Difference Between Acrylic and Gel Nails

Acrylic vs Gel Nails
Experts have always attributed good grooming to success. Being well-groomed gives a lasting positive impression to those who you are meeting with, whether it is an interviewer for that dream job or a friend from back during your college days. Good grooming does not just end with your face, hair and outfit. More often than not, the real measurement of good grooming are in those that people feel that are the least noticed, such as your nails. It is for this reason that women spend quite some time making sure that their nails are well manicured all the time.

While having long, manicured nails can be very attractive on the hands of women, not all women are able to do so. This is because many women tend to suffer from having brittle nails. As such, their nails tend to break more easily no matter how short or how long their nails may be. That is why artificial nails have become extremely popular in manicure salons. These artificial nails can be fixed on the nail bed, providing women with brittle nails the opportunity to have strong, long and well-manicured nails.

Acrylic nails are the most popular and most widely used. Acrylic nails are created by the manicurist by mixing the acrylic nail powder with either Ethyl Methacrylate (EMA) or Methyl Methacrylate (MMA). The paste is then painted and shaped by a professional nail technician on top of the natural nail. This is then allowed to dry before applying nail polish for that finishing touch.

The downside to getting acrylic nails is that some of the components found in EMA or MMA have been found to cause further damage to your natural nails. Many have linked the use of these liquids in acrylic nails to skin irritations and irregular nail growth. The good news is that there are now a variety of alternatives available in the market to give you the same look provided by acrylic nails while minimizing the possibility of any effect that is seen in the use of acrylic nails. One of this is UV gel nails.

As the name applies, nail technicians apply a gel compound directly on the natural nail. The gel is then cured under a UV light for 2-3 minutes before it is shaped and then finished with nail polish. Compared to acrylic nails, patrons of UV gel nails find the latter more durable, and thus easy to maintain. They also found that gel nails provide a much more natural look as compared to acrylic nails.

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