Long have women used acrylic powder in beauty salons to take their manicure to the next more refined, stylish, and attractive level.
Still, despite it being in such wide use, a great number of women still have numerous dilemmas regarding this matter.
Hence, we have decided to provide you with everything you need to know about acrylic powder.
Find out what acrylic powder actually is, its various types, the pros and cons of having acrylic nails, how to apply and remove them, and finally read our short buying guide.
What is acrylic powder?
To put it simply, the acrylic powder is what you get when you combine polymer, or powder if you like, with a liquid monomer.
It has a dough-like structure that you then apply to natural nails to make them stronger, longer, and thicker.
There are various types of acrylic powder that differ in their particle size.
Powder particles range from 125 to 25 microns.
When you combine the acrylic powder with liquid, you get a nice, cohesive blend without any lumps or undissolved particles.
The powder with bigger particles requires more work to get a fine mixture.
Sometimes, nail professionals decide to sift the powder prior to mixing it with liquor to get a nicely ground product.
Remember that the finer the ground the easier it will be to apply acrylic powder and the less filling will be necessary until the nails are finally removed.
It is important to have your acrylic nails done by a professional.
The pros of acrylic nails
Despite their slightly bad reputation, acrylic nails have a vast number of benefits.
Aesthetically, they are much more attractive than natural nails as they all have the same length and shape you have chosen yourself according to your personal taste.
A vast variety of possible decorations you can opt for is a great benefit as well.
Then, these nails are very durable, resistant, and they prevent the cracking of natural nails, which makes them a perfect choice for women with weak and brittle nails.
After applying acrylic powder to a natural nail or a tip, there is no need to use a UV lamp as the powder dries quickly when mixed with a monomer.
The process does not last long and yet you get stylish, neat, and nice-looking nails that can last up to eight weeks if you maintain them properly.
Moreover, you will save a lot of your time on applying nail polish frequently because it takes longer to dry, and, unfortunately, these nails are significantly less durable than the acrylic ones.
The time you get you can invest in some other activities like doing exercise professionals at dubaipt.com suggest for being fit and improving your health in general.
Why dealing with unnecessary tasks when you can get more free time, a nicer look, and a fit body?
The cons of acrylic nails
Though they look nice and enable you to have the nails of the length, shape, and strength you desire, acrylic nails tend to cost a lot.
Also, they require proper maintenance, which can be a pain in the neck at times.
If you want them to last longer, you have to visit a salon for a filling every two to three weeks and wear protective gloves whenever you are using cleaning products, for example, or anything that might cause damage.
When choosing a nail professional to have your acrylic nails done, you should be very careful.
Poorly handled nails can cause serious infections that are very difficult to cure and eliminate.
Make sure you conduct a thorough search and comparison before you decide who you can trust with this task.
Finally, if not properly removed, acrylic nails can significantly decrease the quality of your natural nails.
Generally, some practices in the process of applying these nails do weaken the nails’ natural state, but this is only temporary.
Hence, it is our advice to take breaks from acrylic nails every three to six months to rejuvenate your nails.
How to apply acrylic powder?
Even if you are an amateur in this field, you have to know the standard procedure when applying acrylic powder to be able to choose and hire a genuine professional in this field.
Step 1: Preparation
The preparation of your nail bed is an inevitable step when applying acrylic powder.
Any nail polish you might have must be removed with acetone first.
A professional will have to examine the state of your natural nails to make sure they can handle acrylic nails at all.
If it turns out your nails are too weak and brittle, you will have to return them to the optimal state prior to continuing with the application process.
Step 2: Natural nails or nail tips – you decide!
It is vital for you to decide whether you want acrylic powder applied to your nails or nail tips.
If you opt for the latter option, there will be a new step in the process and that is applying tips first before you continue working with acrylic powder.
Step 3: Bond and primer are a must
The next step involves removing the shine on the nail plate and then applying the bond and primer. Bond and primer are necessary because they will stop the lifting after application.
Step 4: Time to choose
Now is the time to choose what you like best among the myriads of options at your disposal.
Name the colour you want, whether you want some glitters, mood effects, or glow acrylic.
Or maybe you want to match some natural lipstick shades and eye makeup you use on a daily basis?
How about blending different powders to achieve a stunning trendy nail look?
After making this choice, the jars in which powder is kept should be rolled to properly disperse the powder.
There are countless options at your disposal once you opt for acrylic nails.
Step 5: Time for a monomer
Your nail technician or yourself if you decide to give the DIY option a try will need a brush that is dipped into a monomer.
All the liquid should be at the end of the brush before it is laid gently onto the surface of the acrylic powder you have chosen.
It is important to remember that the amount of powder on the brush should be enough for a nail and it should be applied in only one bead.
The best practice of applying acrylic powder is to go from the cuticle toward the free end of the nail.
During the application, spread and tap the powder slowly and lightly, as this enables better application and retention and it will also decrease the number of fillings later on.
Step 6: Let it dry
As we have already stated, no UV lamp is compulsory when applying acrylic powder.
It will dry completely relatively quickly.
A sure sign that the powder is finally dry is the clicking sound you get by tapping the brush on the nails.
Step 7: The end
Once the acrylic nails are dry, a layer of polish top coat should be applied and this is the end of the process.
How to safely remove acrylic powder
When it comes to proper removal strategies, there are several practices one can choose from.
Some of these are more demanding and require better skill and sound knowledge, while others are much easier to conduct.
One of the most common practices both professionals and amateurs like due to its simplicity is using warm acetone to soak and then remove your acrylic nails.
To warm acetone, all you need to do is put the bottle with it under hot water for a few seconds.
Then, the acetone will be able to soften the hard acrylic nails much more easily.
Under no circumstances should you use any other strategies to warm acetone as it is extremely flammable and any silly and unreasonable decision might have serious consequences.
If you have had acrylic powder applied to your nail tips, these tips should be cut and brought to a short length before you continue.
Prepare some cotton balls and soak them into warm acetone.
Place them on your nails, and wrap each individual fingernail in a foil.
Leave your fingers like this for the next half an hour.
Once you remove the foil, wipe your nails with those cotton balls and voila! Acrylic nails should have come off with it!
If, however, there are some remnants left, use a buffer and remove them easily.
Now your nails are ready for a new trendy look!
A short buying guide
When you are shopping for beauty products, it is important to know enough about some of their key qualities.
With the acrylic powder, you might want to consult your nail technician and ask for advice, especially because there are a lot of different variants available on the market.
Professionals test these products frequently with their customers, so their opinion matters a lot.
Generally, when considering which acrylic powder to use and apply, you should evaluate the ease of application, colour stability, durability, flexibility, and retention.
Interestingly, if you are having your nails done in winter, you should choose the powder resistant to cold weather and low temperatures, because there are those which crack and get damaged easily in these circumstances.
The prices for getting acrylic nails done vary from place to place and from salon to salon.
On average, this pleasure will cost you anywhere between $50 to $75.
Remember that each filling is a new expense imposed on your budget, so give this plan a good piece of thought – is it really worth it?
