Read this before you get your manicure! We explain everything you need to know about false nails and whether you should get gel, porcelain, or acrylic.
Do you want to show off perfect nails? We too! But things as they are: nature is usually erratic and does not always give us what we want to have. If you dream of a perfect manicure for many days, go for gel, porcelain, or acrylic nails.
We explain everything about permanent nails and how each of the techniques differs, and we tell you the advantages and disadvantages of each option.
Table of Contents
1. Permanent Nails: Advantages
The main advantage? Without a doubt, to give a good image. At last, you will be able to show off nails without stretch marks, marks, and the length you like the most.
How long do they last? You can forget about the manicure for three weeks. If you bite your nails, it is a way to let them grow back because you will “cut” yourself when you put them in your mouth. The price is getting more and more affordable!
2. Permanent Nails: Drawbacks
If you wear false nails for a long time, the thickness of the natural nail decreases, and the nails may become brittle. If they are removed incorrectly, the most superficial layers of the nail can be damaged, and the finger left unprotected.
They alter the cuticle, and if the process is not done correctly, there can be a high risk of fungal infection. They can even cause pigmented lesions. Usually, they have to be touched up every two or three weeks.
3. Types Of Permanent Nails
This article will talk about 3 types of permanent false nails: acrylic nails, porcelain nails, and gel nails. Keep reading and discover these types of manicures to choose the best suits you.
What Type Of Nails Is Better: Gel, Acrylic, Or Porcelain?
In this case, there is no ‘best’. It all depends on what will be better for each person in particular because of the type of nails they have. Let yourself be advised by an expert manicurist, and you will surely be right.
A. How Are Acrylic Nails?
They are extensions made to our natural nails with a mixture of powder (polymer) and a liquid (monomer). Its appearance is pink and honest, somewhat thicker than the natural ones, and more resistant to breakage.
These are used to fix imperfections and have an ideal appearance. It is also used to correct a widespread problem called “onychophagia” (habit of biting nails).
Also, they are chosen to be able to make up or add designs that perhaps cannot be done with natural nails if they are too short or irregular in shape. Something characteristic is its smell, which is quite strong and sometimes unpleasant.
Maintenance
You will have to visit the manicure center every three weeks to fill in the nails, fix them from the cuticle, polish them (and change the decoration if you feel like it )—no need to remove them and start from scratch.
Duration
If it is placed well, it can last up to 6 months (yes, you will have to go to make fillings every three weeks approximately)
Advantages
They are a perfect option for women with weak nails, as they are solid and resistant. They are the least damaging technique for the nails since they are attached to the incorrect pin and not the natural one. You can fix or alter their formatting without removing them. They are easy to remove.
Drawbacks
If you opt for acrylic nails, it is better if you keep them short and do the maintenance as they grow (otherwise, they can break easily). They take up to 40 minutes to dry completely.
The chemical components that are used can cause: inflammation, separation of the actual nail from the skin, burning, pain, and allergies that are due to the plastic and toxic ingredients that are in its composition and, as a consequence, reddened, swollen fingers and much itching.
Price
Acrylic nails are more expensive than gel nails but cheaper than porcelain nails. You will have to pay between $30 and $50 approximately.
B. Porcelain Nails
Porcelain nails are made from a monomer (liquid) mixture and a polymer (solid) that is placed on top of the nails. The manicurist gives them the indicated shape, although we must point out that there are also prefabricated porcelain nails (they are easier to apply).
Maintenance
Keep in mind that the new nail will grow simultaneously with the natural one, so you will have to touch your nails every two weeks.
Duration
They last between 2 and 3 weeks; they don’t fill up, so you have to make them again every time.
Advantages
They have a more natural effect than acrylic ones. Its application is straightforward: a protective enamel is applied, and the porcelain nails are glued to the natural nail.
Drawbacks
The extensions can break easily due to the low flexibility of this material. They look more artificial than gel nails.
Price
This is the most expensive option, $60 on average. But, as always, the exact price depends on the salon.
C. Gel Nails
They are the newest in the manicure sector. Its texture is a mix between liquid and solid. First, a resin layer must be applied and then subjected to drying with ultraviolet lamps. Then you have to file them to give them the desired shape.
Maintenance
You have to fill them in as the natural nail grows. This can vary depending on each person.
Duration
Between 2 and 3 weeks.
Advantages
Gel nails have a much more natural appearance than other false nails. In addition, they are one of the most flexible manicures on the market (they can be easily bent), which increases the durability of their effect.
Drawbacks
They are the most difficult to remove (removing them is more aggressive for natural nails). We can’t fix them at home if there’s a break.
Price
Gel nails are cheaper than porcelain or acrylic ones, $30 on average.
Don’t miss out on the trends in manicure this season: colors, patterns, applications, rhinestones, semi-permanent manicures, and tricks.
