preparation and polishing.

However, if you need extensions, then the working time can easily hit 2 hours.

The process of application is usually pretty fast. However, it’s the fine-tuning near the end, including the polishing and then filling to perfection, which is what winds up taking so much time.

If you’d like to speed things up a bit, then consider choosing your polish color and design in advance.

How Long Will It Take? Ask Staff!

Your best bet for finding out exactly how long it will take to get your nails done is just to ask the staff at your nail salon when you schedule your appointment.

They’ll happily give you an estimate. Just be sure you are very descriptive about what you need to be done.

That way, they can provide you with an accurate time expectation.

Some acrylic nail services can happen faster than an hour. Seasoned technicians doing a plain overlay of a client’s natural nail might get a medium length nail done, including prep and polish, in just 45 minutes.

Whether or not an infill is necessary might be based on what condition nails are in after a few weeks.

When there’s nothing to fix, getting nails done is more likely to take less than an hour. However, if there is bad lifting or broken nails, it’s more likely to go past an hour.

Generally speaking, an hour is standard, but also optimistic. Unless your technician is really good, then under an hour is risking sloppy work being done.

You typically get what you pay for. Things like hard gel or dip systems can also run up the total application time.

What Are Your Options?

Acrylic Nails are one of the most popular services at the salon. If you’re not actually sure what acrylic nails are, they’re basically artificial nails.

They get fastened onto your real nails, which you can get done at a nail salon.

You can also do Acrylics at home, although the time it ttakes will be quite variable based on your skill, experience, and speed.

Acrylic nails are quite pretty, and they’re very popular among many women.

That’s because of the versatility, and creative freedom ladies enjoy in terms of self-expression.

They can even get finished with whimsical styles and patterns. Some cutting-edge women even get acrylic nails that are pierced and then fitted with certain nail rings.

If you’ve never personally worn acrylic nails, you might wonder why women even choose to get their nails done in the first place.

Why not just let their natural fingernails grow out? For a lot of women, that just isn’t even humanly possible.

Many women feel more feminine and even graceful with longer nails.

However, some natural fingernails that grow up to certain lengths start getting more breakable.

The point comes where they do actually break off. Acrylic nails let women enjoy longer fingernails without the stress and anguish of bitter nails.

Some women even choose acrylic nails as a means of avoiding bad habits involving nail-biting. Acrylic nails require an investment of both time and money.

They also just don’t taste all that great, and you’d be advised to just taking that for granted instead of confirming it for yourself.

Even the heartiest of nail-biters wouldn’t be quick to start munching on her own delicate acrylics.

For many women, it’s purely a matter of ornamentation. Acrylic nails can help a lady step into the limelight at dressy events where she would like to stand out and get noticed.

Acrylic nails have to get redone every other week on average. One way to do this is by visiting a salon with good nail professionals.

This certainly gets you the best results, but it does take time and money. Otherwise, you can buy an acrylic nail kit from your local beauty store.

Gel/Shellac Nails are also another service that a nail salon will typically provide.

This is where a hard gel polymer will be cured to your nails using a UV/LED curing lamp. Gel/Shellac nails have become very popular of late for their versatility as well as their durability.

They are excellent if you work in certain professions or need to use your hands a lot and acrylics are either not allowed or are not ideal.

Gel/Shellac nails will typically last anywhere from 2-4 weeks considering that they were applied properly and good products were used.

7 Steps for Doing Your Own Nails:

If you decide that you do not have the time to visit a salon, nor the budget, you can do your nails at home.

The time you can give to your nails, and how long it will take you personally will depend on a number of factors like your experience level, what you are hoping to do and also the products you are using.

Nonetheless, here are some general tips and recommendations to ensure you do the best job possible (even if you are opting for an Acrylic/Gel manicure):

Clean And File Your Nails Short

Filing your nails down before applying acrylics prevents nail bed injuries in the event the acrylics get caught in something.

Push your cuticles back and remove any old polish that’s left on your natural nails.

I love to work with the ZEVA crystal nail file that I got from Amazon for an excellent price. It makes this process easy, effortless and painless.

Rub Nail Beds With Grit-Filing Block (Optional)

Employing this method can possibly make your manicure stick to your natural nails more closely (whether this be acrylics or gel/shellac).

Keep in mind, however, that this might eventually damage your natural nail bed if done too much over time.

Let Your Nail Dry

Once your nails are dry, carefully apply the nail glue and acrylics or the gel.

For acrylic tips, adjust them until they closely fit your nail but do so before the glue has a chance to dry; otherwise, they will look crooked.

Never Remove By Force

For Acrylics, never snap off the tips. You might actually wind up tearing your natural nail right from your finger. If you need to remove an acrylic nail, soak your finger in a safe, chemical free and recommended remover.

This can dissolve the glue so you can remove the acrylic safely before trying a new application.

For gels, the same principles applies. Never pick and opt for using a good remover.

Acrylics Only: Trim the Acrylic Tips

It’s imperative to always properly trim your nails to the length you desire, particularly if you think they’re too big

Acrylic nail kits always have some powder acrylic and liquid acrylic. Mix up these in a dish and then apply the mixture to your acrylic nails, just like you use nail polish on real nails. Don’t let this mixture touch the natural nail beds, as you would risk fungi growth.

Acrylics Only: Buff the Nails and Apply Nail Polish.

Want to keep your nails looks natural and healthy? Always buff your acrylic nails before applying any nail polish.

Get A Good Kit

There are a lot of kits on the market you can use to do your own Gel Nails and acrylic Nails at home. If you want to see the best options on the market, checkout one of our expert reviews below:

Best Gel Nail Kits | Best Acrylic Nail Kits

In Summary

Just how long does it take to get your nails done?

Well, it depends of course, but you can expect anywhere from between 30 mins all the way up to several hours.

This can be very useful information when you’re trying to schedule a busy day, especially if you’re getting ready for a big event.

My best advice, phone or speak to your salon ahead of time. They will be able to give you far more accurate time-frames and set your expectations early on.

Hopefully, the information presented within this content has answered your question to some degree, given how many different factors are involved in this question.