Why Gel polish is better than Acrylic, and why we use Gel
Here at Grace Kelly Salon our nail technicians take great pride in promoting nail strength and health. To ensure our clients leave with great looking nails that are also healthy, we only work with natural nails. We do not offer acrylics or an extension of any kind, nor do we use any mechanical tools such as a dremel. We do, however, offer gel manicures, and natural manicures. The difference between these two, is the gel manicure (also known as a 2 week manicure) dries instantly and gives your natural nail added strength that it wouldn’t have had prior to your gel manicure. The gel manicure offers no chipping, and high shine that doesn’t dull with typical polish. A natural manicure is what has been around for years. It doesn’t offer as much strength as the gel manicure, but can still add some. You do have to wait for your polish to dry, and you can remove the polish and change your color whenever you would like.
We believe that gel polish is a safer alternative than acrylic nails. Acrylic nails may give you an “instant fix” and give the illusion of beautiful, strong nails but sadly it is only a cosmetic change. When applying acrylics there are many hazardous factors involved. The powder that is used is typically of strong odor and many clients have some type of allergic reaction ranging from mild to severe. Acrylic nails can be the perfect breeding grounds for fungi or even bacteria. Proper fills need to be done, along with proper removal to avoid such fungi or bacteria from growing. Most places skip this important step, or cut corners because it is a lengthy ordeal. When having acrylics taken off, or applied, the dremel tool is typically used. If not properly trained with this tool and your own clients’ nail structure, you can severely damage their nail bed. The dremel tool works so fast that it is very easy to cause divots into the nail bed making it even weaker than it was before. Using a buffing block or nail file manually you can watch what you are doing, guaranteeing that you wont cause divots or damage. The most painful part of having acrylics, we would say is when you bust one of those nails. With your natural nail being glued onto the extension, this can cause your whole nail to rip off entirely or far back. Not only is this incredibly painful, but it is another cause for concern and possible infection.
Gel polish is the way to go every time if you are debating between that and acrylics. Sure, you won’t have immediate long nails, but your nails will have the chance to grow. Some people will argue that the lighting you put your hands under for gel polish can cause damage. This was true at one point in time with UV lighting. But here at Grace Kelly Salon we use an LED light. It not only dries your polish quicker than the UV light, but you don’t have to worry about an exposure risk. It is just like a regular light bulb. Prep work of gel polish is also very safe, unlike prep work for the acrylics. Your nails are gently buffed and then cleaned with isopropyl alcohol. When it’s time for removal your nails are gently buffed again, and wrapped with acetone filled cotton balls covered in foil. No mechanical tools. The gel polish comes right off. Your natural nails are never damaged. You do want to make sure that you don’t peel this polish off though. If you do end up peeling it, you will peel several layers of your natural nail in the process because the gel polish adheres that well to your natural nail. We recommend coming in every 2 weeks with having gel polish. This way we can properly remove the polish, and apply a new color if desired. Having gel polish on your nails allows your nails to still be able to breathe and grow. It gives them an added security with strength allowing nails that would always break off before, grow long.