One of the main reasons why your nail glue may not be sticking is that your nails haven’t been properly prepared for the glue. 

Your nails can contain significant amounts of natural oil in them. This can cause the nail glue to not stick properly to your natural nails, causing the fake nails to fall off easily. 

If you struggle to get your nail glue to properly stick to your natural nails so your acrylic or fake nails can last longer, you need to prepare your natural nails properly. 

Keep reading to discover how to prepare your natural nail so nail glue will effectively stick to it. 

How To Prepare Your Natural Nails Before Applying The Nail Glue

If you are trying to get the nail glue to stick to your nails properly, you must prepare your natural nails correctly. 

To prepare your nails, follow these steps:

1. If you have nail polish (colored or clear) on your natural nails, remove them with nail polish remover
2. Use a quality buffer to gently and carefully buff the surface of your nail bed to remove the shiny, oily layer 
3. Be careful not to damage your natural nail by buffing it too harshly or too long
   • Only buff for a few seconds until your nails slightly change in texture
4. Carefully apply a quality dehydrator to your nails to remove excess oils
   • Apply 1-2 coats on each nail
   • This step is key if you want the nail glue to stick properly 
5. Prime the nail using a quality primer
   • This will protect your nails

Other Possible Reasons Why Your Nail Glue Is Not Sticking

If you have properly prepared your natural nails before applying nail glue to them and the glue isn’t sticking the way it should, there may be a few more possible reasons for this. 

So let’s check these out. 

Age Of The Products

You have to look at the age of your products.

If you have had the products for a significant amount of time, there is a good chance they might have aged and expired. 

Even if you bought them recently from a store, check the date your products were manufactured. 

Sometimes products end up on the shelves for longer than they should. 

As time goes on, the quality and strength of your products can diminish significantly. 

How old is the nail glue you are using?

You should switch to a new nail glue every 6 months, ideally or every 12 months. 

The Quality Of Your Products

The quality of your products matters. 

We get it. Everyone wants great results without having to get expensive products. 

There are scenarios in which cheaper options are okay. They’ll get the job done. 

But not always. 

If you are working with low-quality products, this may be another reason why your nail glue is not sticking. 

The fix for this is easy and simple, although not many gladly jump to it. 

But if you want great results, choose quality products. 

Application Technique

How you apply your products, nail glue, acrylic, or other fake nails matters. 

If the application technique isn’t the right one, this could be another reason your nail glue isn’t sticking properly. 

Contamination

Contamination could also be why your nail glue is not sticking the way it should. 

Contamination can be as simple as:

• Dust getting in your products
• Using different brands that could lead to cross-contamination as their formulas may differ

How To Make Press-On Nails Last Longer With Nail Glue

Keep reading if you are looking for tips and tricks to keep your press-on nails from falling off. 

If you follow these tips, you shouldn’t have any more struggles with nail glue not sticking and your press-on nails falling off. 

Step 1: Use high-quality nail glue and press-on nails

You are at the right starting point if you work with high-quality nail glue and press-on nails. 

But besides quality, here is another aspect you should take into consideration. 

Press-on nails come in various sizes and shapes. 

Even if you apply good quality nail glue, if the size or even the shape of the nails is wrong for your natural nails, these won’t last as long as they should and could if they were the right size. 

Press-on nails usually come with a layer of nail glue already applied to them, but you may need to apply another layer to your natural nails. 

Step 2: Prepare your nails

Now that you have the right-sized press-on nails and good-quality nail glue, you are ready to dive into this step. 

Before you apply the nail glue and add the press-on nails, you need to prep the surface of your natural nails. 

This involves the following steps:

1. Dehydrating your nails with acetone or rubbing alcohol to remove the oils 
2. Buffing the surface of your natural nails 
3. Applying a high-quality base coat to protect your natural nails
4. Allowing your nails to fully dry after preparing them and before applying the nail glue 

Step 3: Follow the proper application technique

If you want your press-on nails to last longer, apply them correctly. 

To apply your press-on nails properly, follow these steps:

1. Once your nails have fully dried, apply one thin layer of nail glue to your natural nail
2. Align and carefully apply the press-on nail by bringing the nail up to your cuticle line and applying it from a downward angle
3. Firmly press down on them for 30-60 seconds 
4. Apply a quality top coat to your nails
5. Avoid submerging your nails in water for the next 24-36 hours, as water could weaken the bond and cause them to fall off more easily

How To Remove Nail Glue And Press-On Nails Without Damaging Your Natural Nails

With the right nail glue and press-on nails, they may last longer than you want them to.

If you want to remove your press-on nails and nail glue without damaging your natural nails, you will need the following items:

• A larger bowl
• A smaller bowl that will fit within the larger bowl and in which you can fit your fingers
• Hot water
• Acetone
• Cotton balls or a clean soft cloth
• Skin moisturizer 

Follow these steps:

1. Add acetone to the smaller bowl, enough for you to be able to submerge your nails
2. Place the smaller bowl with acetone into the larger bowl
3. Carefully pour hot water into the larger bowl, around the smaller bowl, without it getting into the smaller bowl
4. Let the hot water warm up the acetone 
5. Once the acetone is warm (it shouldn’t be hot or uncomfortably warm), place your fingers in it
6. Let your nails soak for about 10-20 minutes
7. Check if you can easily remove the press-on nails
8. If not, soak them longer in the acetone
9. Once the press-on nails come off, place your fingers back into the acetone
10. Soak for 5-10 minutes
11. Use a cotton ball or a clean soft cloth to remove any nail glue residue from your nails
12. Wash your hands and nails with warm water and soap
13. Rinse with clean water
14. Dry your hands
15. Use a skin moisturizer on your hands 
16. Add a layer of hydrating nail polish to your natural nails

Conclusion

Your nail glue may not be sticking for a couple of reasons, such as:

• Not proper preparation of the nails 
• The use of low quality products 
• Wrong application techniques 
• Working with aged products 
• Different types of contamination