Tutorial & Review: DIY Latex Skin Barrier from Sally Beauty

Purchased by Me

If you're into nail art, I'm guessing that you've probably heard of latex skin barriers. And if you have heard of latex skin barriers, then you know that they're pretty expensive (anywhere from $10 - $25). Well if you've always wanted to try a latex skin barrier but you don't know if it's for you, I've got an alternative that may interest you, and it's just $1.99 at Sally Beauty.

For those who don't know what a latex skin barrier is, it's simple. Think of latex in liquid form, that you can brush onto the skin around your nail to protect your skin from nail polish. You can then stamp, sponge, or paint your nail as messily as you'd like and. once you're done, you simply peel off the latex and your skin is polish-free. No mess!

So now that you know what a latex skin barrier is, here's my tutorial and review...

Proclaim Super Bond Professional Formula Hair Glue - Dark

(retail: $1.99 at Sally Beauty, 0.75 oz.)

A while back, reader @swatchitupanotch on Instagram kindly let me know that this wig glue was on sale for $0.99 at Sally (sorry, that sale is over now but the full retail price is just $1.99) and she also told me about how this could be used like a latex skin barrier. That instantly grabbed my attention, because you know I'm all about trying low-cost DIY alternatives for things. So I picked up a bottle about a month ago, and when I posted a pic on my Instagram, Sally Beauty actually reposted my photo (thanks, Sally!) and they mentioned that this is actually one of THEIR favorite tricks. 

Made in USA

IMPORTANT: Before I get into my tutorial/review, let me say that, as with anything I share with you here on the blog, I am in no way responsible for any issues you may have with this product. If you are allergic to latex and your fingers fall off after you use this, not my fault! I'm simply sharing MY experience with you, and it's entirely up to you if you'd like to try this yourself. Keep in mind that this glue is designed for wigs, so it's skin-safe to that extent. But you should never, no matter what you've heard, use this glue for eyelashes or get it anywhere near your eyes (there's a warning about that right on the bottle). I personally am fine with using this on my fingers, especially since you're removing it almost immediately after it dries. But please, do your research and abide by your own comfort levels.

TUTORIAL:

Now you can apply this directly from the bottle, but please be aware that the opening is pretty big, which means you're not going to have a lot of control with application. I know a lot of people like to pour the entire bottle into a clean, empty nail polish bottle and apply it with a nail polish brush (like you would apply nail polish), which I think is great. But in my case, I didn't have an empty polish bottle lying around, so I simply dipped a toothpick into the bottle and applied it that way. It was actually quite easy once I got the hang of it, since the latex is thin and easy to "smear" on to the skin. The key is that you have work quickly, because this product dries in just a second or two.

NOTE: My nails aren't dirty in these photos (ew!)--that's blue polish residue from my first botched attempt at photographing this product for you. You could not see the blue nail polish against the black latex, so I removed it and tried again with peach polish. 

If you get this on your nail when you're applying it, just wait for it to dry (literally, a second or two) and you can push it back, no problem.

The latex removes extremely easily--no tugging required. In fact, it's kind of fun to remove it, especially if you're a "peeler." (Which I am. Big time.)

Keep in mind that I really exaaggerated my polish application in these photos, just to show you how messy you CAN be, and still have this work for you. Also, notice that since I was so messy, a lot of polish pooled up near my cuticle and alongside my nail bed. That might be an issue for you if you're using this product for just regular nail-painting, so I think this product is best for nail stamping, nail sponging, fan-brush manicures and the like. Basically any type of messy nail art that doesn't tend to leave pools of polish on the sides of your nail. Because unless you get that latex right up next to your nail, the polish will seep through and you'll still have some clean-up to do after you remove the latex.

After removal, wash your hands with soap & water to remove residue

If you do a lot of nail art and you're tired of applying tape around your nails or using acetone to clean up your manicures, then I think this might be a nice, low-cost way to see if latex skin barriers are for you. Until I try the real thing, I'll be reaching for this when I'm doing any type of messy nail art, and I think I might clean out an old polish bottle so that I can transfer the latex into that (I'm thinking a nail striper polish would be awesome due to the extra-thin brush) for easy brush-on application. But for now, the toothpick method is working fine for me as described above, and really the only thing I'm not exactly jazzed about is the scent. This stuff smells a bit funky (sort of like hair dye), but it's not super strong like hair dye. Put it this way: I can smell it during application, but I don't have to open a window or turn on a fan. And once the latex dries, the smell is pretty much gone.

You can purchase this product both in-store and online at Sally Beauty for $1.99 per bottle.

If you'd like more info and/or application tips, check out the comments on my post on Instagram HERE. So many of you generously shared tips on that post (thank you!) and I found them all extremely helpful!

Do you own any latex skin barriers? If so, have you tried this Sally Beauty DIY version? How do you think this compares to the real thing? I'd love to hear from you. 

And thanks again, @swatchitupanotch, for the awesome tip about this product!

The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.