Solar? Gel? Acrylic?? What’s the diff?
Solar? Acrylic? Gel? Shellac? Which one is best? What should I get for my nails?
Being a nail tech for more than 10 years, I can’t count the times I’ve been asked this question, so let’s clear the air.
Solar Nails: Solar nails is many different things to many different people. Some think it’s some magical product, some think it’s pink & white (aka 2 tone nails), or something completely different. The truth is, it’s a brand name of acrylic powder made by CND (Creative Nail Design). CND popularized a method of easily doing pink & white which leads some techs to associate pink & white with Solar. It is a quality acrylic product that is preforms much better than cheaper no name brands that tend to yellow quickly, lift easier and so on. It’s worth paying a premium for a set of acrylic nails using CND product so long as the salon is actually using CND product. Some will advertise Solar meaning pink and white with cheap acrylic product.
Acrylic Nails: Acrylic nails is basically a 2 component system. A powder polymer mixed with a liquid monomer producing a oozing substance that dries quite quickly from your body heat. The liquid monomer is the stuff that gives the trademark smell of nail salons. If your hands are warm, it will harden faster. If your hands are cold then it will take longer to harden and can be more difficult to work with. There are many different brands on the market. Not all acrylics are equal! You definitely get what you pay for! When getting a new set of acrylic nails, your nails may fell “tight” or “tense” or generally feel slightly uncomfortable for a day or 2. This is normal. Acrylic takes 1 or 2 days to set completely. As the acrylic set, it shrinks causing a slightly uncomfortable sensation that should quickly go away. Acrylic nails are tough and the most popular type of nail enhancements.
Gel Nails: The gel product has a consistency similar to hair gel, hence the name gel nails. It comes in a highly viscous liquid form. It is applied to the nail plate then set (hardened) under a UV lamp. The setting process produces a noticeable amount of heat which some clients find to be uncomfortable. The more gel that is applied, the hotter the sensation. Thumb nails usually feel much hotter when setting because the thumb nail has a larger surface area requiring more product to cover. Gel nails are not as dense as acrylic nails. Because of the lower density, gel nails feel more natural. There is a noticeable difference between the “heaviness” of gel vs acrylic nails. Since gel nails are less dense, they are also not as durable as acrylic nails. There are some types of powder gels that resemble acrylic more than gel nails. In my experience, powder gel is not very good. It tends to yellow quickly and is the bad result of marrying gel and acrylic. If you want gel nails, get liquid gel. If you want acrylic nails, get acrylic.
Gel Polish: Gel polish is a gel based product that is all the rage in replacing traditional nail lacquers. Like google is synonymous to web search, Shellac has become synonymous to gel polish. Again, Shellac is a brand name gel polish produced by CND. Although Bio Sculpture is the first major brand to sell soak off gel, CND popularized soak off gel as gel polish. There are many brands on the market now such as OPI Gel Color and Harmony Gelish being the larger brands. Gel polish are curable in both LED UV lamps (~30 seconds to cure) and traditional CFL UV lamps (~3 minutes to cure). Gel polish last much longer than nail lacquers and are dry when the service is complete which is why they are so popular now.
So what is better for you? It all depends on you. An experienced and knowledgeable nail tech can help you determine the type of nails that work best for you and your lifestyle. You may want to try all different types of products to see which fit your life best!