Skip to main content

Looking good doesn’t have to cost a lot, at least according to Jana Duggar. The Counting On star revealed that she doesn’t head to a pricy salon to get her nails done. Instead, she’s mastered the art of the DIY manicure. And she’s sharing her tips for getting gorgeous nails at home with her fans. 

Jana Duggar’s gel nail tutorial   

On Jan. 8, Jana posted a simple gel nail tutorial to her new YouTube channel. In the 3½-minute video, which she also shared on Instagram, she walks viewers through how to do their own gel nails at home. 

“Simple steps and how I do my own gel nails at home!” she captioned the post. In the video, she demonstrates the steps to getting salon-perfect nails without leaving the house, from prepping the nails with alcohol pads to apply the different coats of polish and letting it cure under the LED lamp. 

DIY nails is another Duggar money-saving trick 

Jana added the #savemoney tag to her Instagram post, which is no surprise. She and her family are known for their money-saving hacks, from buying in bulk to cutting their own hair. While they’ve been known to head to the salon for professional manicures, getting your nails done regularly can be expensive. We can’t blame Jana for looking for a cheaper alternative when the average gel manicure starts at $35 (removing the polish can cost another $10 to $20).

Jana isn’t the only one of her sisters who’s shared some DIY beauty tips recently. In December 2019, her younger sibling Jessa posted about her hair routine, sharing with her followers how she gets gorgeous curls in just 15 minutes. (She’s also explained how she cuts her son’s curly hair.)

Fans are worried that Jana is ruining her nails 

bottles of nail polish
Bottles of nail polish | Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

On Instagram, many people commented that they appreciated Jana’s tips on how she does her nails. 

“Thank you! I love having my nails done but hate the price tag of the salon!” wrote one. 

But some worried that the 29-year-old was damaging her nails, especially after she shared that she generally peels the polish off. 

“Mine tend to peel up around the edges over time… when that happens I just pull them off the rest of the way. Probably not the best way to do it, but it works,” she wrote in response to a question about how she removes the polish. 

But that technique can cause problems another person warned. “Please don’t peel! 🙈 It creates micro tears in the mail that causes them to weaken and break. It also opens your nails up to fungal infections if you apply polish over the top of them,” they wrote. Instead, you should sand off the top layer with a nail file, then soak your nails in acetone to lift off the remaining polish.

Another person warned against gel polish, period, saying it dries out the nails, while on YouTube, a commenter who said she was in nail tech school pointed out that Jana should be leaving her fingers under the LED lamp for longer to really cure the polish. 

Best in Entertainment