Gel Nails: the Good, the Bad, and the Pretty

Gel manis are the popular upgrade of regular manis. Pretty nails that last for a few weeks equals #win? Maybe.

For those who are new to the term ‘gel manicure’, it’s basically gel polish that is cured (or dried) by UV light. We’ve come up with a list of pros and cons to help you decide if you’ll be ordering gel nails at your next salon visit.

Ladies, haven’t we all smudged or chipped a manicured nail (or 10)? This doesn’t happen with gel manicures. They have a reputation for lasting at least 2 weeks without chipping or fading! If you’re careful with them, you might even keep them intact for a month or more. Not only are they’re tougher than regular manicures, they’re also just as shiny 2 weeks in. Talk about durability!

As we all know, traditional manicures require quite a bit of drying time – a few hours to properly set. Patience is a must during this time as you basically can’t do anything with your hands for a couple of hours or so. Even worse, you can’t sleep as the bed sheet or couch surface might imprint into your nail polish if it’s not properly set. Gel nails get cured with a UV light in just a matter of 30 seconds per coat, so you’ll be in and out of the salon in a jiffy.

They’re pretty and they last but they also come with a price tag, a heavy one. Nail salons charge at least twice the price for a gel mani compared to a regular mani.

That purple or blue light used to cure your gel nails is actually UV light. Experts can’t say for certain if those UV rays are harmful, but that’s the thing… they can’t say for certain. If you’re getting a gel manicure regularly, it means that you’re increasing your exposure to any harm that UV lights might cause.

To remove gel polish, a soak-off technique is employed. Nail therapists wrap your nails in nail polish remover (acetone) for 15 – 20 minutes. This process dries your nails, causing them to become brittle. After soaking, the gel polish is scraped off the nail plates, resulting in more nail damage. Yikes!