Gel nail extensions: all the pros and cons: Beauty: Manicure and pedicure

About 15 years ago, extended nails, like cell phones, aroused the surprise and envy of others. The very presence of such a manicure spoke of the high status and wealth of the owner. Today, every woman who cares about her image can afford to have her nails extended. Many people even do it themselves, at home. It is not the nails themselves that cause admiration from the outside, but the exquisite design and nail art. In this area, innovations and ideas are born every year, more and more impressive. Exquisite artistic painting, voluminous and aquarium design, sophisticated crystal nails - all this beauty can truly reveal itself exclusively on extended nails. And, perhaps, this is the main argument in favor of building up.

Well-groomed nails are an integral part of the image of a modern business woman.

But for many, the question remains whether it’s worth getting nail extensions. Doubts are quite reasonable, because everything artificial is, as a rule, harmful or even dangerous. On the other hand, nail art masters often claim that extensions help treat peeling, brittle nails. Where is the truth? The online magazine “Women’s Happiness” is ready to give answers.

Myth 1: extensions change your nails

The opinion about the healing effect of extended nails is also incorrect, as are the rumors about their danger. Yes, the first materials (solvents used to apply acrylic) were toxic and harmful both for the client and (especially) for the master. That is why those previous solvents were banned for use everywhere some time ago. Modern high-quality materials are completely safe . They do not harm nails, do not cause cancer and do not poison the body in any way. It is only important that the materials are of high quality: a counterfeit of an expensive brand can indeed turn out to be cheese in a mousetrap.

Artistic painting allows you to turn your nails into a work of art.

Immediately after removing the extended nails, the native plates, as a rule, turn out to be thinned and peeling. This is not explained by the harmful effects of extension materials, but by the process of fixing and correcting artificial nails. If you plan to give up extensions, after 3 months your nails will grow back and there will be no trace of grinding left. But their condition will be completely similar to what it was before the very first extension, in accordance with your general health. So don't expect any miracles or nightmares from the extension.

Nail extensions protect natural nails

Today, craftsmen have the opportunity to work with modern finely dispersed and high-molecular polymers, be it gel or acrylic. Manufacturers keep up with the times and offer high quality products. Thus, they enable craftsmen to create thin, elegant, anatomical, but at the same time durable, modeling!

Taking into account that nail extensions are a necessity for so many women, the market needs fast, but high-quality, close to natural extensions. So that your nails turn out graceful, beautiful, durable, and at the same time you don’t need to spend 3-5-7 hours with a specialist. Creating such nails, knowing the basics and technology, is not at all difficult and does not take long.

To conclude the topic, let’s dispel the myth that they don’t do nail extensions anymore. In nail modeling schools, the following picture is observed - strong masters still, in 90% of cases, are engaged in nail extensions and modeling. But it is often impossible to distinguish such extensions from natural nails with the naked eye. This is where the myth arises that nails cannot be extended. Yes, they don’t build them up, they are modeled so well that they can’t be distinguished from natural ones!

Myth 2: Extended nails require labor-intensive care

In fact, caring for properly extended nails is much easier than caring for your own . It is enough to come for correction on time to keep them in perfect condition. The situation is somewhat different only with crystal nails: it is impossible to correct them, only to completely update them. But beauty, as we know, is worth such efforts.

Not only the nails themselves are made from acrylic, but also amazingly beautiful three-dimensional designs on them.

Polish on artificial nails lasts much longer than on natural nails. This is why some women get their nails done before going on vacation: so that there is no need to worry about the condition of their manicure while on vacation.

Tips and forms

All types of nail extensions come down to two methods of extension: on forms and on tips .

Tips are plastic templates that are applied to natural filed nails using special glue. Then the border between natural and artificial nails is equalized. Using tweezers and a file, the nail is given the desired length and shape, and gel, acrylic, resin and silk are placed on top if desired. All together it takes 3-4 hours. In principle, tips are the same plastic nails that are sold in stalls in the passages. But you won’t be able to pick them up, glue them, or file them properly.

The forms are a plate of foil or plastic with a window for a nail in the middle. The plate is put on the finger, and the edge of the window is placed under the edge of your nail. And on top, using a brush, lay a layer of material (gel, acrylic, resin). When it hardens, the form is removed from under it, and the nail is corrected with a file. For this method, the length of the nails should be 1-2 millimeters, otherwise it will simply not be possible to place the mold. The whole process takes 3-4 hours.

Materials used: acrylic, gel, resin, silk. The composition of the resin is practically no different from the gel, but it is more durable. Technology using silk is divided into two types:

Silk is used to strengthen natural nails.
Silk is used to strengthen gel-based nails (a piece of flax, silk or synthetic fiberglass is placed between the tip and the gel layer).

Myth 3: Extended nails break easily

Unfortunately, there are people whose bodies do not accept either acrylic or gel (or one or the other). Then, alas, even the highest quality and professionally done nails do not hold up; their original plates reject them. But let us emphasize that this happens in 6-7% of cases. This means that the likelihood of being one of these people is negligible. For the rest, it is only important to choose the most suitable material for extensions.

Acrylic applied to tips glued to the natural nail allows you to get a more durable result. However, if you do break such a nail, most likely it will break off “with meat”, i.e., with your original base nail. Probably every woman knows how painful this is.

The gel is applied using a different technology. A special form is fixed to the very tip of the real nail, and gel is applied to it. After the gel hardens under the influence of ultraviolet rays in a special lamp, the mold is removed. This way, if the gel-extended nail is destined to break, your natural nail remains safe.

On the edges of exquisite transparent nails, light is refracted as sparklingly as on real crystal.

As for the frequency with which nail extensions break, regardless of the material from which they are made, what matters most is how you handle them. It is quite obvious that such nails are good for beauty, and not at all for physical work or sports games.

So what's the conclusion? Nail extensions with modern materials are completely safe for your health in general and for your nails. At the same time, it is not so important whether you do the extensions in a salon, where a significant part of the cost is spent, or from a home master who has independently completed manicure courses. What is more important is how responsibly this person approaches his work. Then you can be sure: your nails and the effort and money spent on them will only be a joy. And be beautiful!

Nail extensions hide the imperfections of natural nails

The client always needs the same thing - beautiful, well-groomed hands, elegant, durable, comfortable nails. And what they will be - natural or created by a skilled craftsman is no longer so important. The profession of a manicurist is akin to the profession of a sculptor. He must understand and see the beauty of nails and hands.

Pay attention to classical works of art, be they portraits or marble statues. Have you ever seen their nails bitten, wide and short? Fingers with everted distal edge? Never! Only graceful brushes, long fingers, narrow perfect nails, almost always the same shape, regardless of what century the work was created.

Today we call hands with such nails competitive hands. This is a true classic form. The ideal nail shape is a narrow, rectangular nail plate with an arch pronounced in the transverse and longitudinal directions. Such natural beauty is extremely rare. But, unfortunately, although a person has naturally good nail shape, he often cannot maintain it.

Maintaining the correct shape and length of your natural nail bed requires hard nails. Since thin, brittle, brittle, peeling, prone to bending nails cannot protect the nail bed properly. As a result, it shortens, the distal edge increases, and the shape changes from rectangular to square. In this case, it is often impossible to grow nails to any length. The salvation for such nails is strengthening. And if everything is imperfect, how can you create a different nail shape? In this case, extensions and a good specialist will allow you to create a miracle.

How to care for extended nails

Many people believe that it is not necessary to take care of your nails after extensions. But that's not true! Any material does not last forever and requires special care, especially since natural nails tend to grow. There is no way to do this without correction of extended nails.

To make your nails look beautiful and not break, it is important to follow some rules:

Neither gel nor acrylic nails tolerate acetone. Therefore, choose nail polish remover without acetone, use non-aggressive household chemicals;
Do not use wire cutters or scissors. A polisher and file for extended nails will help you adjust the length of your nails;
Do not hit your nails on a hard surface, do not drop heavy objects on them and be careful;
Take care of your cuticles. To prevent hangnails from forming and to keep the cuticle moisturized, moisturize it with vegetable oils. If your cuticle grows too quickly, use a special product to slow down its growth;
Before a manicure, do not take baths, use only softening oils. This will help prevent damage to your nails;
If you dive into a cold pool after a hot bath, you can damage your nails;
When painting your nail extensions with varnish, use only high-quality varnishes. Pay attention to the consistency and shelf life of the varnish;
It is recommended to go for correction at least once every 3 weeks;
Do not resort to hardware manicure services. It contributes to weakening and brittleness of nails;
Don't try to fix a broken nail yourself;
It is recommended to remove extended nails only in salons;
Do not cover your extended nails with a thick layer of varnish.

These are the basic rules for caring for extended nails, following which you will preserve their beauty and durability.

List of contraindications

Before moving on to describing the negative consequences of extensions, we will consider situations in which you will have to abandon the procedure. Those who have contraindications to artificial modeling are forced to choose an alternative:

Pregnancy and lactation period. The fact is that many modeling drugs contain chemicals that quickly penetrate into the blood. In order not to harm the child, it is better to avoid using them.
Fungal infections of the fingers and nail bed. If you have this disease, you will have to refuse the procedure until complete recovery. Otherwise, the condition will only worsen.
Open wounds on the fingers and severe damage to the plates. In this case, the harm from nail extensions will be obvious. Wait until the wounds have completely healed, and only then go to the salon.
Serious diseases of the endocrine, excretory and digestive systems are absolute contraindications to the modeling procedure. Also, it cannot be performed while taking antibiotics, analgesics and after a course of chemotherapy.

If you have no contraindications, this does not mean that modeling is harmless.

Disadvantages of extensions

Every modern innovation, including those related to nails, has its drawbacks. Among them, the main negative points are:

The duration of the extension procedure itself with both acrylic and gel.
Significant financial costs for replacing natural nails with artificial ones.
Gel nails require systematic correction. They need to be touched up twice a month. This is again time and money.
Gel plates are always removed by filing. Only a master can do this correctly.
The native nail under the acrylic or gel plate becomes thinner and requires care after removing the artificial material.
Sometimes, if you use the services of a not very good specialist, you can become infected with a fungus during extensions.
Even well-made nails limit the possibilities of usual hand actions. A woman will have to work differently on the keyboard, adapt to doing housework and those traditional procedures that she performed without long nails.

Cost of artificial ends extensions

There is no clear and specific answer to this question, since the formation of the price for artificial lengthening of the nail plate depends on many factors. If you need information on how much nail extensions cost, then first of all, consider the following important points.

The region in which you live. If you get your nails extended not in Moscow, but in some remote region, then the price of this procedure will be significantly lower than in the capital.
Master's qualification. A specialist with enormous experience, who is constantly improving his skills, will do tip modeling much better than a self-taught person. You yourself understand how much professionalism costs in such a responsible matter.
Salon or home. You can also grow your nails at home. This service is cheaper than a salon procedure. Renting a room significantly affects the price of a manicure.
Desired design. After direct modeling, the master will optionally decorate the extended nails with a beautiful design or decor. Of course, a fantasy design costs much more than a classic French design, which is easy to do. Also, the price is determined based on the length of artificial nails. The size of the free edge affects the amount of material consumed and, accordingly, affects the cost of the extension.
The condition of your hands. Before starting to extend nails with gel or other material, the master needs to prepare them for this procedure. Sometimes a preliminary manicure takes a long time due to the neglected condition of the hands. This may also affect the price.

Answering the question of how much modeling of artificial ends costs, we can say that the price ranges from 800-3000 rubles and depends on the factors we have listed. Our advice: do not skimp on nail extensions . It’s better to spend a little more money, but you will be sure that the master will do everything efficiently and without harm to your health.

Is the experience of the master important?

Is it worth getting your nails done at once? It should be noted that there is nothing wrong with this procedure if an experienced and well-trained specialist takes on the matter. It is worth noting that the qualifications of a manicurist are actually of no small importance, because it is precisely due to the lack of one that most often causes irreparable damage to the nail plate, which leads to disastrous consequences.

In what ways can an inexperienced master ruin his feet? Let's look at the most striking mistakes that only a beginner can make:

lack of knowledge about contraindications for extensions;
excessive cutting of the plate;
use of low quality materials;
causing injury during the removal of insoluble materials;
incorrect modeling of nail geometry.

Reviews from fans of artificial nail lengthening often note that when choosing a nail technician, you should give preference to proven specialists in this field, who usually work in popular salons.

Is it better to choose gel nails or acrylic nails?

Advantages of acrylic nails: – strength; – fast polymerization without a lamp; – possibility of complex designs; – modeling.

Pros of gel nails: – strength; – possibility of complex designs; - without smell; – fast polymerization.

Disadvantages of acrylic nails: – smell (not everyone likes it, it seems heavy. But it is absolutely non-toxic. Tested by masters).

Disadvantages of gel nails: – when polymerizing in a lamp, it sometimes bakes (this only lasts 1-2 seconds. And only for clients with sagging nails).

In some cases, clients have individual rejection of the material; this cannot always be determined immediately. Therefore, be sure to discuss the issue of acrylic or gel with the master!