For New Nail Techs: What to Buy and How to Learn It

Don't Start With "Which Brand." Start With "Which System"

Every new tech asks the same question: which brand should I buy? Wrong question. Switch brands mid-training and you're re-learning cure times, application technique, and product behaviour from zero, every single time. Pick a base coat, gel polish, and top coat from the same range, and stay with it until it's muscle memory.

For the full checklist on judging any brand (ingredient transparency, sourcing, track record, pricing, actual performance versus marketing claims), read How to Choose a Nail Brand in Australia: 6 Things Every Nail Tech Should Check. The short version for a starter kit: go HEMA-free while you're still building skin contact control, insist on a published SDS you can actually read (not a marketing PDF, see Understanding Safety Data Sheets), and buy from a supplier who backs the product with real training, not just a checkout page.

Learning the System: Five Course Types, Chosen by What You Need

We run five class types. None of them are a mandatory ladder, pick whichever one matches the gap you actually have:

• Absolute Fundamentals: core technique, for building a real foundation.
• Introduction to Design Fundamentals: nail art skills.
• Intermediate Conversion: moving up to more advanced systems.
• Expert Workshop: sharpening technique to a professional standard.
• Bespoke Personalised Training: one-on-one, built around your specific gap.

Already solid on fundamentals but stuck on one technique? Skip straight to the class that fixes that. You don't owe anyone a full sequence.

Every class is run by a Planet Nails Certified Educator: techs who've worked extensively with our systems and are approved to teach them, not a generic trainer reading off a slide deck.

Most courses come with or without a product kit. Already own the gear the class requires? Book the no-kit option and pay less for it.

In-Person, One-on-One, or Online: Which Fits You?

• In-person group classes (Absolute Fundamentals through Expert Workshop): for techs who need hands-on correction in the room. Book whichever class matches where you're at right now.
• Bespoke Personalised Training (one-on-one): for a specific gap. A technique that won't land, a system you need to convert to. You're not starting from scratch, so don't book a course that assumes you are.
• Online training (Soft Gel Extension & BIAB, E-File, Nail Art, Pedicure): for techs juggling client bookings, or who just want to redo one module instead of sitting through a full course again.

None of these is "better." The right one depends on how you learn and what stage you're actually at, not what a course catalogue thinks a beginner needs.

What a Training Day Actually Involves

• In-person courses run at approved training centres as needed, not on a fixed public calendar. Registration usually closes around two weeks out, so don't leave it late.
• Bespoke training can happen at your own salon. No travel required.
• Kit or no-kit: check which one you actually need before you pay for gear sitting in your kit already.
• Product bought on your training day is usually discounted. Factor that into your starter kit budget instead of buying everything separately beforehand.

Frequently Asked Questions