Okay, so by request I'm doing a blog post about the differences between the different types of nail extensions! I'll try not to waffle too much (can't guarantee that will happen!).
So you've not had nail extensions before, but you think you might like to try them out! Your nails are short or peeling, weak bla bla bla and just won't grow like you want them to? Extensions are a great way to help!
Lets start at the beginning, shall we?
Your nails are crap. My nails are crap too. They're battered, peeling, soft and the cuticles... I have NO words for the state of my cuticles. I pick and I bite and I generally can't help myself (this is with naked nails, I leave them alone when I have extensions on).
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| See? Shit eh. They're stained too from me being a lazy bastard and not having base coat on. |
Anyway. I HATE my nails when I don't have extensions on. I've tried every different extension under the sun available to the professional and every day market with some success. Not a lot, mind you. My personal favorite extension is acrylic, I'm biased probably. It's what I know. I find that for me they're a LOT more forgiving than some of the other extensions out there, but I will give you a fair look at what is out there and some options available to you for both home product and professional.
Here's a quick list of what I'm going to talk about:
- Acrylic Extensions (Professional and Home)
- UV Gel Extensions (Professional and Home)
- Prescription Nail Extensions
Okay, lets start.
Acrylic Nails
These nails are created using a polymer and monomer to sculpt a false nail on top of your own natural nail plate either using a plastic tip, paper form or an overlay on what you already have.
Acrylic nails can be really good and they can be REALLY BAD. There are two schools of thought as to why they can be bad - one being my previous post about bad places to get them done and the other being bad product. I'll touch briefly on brands of product - you'd be here all week if I explained them all in full - I am however totally open to any questions you have via comment or email!
There are well over 100 different brands of Acrylic product. My favorite being Ezflow. Now, I'm not saying it's the best - it's what I'm currently trained in. I haven't tried them all - some companies will only let you purchase their product if you've trained exclusively with them. In theory ALL acrylic products apply the same, but some have little added bits and pieces and techniques and stuff. I'm not going into all that.
Whenever you get your nails done by a reputable tech or salon, they'll be using one of the top products available. Creative, Ezflow etc etc. Their products are good. They have lovely little things added into them to help your nails grow too! They're MMA free (click the MMA to read more about what that is over at Hooked on Nails) as well! Being MMA free is really important. Again, go read that link.
IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT YOU ONLY HAVE A QUALIFIED (or trainee under supervision) NAIL TECH APPLY YOUR EXTENSIONS!!!!!!!!!!!
Wanna know why? Google what happens when you fail at doing nail extensions with acrylic at home. Make sure you haven't had lunch. You're gonna see all sorts of gross pictures of nails being ripped off and bleeding and all sorts. Same goes for UV Gel extension *shudder*.
Now, where was I? Oh yes. Acrylic nails. Okay, so you have the type that you get done at the salon and the type you get at the pharmacy, K-Mart or other department stores. Oh how I wish they would bloody well STOP selling these kids! Holy shit. Can you imagine the messes and disasters I've seen over the years where girls go in, get these kits, get the crap all over the show, rip nails off, make themselves bleed and cry and OMG they're going out that night and want me to fix everything? I just want to scream and yell at them all and tell them to go away. I wouldn't do that of course - I'm a professional. No, I'll sit here and bitch about it in my blog instead! <3
Don't do your own nails with this rubbish product. Please? Even if you're training to be a tech or you are a professional (I know you wouldn't be so silly, but still).
So yea, okay, types of acrylic extension. Here's some pictures that I've borrowed from some other lovely people.
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| From left to right - Sculptured extensions using a form, Tipped extensions, Overlay. |
You can also have dipped acrylics or molded ones, but those aren't really done in NZ, so I've not covered them. Dipped works in a similar way to silk wraps and molded are where you paint the acrylic onto the inside of a full cover tip and press over the natural nail.
UV Gel Nails
Okay, we're going to cover a couple of different types of Gel Nails in this topic. UV, Non-UV and Gel Polish (both UV and Non-UV). Bear with me on this, it's going to be waffly.
UV Gel
Now, you'll read a lot of conflicting information out there on what Gel Nails actually are. TRUE Gel Nails are NOT a few layers of gel polish painted on and then cured under a UV or LED lamp, they're a Gel-gel which is sculpted on and then cured under a UV or LED lamp.
Seriously, there is a shitload of science behind Gel nails - from what they're made of, to how they differ from other types of nails to molecular structure and alllllll that awesome stuff. If you really want to read about that, please click here and it will take you to an awesome article (it's a few pages long) and them. I'd love to sit here all day with my books out and the internet going hard whilst I pen up something really simple and easy for you to read, but it's not simple and easy if you want it explained properly. Go read that article.
One of the annoying things about Gel overlays or extensions is that they don't soak off. They need to be buffed off. This in itself has some advantages - no lifting! Lifting is the bane of my existence - something I suffer from myself. I have terribly oily nail plates and everything lifts. Not gel however! It does mean that your nails will probably always have a teeny bit of gel left on them when you have a re balance - that's okay tho! It all bonds together under the UV/LED lamp and you're away laughing. It's just irritating when the gel slips and you end up with it on your skin. You can file it down, but expect a few cuts from the file.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Don't get a kit from the internet and try it online if you've not learned how to do it. You're gonna end up in a godawful mess that you're going to really injure yourself with!
UV Gel Polish
How far we've come in the world of nails huh? First Shellac, then the market exploded with this wonderful, soak-off, UV curing, long lasting polish! exciting! I hate the stuff. Why? Because it lifts straight off my nails and I end up with bubbling and all sorts of other nasty stuff. LOTS of people love it however. Don't take my failing as law and don't get it done - it's really handy if you're not a 'I change my nail polish more than once a week' type person. It wipes off with it's own special removed - no soaking required! You can buy it online and grab a little cheapie UV lamp and you're away laughing. Just watch if you're painting over the top with other kinds of polish - it doesn't like it and WILL bubble (especially Shellac).
Now, you can put gel polish over a plastic nail tip if you want to. It won't last however - because the polish is made to wipe off with the special remover you buy, you can imagine it's not really that tough. Tips have to be filed down, which ads extra damage to your nail plate and extra layers of polish need to be put on to build up enough strength to support the tip - Party Nails is what they're called. Temporary etc. Good for if you're going out for a night and want your nails to be long and pretty etc.
Non- UV Gel Polish
Okay, don't believe the packaging - it's NOT gel. No no no. It's got extra plasticizers in it to make it stronger (Creative's Vinylux is a good example) that make it last longer. It's more flexible so it's not supposed to chip or crack or wear off. Don't be fooled! It ain't gel.
Non-UV Gel
Again, it ain't gel. It's a sticky, icky terrible messy product that takes forever to dry and will peel off your nails. Again, don't waste your money on it.
Here's some pictures of some different kinds of application of UV Gel.
from left to right, overlay, tips and sculpted.
Prescription Nails
Now, this is where we start getting all kinds of funky.
Remember the shitty pharmacy and dollar store stick ons? They've evolved!
Taken straight from www.illusionsbeauty.com.au (because I don't have the flyer handy):
Prescription Nails is a non-damaging nail enhancement method that replaces acrylics and gels. Prescription Nails is a technological breakthrough in the nail care industry. They are called "Prescription" Nails because each set is carefully prescribed - the curvature and arch of each nail is precisely measured and recorded on a client's personal prescription card. The nails are custom fitted to the client's nail shape and size - producing nail enhancements that have a very natural look and feel.
Are you fed up with salons that employ nail techs that never listen to your requests and continue to give poor customer service? Are you fed up with having your nail beds and cuticles painfully burned with the improper use of the electric drill? Are you fed up with painful prying enhancement removal that takes off layers of the natural nail plate and permanently damages the nail matrix? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions then you can avoid these problems by changing to Prescription Nails enhancements.
- No fill-ins needed
- No painful removal
- Non-damaging sanding & buffing
- No damaging electric drills used
- Each set lasts for up to 2 weeks
- Thin, durable, natural look and feel
- Great for nail biters and those concerned about protecting the natural nail bed
- Clear, full-cover nails, custom-designed for application on top of the natural nail bed
- Perfect for clients who want long, beautiful nails without the damage associated with traditional acrylic, gel, or wrap enhancement methods
These wonderful enhancements are clear, full-cover nail extensions that are custom-designed for application on top of the entire natural nail bed. They are durable and last up to two weeks. They are easily soaked off in about 15 minutes in acetone when professionally removed at the salon. You can have a new full set of nails every two weeks without suffering painful prying or drilling.
Prescription Nails also help grow your natural nails. They provide a protective cover over the entire nail bed - preventing breakage as the natural nails grow. When you get your soak-off removal every two weeks, your nails are examined to make sure that your nail beds are staying healthy.
The length of your natural nails doesn't matter. You might be a nail biter with no length at all. You might have short or medium length natural nails. Prescription Nails are clear, you can see the length of the natural nail through the tips, so the natural nails are usually shortened for best results.
Prescription Nails are lightweight so they are comfortable to wear. Many women have told me that their friends thought that the Prescription Nails were natural nails. If you want a healthier enhancement method that produces beautiful nails that look and feel just like your own then you need Prescription Nails.
Good sell eh?
I'm currently using Prescription nails to grow out a few splits on my nail plates due to me being not so careful with my acrylics. They're honestly brilliant. I cut them really short so they're the same length as my natural nail and you wouldn't even know I have them on. They're resilient - EXCEPT don't use acetone on them and limit the amount of non acetone remover you use. They are plastic, they will melt eventually. They're soaked off with acetone and reapplied every few weeks. Brilliant? Yes. Only shit thing is, you can't really use glitter polishes with them because it's impossible to get the stuff off without acetone! hah.
This is what they look like when you've just put them on. They're completely clear. They cover your entire nail plate to make them look natural and because there's literally HUNDREDS of different fits, you'll be able to have perfect nails with them. Don't be fooled however, they are still only plastic and they can be damaged. They also melt fast if you get them too close to hot things - I found that out the hard way.
Anyway, hopefully this little post has been able to help you out a little bit with what sort of nails you want to get. If I've not covered something you want to know about, as always, I'm happy to answer questions.
xox
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