Acrylic vs. Gel
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May 5, 2015
Rosa A.
Well gel is just gel polish on your natural nail. Getting acrylics are a lot more harsh on your nails in my opinion and it basically to add length of your nails as well. I'd personally recommend gel over acrylic.
May 5, 2015
Grace K.
I get gels that aren't just gel polish...there's a layer of builder gel over an extension and everything lol (looks like a false nail, not just polish on my own nail) sometimes gel polish is used but sometimes normal polish is used! It's still a gel nail :)
I had acrylics for a couple years and for the last year or so I've had gels, I find the damage about the same, maybe a little less so with the gels but not a noticeable amount.
And I do believe that gel and acrylic are the only two options for getting false nails :) I see the term "shellac" a lot also but I think it's just a variance of one of the two.
May 5, 2015
Adahli M.
Gel is a thicker polish with more vibrant and shinier colors. it also lasts longer but you can get gel on your nail or on top of the fake nail instead of regular nail polish. over all I think gel is way better than regular even though its a little pricier
May 5, 2015
Tiffany B.
Personally I think both are harsh on nails. I'd rather just have them painted and come back in a few weeks to do it again.
May 5, 2015
Les N.
Both are very damaging.
May 5, 2015
Charlese C.
There are hard gels and soft gels
soft gels are like the polishes
hard gels can be used to lengthen and enhance the nail.
acrylic is a bit more harsh on the nails then hard gel is.
hard gel is a builder gel that will harden like acrylic that isn't as damaging.
keep in mind anything that is not your nail is always going to do some kind of damage whether its minor or not. damage is also what comes from how you take care of them and the removal of them.
Gel is not just a polish there are more than one type of gel...
May 5, 2015
Charlese C.
I am a licensed Cosmo and I do hair nails and skincare and makeup... and I use acrylic hard gel and soft gel (polish style)
May 5, 2015
Sarah N.
I get the liquid gels (aka hard gels) religiously and prefer it over acrylics. I never went back to acrylics after gels. they both damage your nails, luckily I have very strong & long nails (polish doesn't stay & I prefer the fake nail look that's why I do it) so I haven't had a personal issue with damage, I've noticed a little bit but nothing too bad. acrylics got stained and looked dirty to me lol and grew out a lot faster. the gels I can go an extra week or week n half before fills and they still look good, other than being a little grown out, but they don't change colors like I've experienced with acrylic.
May 5, 2015
Alex M.
Both are damaging but I like acrylics better and their much cheaper
May 5, 2015
Yaya B.
I agree with Grace...gel nails are also a powder form just lole acrylic thats added on top of either your natural nail or extention. if its added to the natural nail it would be called "overlayer" but in my opinion gel is better for its durability plus looks better and its a lil bit more $
May 5, 2015
Yaya B.
Omg yes Sarah...when I used to get acrylic the nails would change color after a while (gross)
May 5, 2015
Charlese C.
Real gel nails are not a powder they come in a pot and are builder gels and structure gels
May 5, 2015
Yaya B.
They are powder that bwcomes gel after put on nails with a brush n some sort of liquid then filled buffed and then the gel polish under the light machine thing. what are you talking about?^^ I've been getting my nails done for years.
May 6, 2015
Charlese C.
I do nails... and they aren't true gel they are a form of gel but not the true hard gel.
May 6, 2015
Charlese C.
Www.nailogic.com/_store/display_siteinfo.asp?RID=43.
May 6, 2015
Charlese C.
Copy and paste the link it doesn't work right if you click it
May 6, 2015
Angela J.
Yeah, when I went to a place that did true gels on me...I was like, what the hell have all these other salons been giving me and why can they charge more? Because I'm uninformed was the answer lol. Now I just get acrylics with polish. By the time the polish chips I'm due for s fill anyways so it's perfect for me and cheaper too!
May 6, 2015
Angela J.
*gel polish
May 6, 2015
Angela J.
I switched recently from "gels" so I'm hoping I don't experience the issues Sarah and Yaya have:(
May 8, 2015
Michelle H.
Well, since you have the explanations all covered ill give you something to chew on. Before deciding if you would like to do a gel manicure or acrylics, think all the way through. First, I thought of my personal care. Seeing that my nails are naturally long and thick, I knew I didn't need length added so I went with Gel. (factor 2!) I am also very active meaning that the Gel manicure would have also done better for me because I work with my hands. Finally, cost effectiveness. Determine your budget! Gel manicures (here) are $25 each time you get one. Mine generally last three weeks. For Acrylics, you have them placed on for $25 and then you get them filled for 15 to 18 dollars each time. Acrylics can last a while but do know that if you use your hands a lot you're at Fisk for having it fall off. So depending on how much you'd like to spend, how active you are, and even just how you like your look you can make an effective decision on which item to use!
May 8, 2015
Michelle H.
May 8, 2015
Angela J.
That's good news Sarah! I like that I can switch them up a lot more often and it'll cost me A LOT less:)
May 9, 2015
Niya B.
I personally think you should get gel nails