Dip powder nails or dip nails are one top-rated artificial nail enhancement product in the nail industry. They are relatively safe compared with other more chemically intensive nail products. When you consider getting them done, you want to ask whether they are really safe or not.
Are Dip Nails Safe?
Dip powder nails or SNS nails are safer to use than any other nail enhancement products because their application is relatively simple and does not require much roughing up the natural nail surface. Removing them is a quick soaking process in acetone.
To know more about how safe dip nails are used on natural nails. Let us look at how they are used in a manicure and how easy and safe their removal process is.
Are Dip Manicures Safe?
The manicures with dip nails are one of the safest manicures compared with other types of manicures using different types of artificial nail products.
Dip powders are fine-ground acrylics, but dip powder nails do not use any harsh chemical liquids. Instead, the dip powder is applied on the nails using safer adhesive glue.
The preparation is also simple and less damaging on the natural nails. All you need to do is roughen the nail surface lightly to create a good bond.
When it is time to take off the old dip nails, they are easy to remove. The process is quick and straightforward. All you have to do first is remove the topcoat by filing it off with a nail file. The dip nails can come off by soaking them in acetone for a short 10 minutes.
Dip nails are easy to come off because the adhesive glue used in dip nails can chemically interact with acetone. Acetone will dissolve this glue at room temperature without having you warm it up.
Many people use dip powder nails as one way to strengthen their nails
over other nail products.
Are Dip Nails Safer than Gel?
Many people convert from wearing gel to dip manicures because they do not need a UV LED light.
Gel polish requires the use of a UV LED light to cure. This UV light spectrum is considered safe for two reasons:
ACCORDING TO THE FDA, the UV wavelength range used in these types of nail lamps is considered safe.
“To date, the FDA has not received any reports of burns or skin cancer attributed to these lamps.”
However, many people want to play safe by avoiding the use of these UV LED nail lamps.
They find a better alternative, dip nails.
On the other hand, while removing gel polish requires soaking in acetone, the process is much longer than dip nails.
The reason is after curing, gel polish becomes plasticized. This plasticized gel polish will not interact readily with acetone.
While dip powder nails can directly interact with acetone and dissolve quickly, cured gel polish needs to much longer soaking time and in acetone.
Because of the two reasons above, many people who had gel manicures switch to dip nails.
Are Dip Nails Safer than Acrylics?
Dip nails are safer and a better nail product compared to acrylics because of three reasons.
Safe chemical compositions:
Both dip nails and acrylic nails have one thing in common, the acrylic powder, but the similarity ends there.
All acrylic nail systems have two different chemicals, polymer acrylic powders, and monomer acrylic liquids.
The acrylic liquids are the subject of debate. Initially, the acrylic liquid used methacrylate monomers (MMA), which were later found to be an allergy-causing product. It was later replaced by a safer acrylic liquid, ethyl methacrylate (EMA). Both have a strong, distinctive odor that many people find difficult to breathe with this vapor.
Dip nails do not have to use any strong-odor acrylic liquid. So it will not stink up the room where it is used.
Faster application:
Acrylic nail applications take a lot longer time to do than dip nail applications.
Why? Acrylic nails require a lot of time to:
- Lay acrylics on the nails
- Shape these acrylic nails
without counting other steps.
Sometimes, the two steps above can take as much as 30 minutes, which is when it takes to complete a dip manicure.
A complete set of acrylic nails takes 45 – 60 minutes to complete before polishing.
One significant advantage that dip powder nails have over acrylic nails is they have different colors. You can just pick out the color of the dip powders that you like. After the dip manicure is done, your new nails already have color.
Quick removal:
Acrylic nails are the toughest one to remove.
Designed to be tough, solidified acrylic nails are resistant to acetone, even though acetone is the only chemical solution available to take off acrylic nails.
You have to sit down and soak your acrylic nails in acetone for at least 20 minutes for the acrylics to get soft so they can be scraped off. Removing acrylic nails requires repeated soaking and scraping steps. If acrylic nails are big and thick, it will take much longer to take them off.
Because of the three advantages above, many people make a switch from acrylics to dip nails.
Are Dip Nails Safe During Pregnancy?
Dip nails are one safe cosmetic product that people put on their nails. Even though it is safe to use, it is best to consult with your doctor to see if you have any allergy to any products used in dip nails before putting them on your nails.
Do Dip Nails Ruin Your Natural Nails?
People who had bad experience with dip nails blame them for ruining their nails. In fact, dip nails do not thin out your nails. Here are the possible things that will ruin your nails in a dip nails application.
Too much nail surface preparation:
Many nail technicians get used to working with acrylic nails and their damaging way of nail preparation by overly roughing up the nail surface to ensure the acrylic nails will not lift.
However, when they switched to doing dip powder nails, they brought the overly-roughing up habit over. This is the first reason why dip nail application that can make your nails thinner.
Careless dip nail removal:
At a salon: nail technicians who try to save some time will use a nail drill to sand the dip powder away. In doing so, more often than not, she will file down to the nails. Your nails are no match for her sharp and powerful drill bit.
At home: instead of sitting down and soak the dip nails in acetone, some people can not wait for it. They will try to peel the dip nails with help from other fingers.
The adhesive bond of the dip nails is much stronger than the natural nails, which consist of multiple layers. If the dip nail is being peeled, it is your weaker nails to give in first.
The bad removal of dip nails might ruin your nails, not the dip nails themselves.
Can You Remove Dip Nails Safely at Home?
You can safely remove dip powder nails by simply soaking them in acetone at home. The process will get a little more labor-intensive if you also have gel polish on top of your dip nails.
I will not recommend any other way to remove dip nails at home. You should wait until you have some acetone or have it off at a nail salon.
What are the best dip nails for you?
There are two ways you can get your dip nails done.
At a salon:
Dip nails are getting very popular because people find them gentle on their nails, quick to apply and easy removal. That is why many nail salons in your area offer this safe service to their customers.
However, all nail salons are not created equal, so you must do your diligence to find the best nail salon near you.to prevent possible improper dip nail application and removal that can ruin your natural nails.
You should do some research to find out the best nail salon near you before you decide to go. This way, you may save yourself and your nails from bad dip nails that could take your nails months to recover.
To find out what makes a good nail salon near you that is worth your while and money, read this article next.
Dip nails for home use:
Which brand should you buy?
SNS nails (signature Nail System) was the first to come up with the dip nails and their dip nails remain one of the top. SNS dip powder nails are used in nail salons primarily for the unrivaled qualities
Years later, there are other brands that are marketing the same product. Because their quality varies, you should only buy after you check out how well the brand is doing in terms of sales and product review first.
If you buy dip nails at a nail supply store, ask the sales people about different brand they carry. They should be knowledgeable enough to point you to the right one.
If you buy them online, there are a few things you should look for to determine if they are a good brand:
- How many sales the product has.
- Overall positive reviews
Better yet, just choose one of the most popular brand, it should satisfy the above two requirements.
To save you some time, here is a short list of dip nail brands that I think are good for you to buy your first kit:
SNS dip powder nails starter kit:
Modelones dip powder nails starter kit:
Beetles 20 Colors Mermaid Collection:
The three brands are sold on Amazon, which you can also check out other dip nail kits that have the color powders that you like.
Conclusion:
As a nail technician for more than two decades, and I have worked on many artificial nail enhancement products, from silk wraps all the way to the latest, soft gel nail tips. I find dip nails are the most straightforward nail product for home use for the fact that it has:
- Short learning curve and easy to master
- No strong odor
- No nail drill needed
- No led nail lamp needed
- Simple and quick application
- Simple and quick removal
Dip nails are an excellent choice for short to medium-length nails. I find the majority of people choose this type of length for their own nails anyway.
Unless you want long nails, dip nails are strong enough for people who prefer shorter nails.
Happy dipping.
