The versatile beauty of acrylic nails, combined with their ability to stay on your fingernails for at least two to three weeks, has won them quite a few fans for life. Once you get acrylic nails, you shouldn’t need to go back to the salon for quite some time, and you’ll be left with glam nails that are sure to get everyone’s attention. But that doesn’t quite mean it’s all smooth sailing. Certain factors could lead to your acrylic nails getting spoilt before their time. In this blog post, we’ll discuss some of the precautions you can take in order to ensure your acrylic nails’ longevity, so you can enjoy your gorgeous nails for as long as possible.
Use a quality nail technician
The first and most important step to acrylic nails that both look great and last long is finding a nail technician with the appropriate expertise and skills. You need to ensure that your nail technician is familiar with the process of creating spectacular nails! Before you get the manicure, talk to the manicurist and ask them what their procedure entails. Make sure you know how they handle the pre-manicure prep phase – keep an eye out for whether or not they’re aware of the importance of buffing and cleansing! A good nail technician will avoid the nail edges and cuticles while painting the nails, and use very thin coats to apply the gel polish. They’ll also be able to create a strong base. Look for nail technicians that take their time during the application; that is a strong indicator of how vested they are in ensuring they do your nails right.
Make sure the equipment is top quality as well!
Gel polish is usually dried using UV lamps, but if these lamps are cheap, they could cause some lifting issues. Lifting occurs when the acrylic does not bond properly to your nails, which could cause an ugly appearance as the material leaves your fingernails. Check to see if the nail salon has a good brand, like the CND Shellac UV Lamp or the Gelish 18G. Another problem that could cause lifting is the need for the lamp bulbs for replacement. Dying UV lamps could create problems with curing and lifting. Ask your manicurist about the last time the bulbs were replaced.
Get fills regularly
You don’t choose the acrylic lifestyle – the acrylic lifestyle chooses you! And if you’ve made a commitment to acrylic nails, you will require regular fills. That’s why it’s important that you schedule appointments with your manicurist of choice every two weeks. Any longer than two weeks, and your acrylics will start to grow out as your nails increase in length. This makes them more susceptible to breakage and damage. If you don’t keep up with these regularly scheduled fills, your manicurist is going to have to break the acrylics off and then start from scratch. This could damage your nails in the long run, meaning any further acrylics could be much shorter-lived.
Use quality nail polishes and top coats
As you’ve seen by now, quality is a major concern of this blog post. After all, for the serious acrylic enthusiast, your nails are an investment. And cheap nail polishes dilute this investment, wasting both your money and your time as your nails will require more maintenance. Use nothing but top brand nail polishes like OPI GelColor. Not only do most top brands last for a long time, they maintain their shine throughout the course of your manicure. Plus, they tend to have the best color selections! And let’s not forget the top coat! Go for brands like Seche Vite – this might cost you a little bit more, but their fast drying properties are more than worth it.
Wherever you can, get touch ups
This should prove less necessary if you use quality products. However, if you feel that your nails don’t look as great as they did the first day you got them done, you can touch them up between acrylic fills. Simply apply a top coat a week after the fill. This should suffice to maintain the shine and color of the manicure.
Keep your hands moisturized
Don’t forget the basics of nail maintenance! Moisturizing is key to both nail health care and to lengthening the life of your acrylic nails. Keep your nails and cuticles healthy and soft by applying oils and lotions to then. Moisturize your hands as well in order to keep your nails from getting dried out.
In the mood for a amazing gel polish application? Give us a visit! At the Nail Pro, we can promise you stunning manicures to knock ‘em dead. Our unique, upscale salon provides top-quality manicures, pedicures, massages, facials, and a variety of other luxury spa services. To learn more about what we have to offer, get in touch with our staff today!
