What you need to stock up on; A nail technician supply CHECKLIST (2025)

Nail Advice

Being a nail technician means making sure you have enough supplies by keeping track of how much you have.

Supplies for nail technicians can be different depending on how much experience you have or what type of nails you usually do. For example, if you’re just starting out or are a student, your kit might not be complete yet and it’ll take some time to get all the stuff you need. If you mainly work with gel nails, then there’s no need to get supplies for acrylics.

No matter if you’re just starting out or you have your own salon, there are some basic nail supplies that every nail tech needs.

Check out this list of supplies you might need and what they do!

Nail Technician Supplies Checklist

If you’re a nail technician, there are some things you need to have in order to do your job. Here’s a list of the most important supplies and what they’re used for.

The Basic Essentials

• Nail clippers – Nail clippers are a tool used to trim fingernails and toenails. It’s important to buy a good quality pair so that you don’t have to keep buying them over and over again.
• Nail files – There are lots of different kinds of nail files and emery boards out there. Emery boards help to make your nails look smoother, while files can be used to get rid of rough edges on the end of your nails.
• Buffers – Buffers are used to get your nails ready for polish and make them super smooth. To save some money, pick buffers that will last a long time and work with different nail systems.
• Cuticle pusher – If you’re a nail tech, a cuticle pusher and nippers are essential. The pusher is used to move away any dead skin from your nails so they look clean. Nippers are used to cut off any dead skin cells around the cuticles for an even neater appearance. Make sure you choose high-quality stainless steel nippers so they last longer!
• Glue – Glue is super important when you’re doing your nails with an acrylic dipping system. You need it to attach the tips to the nail beds. You can also use it for putting on nail art! Pick a brush-on glue so you have more control over where it goes.

• Cuticle oil – Say no to dry, cracked hands and make sure to finish every manicure with an oil, cream, or lotion. Keep a bottle of oil in your nail kit for easy use and offer oil pens for sale to your clients.
• Sanitisers – It’s important to use sanitisers and nail cleansers to keep you and your clients safe. Make sure you use a cleanser on nails before doing any work on them and don’t forget to clean all tools that can be reused, like nippers.
• Dappen dish – Dappen dishes are really useful to have around – you can use them to hold liquids, powders, nail art stuff or glitter. Get a few of them – they’ll come in handy for all kinds of things!
• Soak-off bowl – Soak-off bowls are like mini tubs used to take off nail enhancements or gel polish. They’re also used as part of a manicure service to make your nails look and feel pampered.
• Acetone alternatives – Soak solutions are a great way to take off regular or gel polish without using acetone. Put the soak-off solution in a bowl and let your nails soak for a few minutes to remove the polish and clean them up.

• Acetone – If you do acrylic nails or gel polish, you should make sure you have plenty of acetone on hand. It’s something you’ll be using a lot!
• Nail wipes/cotton pads – Nail wipes are great to have around for lots of different reasons, like getting rid of sticky stuff on your nails or just cleaning them up. Cotton pads can also come in handy.
• Electric file – An electric file, also known as an E file, isn’t necessary but lots of nail techs like to use them when they have a lot of customers, they need to do services for.
• Swatch sticks/displays – These plastic nails are great for showing your customers the different designs you can do and all the colours you have available.
• Brushes – The type of brushes you need will depend on what kind of work you’re doing, but you’ll probably need nail art brushes, an acrylic brush, or a gel brush.

Nail Systems

No matter what type of nail system you use, you’ll need to make sure you have enough supplies. This includes things like:

• Acrylic powders
• Resin activator
• Base and topcoats
• Nail tips
• Nail forms
• Gel polish
• Traditional nail polish
• Nail art supplies such as glitter and other additions

Nail Supply Kits

This list isn’t complete, but it covers the basics. You’ll figure out as you go how much of each item you need for your work – like how many clients you can do with a certain amount of supplies or how long they’ll last.

If you’re just starting out, it’s a good idea to get a complete kit that has all the basics. That way, you’ll have everything you need to get started. As you become more confident and figure out what your style is, you can add extra supplies if necessary!