Like with any beauty trends, nail trends come and go, and sometimes popular trends are just renamed versions of older ones. You may have heard of people getting a dip powder manicure instead of opting for gel or acrylic nails, and there are some things you should know before you decide to go the dip powder route. Dip powder nails are essentially another version of acrylic nails, but there's an ingredient that they contain which concerns a lot of people, and there are plenty of salons that don't do them. Here's what you should know before you get dip powder nails.
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00:00There are many nail options to consider, especially when getting artificial nails, from gel to
00:05acrylic to the increasingly popular and controversial dip powder.
00:09Wondering what all the hype is about?
00:10Here's what you should know about dip powder nails before you even think about getting
00:14them.
00:15Fake or artificial nails, no matter which kind you choose, all share a common base.
00:19Doug Shoon, a chemist, co-chair of Nail Manufacturers Council, and the president of Shoon Scientific
00:24and Regulatory Consulting, told Self,
00:27All of the ingredients used to make any type of artificial nail, whether they be glued,
00:32cured by UV, or mixed with a liquid and powder, are based on the acrylic family.
00:37Acrylic nails are made by fusing together a liquid and a powder to create a gel-like
00:41substance.
00:42Gel manicures are really much the same, but they come in a ready-to-use gel form and are
00:46cured or hardened by placing the nails under UV light for at least a few minutes.
00:51While the dip powder may seem revolutionary, especially at first, it's really not all that
00:55different from the other types.
00:57The technique gets its name because, after applying the bonding agent, the nails are
01:01then dipped into a colored powder of your choice and finished off with a sealing topcoat.
01:07While dip powder manicures are still acrylic, celebrity manicurist Erica Martin told Glamour
01:12they're more like a, quote, diet acrylic, because they're sort of an in-between version
01:16of a regular painted manicure and artificial nails.
01:19You may think this makes dip powder a better choice than a traditional acrylic manicure,
01:22and in theory, that makes sense.
01:24Unfortunately, that's not the case.
01:27Ariel Zuniga of Vanity Project's nail salon in New York takes issue with the bonding used
01:32in dip powder manicures, according to her.
01:35It's a very cheap product, oftentimes containing MMA, which is extremely harmful to natural
01:40nails and banned in New York City.
01:42MMA isn't just prohibited in New York City.
01:44The liquid monomer is banned in over 30 states.
01:47According to a leading supplier, direct contact with MMA can lead to nose, eye, and skin irritation,
01:55plus allergic reactions.
01:56Reader's Digest advises asking your nail technician about their nail products before getting your
02:01nails done.
02:02You can often tell if MMA is being used by its sharp and fruity chemical smell.
02:06It's beautiful here.
02:07Everything smells like lavender.
02:08Also, if your nail tech puts on a mask before applying the bonding agent, that's an indication
02:13that the product is unsafe.
02:15Dip powder manicures, and even their retro dip system ancestor, win when it comes to
02:19how long they take to apply.
02:21Harley G., a licensed nail technician, revealed to Elle,
02:24"...dip nails don't require UV LED light and are typically a much quicker process to apply
02:29from start to finish."
02:30And let's be honest, waiting for your nails to dry is like, well, watching paint dry.
02:35It's the most boring and yet arguably the most important part of acrylic and gel manicures.
02:39The ease and speed of application combined with their fun name only increases what dermatologists
02:45and nail specialist Dana Stern dubbed their, quote, Instagram-ability.
02:49All of the time you thought you'd save during the application is more than made up for during
02:53removal.
02:55Just as with gel manicures, soaking is required to remove a dip powder manicure.
02:59Nail expert Doug Schoon told Self that if you take your nails off the same day they're
03:03applied, you can have them off in about 15 minutes, the time it usually takes to soak
03:07them off.
03:08He added,
03:09"...but if you wait two weeks or four weeks, it could take 30 minutes."
03:12Still, it's important to keep on soaking because trying to scrape off your manicure, even if
03:17you think you're doing it gently, is a horrible idea.
03:20"...this is the best bad idea we have, sir."
03:23Despite how cool it looks in Instagram videos, you should never, ever dip your nails into
03:27a jar of powder at a salon for sanitary reasons.
03:30"...I've noticed some of you guys got dirty nails.
03:34I don't want to see that."
03:36Nail technician Harley G explained to Elle,
03:39It is incredibly unsanitary for multiple clients to dip their fingers in the same container
03:44of powder.
03:45Even pouring the product over multiple clients' nails and allowing the product powder to fall
03:48back into the container is an easy way for nail infections to be passed between clients.
03:53So what should you do if you notice a nail tech applying the dip powder in either of
03:57those ways?
03:59Harley suggests you grab your purse and run far, far away.
04:03One of the selling features of dip powder nails is their staying power.
04:06Nail technician Elaine Ling Lee, who works at Valley Salon in New York City, confirmed
04:11to Insider that this style of manicure is indeed long-lasting.
04:15It can last up to eight whole weeks.
04:17Now that may sound dreamy, but the longer the dip powder is left on, the longer it takes
04:20to remove.
04:22So can you imagine the amount of removal time for a manicure that's eight weeks old?
04:25Eek!