Beauty

[fairydogmother]

Dam I'm weak. After posting about my healthy natural nails, I went to the salon for a manicure. Lady next to me was getting some sort of pink powder dip thing done. She said it lasts nearly three weeks, is strong. From what I saw her nails looked really pretty. 
That dremel filing didn't look too fun. I remember it from many years ago, ouch. 
Still... I keep hearing about dips. Do I want this? 😉😀

[santorini]

I did it a couple of times but I won't do it again.   With the gel, I could remove the "paint" from home if I needed to.  With the dipping process, it definitely required going back to have them use the drill.  I felt like it damaged my nails.  Sure it might last a few days longer but it's not worth it to me.  I went back to doing my own nails.  I have to repaint every 3 days but it's not a big deal.

[Snowpuppy]

I did dip mani's for awhile and they did last close to 3 weeeks.

Pandemic hit and I was stuck trying to remove the dip at home. Yipes! I did see how much damage they do to natural nails so I've switched back to mani on natural nails.

[pupwhipped]

I think if you have good nails you sure don't need these.

[millieshops]

@pupwhipped  I have had terrible natural nails since. Childhood, but the weakest nails I ever had came from a session with those dip nails.  Looked fine the first few days, but were actually painful once they were removed.  Never again for me.

[Suzeecat]

I'm tough on my nails and manicures never last very long, that's why I don't bother with them most of the time.  I got a dip once when they were new and couldn't believe how they wore - it was the longest lasting manicure I've every had!  Problem was, my nails were growing out so I had a ridge at the bottom which wasn't attractive.  I had to go to the salon to get them removed, and never did it again.  I don't like having to return just to get the polish off.

[OneHappyHiker]

I was happy when I saw this thread as I haven't really seen many before on dip nails!  Originally I too was looking here for inspiration and then headed over to YouTube and boy did I get loads of info - both good and bad! Since that time I have decided the best approach for me is to incorporate dip powder into my already good routine of regular polish or gel polish. I find alternating products, including using Perfect Formula (or other you like) keeps my nails healthy and strong and as long as I like them to be (medium length, experimenting with oval right now).

What I found most likely to HARM your nails is removal. Removal MUST be done correctly so you don't harm your nails in the process. Again, heading over to YouTube I found a plethora of info on how NOT to remove gel or dip and how TO remove it. I even learned ways to keep the Acetone off surrounding skin (using Vaseline around the nail and using a small-ish piece of cotton square that just sits on my nail) and when hands are kept warm in a baggie in a bowl of warm rice or warm water, it shaves minutes off the process!

I watched many videos on how to use electric files on nails to the point I can now use them safely and they work great. Yes. They can be scary BUT once again, it is HOW you use them! One tip I just learned: the same as you should season your regular nail file, you should also season the sanding bit. Why? You then take away the risk of cutting yourself by having a too-sharp nail file or e-file bit! Who knew? lol

I also enjoy doing my own nails. So I found it interesting watching the application and removal process for gel and dip (basically the same removal  process where you gently remove the shine of the outer top coat to make it easier for the Acetone to penetrate for easy removal) and NEVER force or use sharp instruments to scrape or peel off the gel or dip product. The beauty of a home manicure is you DO have time to do it correctly.  All too often some salons are on a time crunch so they use their tools and scrape off product that is stubborn.  That's wrong if they scrape into your nail. Another minute or two in the Acetone is usually all that's needed from my personal experience.

Anyway, I guess what I wanted to add is do not fear any of these products will make your nails horrible IF you adhere to a correct process and never scrape any product off your nails. I was a bit afraid to try some of these new products but after watching videos, I became knowledgeable so I haven't harmed my nails.  Once you too have knowledge of what you are doing, you can then enjoy the experience - regular polish, gel OR dip! (I got a few on Amazon that you can once again, read pros and cons, reviews, and "best" of, etc.)

Also, I read an article from a dermatologist who recommended anyone trying dip products or gel products for the first time to only do ONE nail. Wait 7 days. This gives enough time for you to see if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in either the dip or gel. If you find you are allergic, you remove the polish ASAP and only have ONE nail to contend with. I found that to be something I never thought of but did do.

I hope this helps you in figuring it all out. There is a world of YouTubers out there willing to show you how they dip or use gel and it really helped me gain confidence in what I was doing. I do really enjoy pretty nails and get bored with using the same products over and over again. So I naturally look for new things and found regular polish, gel polish AND dip powder all work well in my rotation! Good luck!

[Shelbelle]

Sounds like one sure fire quick way to kill your natural nails, no thanks!!!

[juperier3]

Excellent info @OneHappyHiker  I'd like to add a few things I've learned while educating myself.

While the major damage is most likely to happen during removal, the buffing at the start of the process also causes damage. While today's products require minimal buffing, it's very possible for a nail tech to buff away more nail than needed.

The general consensus seems to be that the required training courses for certification provide minimal (as in little to no) training in the actual application of various nail enhancements. They emphasize what is needed to pass the exam, such as sanitation. While they are certainly taught very important information, the new nail tech is often dependent on educating themselves about proper use of the actual products, as well as continuing their education to keep their knowlege current and to update their skills.

I think it's important to distiguish that there are two basic types of gel...soak off and hard. The gel polishes that come in a bottle like regular nail polish are typically soak off. The gel in pots can be either soak off or hard. If it's hard gel (which there's a good possibility it is if it's in a pot), then it has to be filed off. Acetone won't work for removal.

I too am self-taught. While my interest in gel/acrylic began several years go, it wasn't for me at the time. I simply changed polish way too often (every day or two) to use something that lasted for weeks.

I bought the Zoya system when it was released, but have rarely used it. At some point I bought an e-file, again rarely used. In the mean time, I continued watching YT videos and found the Young Nails YT channel. Their Black Friday sale was amazing, and I now have the products to do pretty much any type of nail enhancement I want to.

That includes dip powder. But I decided to jump into hard gel overlays first. Though I'll no doubt end up with some minimal nail damage during the learning curve, I trust my own level of knowledge to overall keep me safe. But even more important, I ENJOY doing my own nails. And I found it way easier than I expected.

For someone just starting out, be aware that there's a whole lot of "science" behind the products involved. Though Light Elegance only sells to professionals, Jim McConnell, the owner/chemist, has made several videos for their YT channel covering ingredients, gel lamps, etc. For some of these he collabed with Liz from The Nail Hub. Liz's channel is inclusive of us DIYers, with lots of training videos. Young Nails used to be professional only, but they now sell to everyone. They are extremely active on all the social media platforms. The number of videos on YT is practically endless, covering everythng from using their products and operating a business to general life. I feel comfortable regarding the quality of there products.

I agree there's a place for all of it. And it can all be done safely with the proper education and practice. I will say that I'm glad for the past few years of using regular polish. It's important to keep skin contact with these enhancement products to a minimum, and all the practice makes that much easier. 

[OneHappyHiker]

@juperier3 Excellent comments and you are right on all of it! Young Nails was probably the first educational videos I watched because they are not only pros but explain and show everything so well.

I do agree overall that I feel comfortable doing my own nails, but that only came after learing what I was doing first lol.  Since I too enjoy doing them, I found the learning process to be enjoyable rather than a chore - like learning a new language! I do it because I enjoy it!

I think you touched upon my thoughts that because I am doing it all myself, I treat my nails with the utmost respect. They are strong, as long as I like them to be, and I do believe that's because I am never doing anything to them that can harm them. Plus, as I stated, I do like a nice rotation depending upon my schedule.

Glad you clarified the hard gel too. I never felt the need to use hard gel and if you want a good laugh... I began the whole gel adventure when Mally sold her gel nail polish on QVC! That began my whole gel experience. I laugh when I think about it now because as you mentioned... people were buffing away at their nails to reduce the shine before application and doing damage right from the beginning! Then people commented harshly on the removal process. I really do think those two things right there ended the whole Mally gel polish on the Q! It was then that I began watching Young Nails tutorials which opened up my polish world.

Thanks for the additions. You are spot on!