Do you get confused by the many different nail treatments? You’re not alone. Here’s our jargon-free guide to selecting the right nail treatment for you.
1. Gel Nail Manicure
Shellac, Gel-ish, Gel-eration, Lac Sensation- all sound familiar? These are all similar products that sit on top of the natural nail, giving colour and strength, and are dried under a UV or LED lamp.
They will last between 10 and 14 days at which point you would return to the salon to have them soaked off.
We say: Great for short term wear and come in loads of fabulous colours so no problem with finding something to match your outfit. It’s worth mentioning that you can’t extend the natural nail with these products, you can only overlay the length of the natural nail.
2. Gel Nail Extensions
NSI, CND, LCN are all UV Gel extension products. They will last approx 3 weeks and you can have your natural nail made longer with these products.
Most reputable salons offer a variety of finishes – all over colour, French or glitter finish. A word of warning: if a product is a liquid and a powder mixed together in front of you this is NOT GEL, this is acrylic and is being sold as a Gel in order to charge more. Authentic Gel Nail products are by definition premixed by the manufacturer and look like a Gel NOT a powder.
You will need to have your Gel Nail Extensions taken off for you in salon or you can just maintain them with 3 weekly infills.
We say: A reputable salon won’t use a spray gun to do your finish as spray guns only work with water based paints that will only last a week.
3. Acrylic Nail Extensions
Sometimes thought to be stronger than Gels, Acrylic Nail Extensions do get a bad press – mainly because of the numerous salons that damage people’s nails with bad technique or over filing with drills.
A good quality Acrylic can look fabulous as long as it is applied properly by a skilled technician. Generally the finishes are a little more limited than with Gel but if you are very hard on your hands they might be worth a try.
We say: It’s worth finding a properly trained Acrylic technician (CND do great acrylic training) and avoid any of those cheap, production-line, drilling, mask-wearing establishments. We’ve seen some serious cases of damage from those types of places in our salon.
All in all, just remember to shop around a little, not just for the best price but for someone who is qualified and experienced and using a reputable brand of product. There is little point in paying less if they all pop off the next day!