Pros and Cons of Gel Nail Polish

(655 Words)
Gel nail polish is a type of nail polish that requires a UV light to cure. Made by different manufacturers such as Shellac, it is typically used in salons, although now there are some brands for home use. This type of nail polish goes on in layers and each layer goes under the UV light, usually for a couple of minutes. This offers both advantages and disadvantages to other types of nail polish.
Advantages
The biggest advantage of gel nail polish is that it tends to stay on for far longer than regular nail polish. While many traditional nail polishes start to chip in a day or two, gel nail polishes can stay on for up to two weeks. Many women whose manicures get ruined within a few days will find that their gel manicure lasts for weeks. This can make it more worthwhile to them because they will not have to spend the extra time and effort to do their nails again and again. It could also be good for when someone is going on vacation and they want their manicure to stay nice.
Many people like the look of the gel nail polish. It looks shiny, nice and professional. There are many different brands and colors available.
Gel nail polishes tend to be very durable. You may feel like you can do more with them because they will be less likely to chip or otherwise come off. You may have to be more careful with other manicures.
Another advantage of gel nail polish is that once you are done putting it on and it is cured, it is fully dry and you do not have to wait for it to dry any further.
Disadvantages
Gel nail polish and the manicures that feature them tend to be a lot more money. You may literally pay twice the cost or more for a very similar manicure. The salons place a premium on them. In addition, if you buy the gel nail polish yourself, you may pay many times the cost. For instance, you may spend $15 on one bottle of nail polish that is half the size of a normal bottle. Especially if you like to have a wide array of colors, this can get very expensive. In addition to the cost of the nail polish, you will also have to incur the cost of the UV lamp. Of course, you will then also need to find a place to store the UV lamp. There are other items you might need, such as special strips to help you remove the gel nail polish.
Another disadvantage of gel nail polish is that it is difficult to remove. Unlike regular nail polish, which can usually be taken off in a minute or two with the nail polish remover, you may need to buy special products to remove the gel nail polish or spend a lot longer to soak your nails to get the polish off. You will spend more money and time to get the polish off.
Gel nail polish also takes longer to put on. Whereas with regular nail polish, you can just put on a couple of coats and then you’re ready to go, gel nail polish has to cure under the UV light after each layer. If one nail chips, you will still have to spend all the time with the UV light, as compared to when you use traditional nail polish where you can spend literally 20 seconds to quickly touch up one nail.
Some people also have difficulty with peeling gel nail polish. It can be more difficult to apply because if you get a little on your skin it will compromise its efficacy and you may have it peel in a day. This can be frustrating.
There are both advantages and disadvantages to gel nail polish. Research the different brands to find out if this is a suitable product for you.