Image: Instagram
Manicure and pedicure are now as important as makeup and hairstyling. These days you can do any nail-art whenever and as often as you like. The nail art community has grown a lot over the years.
From great nail art ideas to various Nail Art Style Kits, and from transforming your favourite photos into nail art to expressing your personal feelings or splurging on diamond-infused nail polishes, I have seen people spending a fortune just alone on nails.
Take the example of Kelly Osbourne, she Wore $250,000 Nail Lacquer At the 2012 Emmys. Celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Kylie Jenner, and Margot Robbie have stepped out with manicures worth copying. To achieve these gorgeous-looking nails, your nail tech will ask you whether you want Solar Nails or acrylic nails?
So what and how is it different from other nail options? Let’s find out.
What are Solar Nails? Solar Nails vs Acrylic Nails?
Image: Instagram
Solar Nails is a top-end brand for acrylic nail products, Manufactured by Creative Nail Design. it’s a brand just like any other brand, for example: when you go to a store you can either buy a Branded shoe like Reebok and Nike or you can buy a cheap Non-Branded shoe.
Solar Nails are Reebok and Nike, whereas just Acrylic Nails are any other Non-Branded options. Therefore, when you go to the discount salons, they are using a no-name brand acrylic on you as a cheap alternative.
Basically, what’s happening ladies and gents is that you are getting what you should have already been getting. Because cheap discount acrylics are usually 99.9% of the time Dental acrylic. it’s hard to soak off, often it doesn’t get soft, and it takes so long that you have to drill it down.
You can buy a big tub of dental acrylic in the colour of solar pink and white nails for about 60 bucks. However, for solar acrylic nails, it’s about $60 for a small bottle.
Of course, Solar Nails are better for you, it costs more, but it’s a real nail acrylic and it’s a nail acrylic you should be getting. Dental acrylic is very hard and damaging on nails. Acrylic nail doesn’t have to damage your nails, it’s about the material used and how you are removing them.
Application
- Start with prepping your nails for acrylic application. Remove all the dead tissue around the cuticle area and make sure to remove that along with the shine.
- Push back the cuticles. While doing so, ensure not to push too hard or too deep or it will damage the nail bed.
- Grab a Sanding-Band with a medium to fine grit to remove the shine of the natural nail – in this process, Sanding-Band has to kiss the nail slightly by putting on no pressure. Take a tapered cuticle to remove small channels of the sidewalls on the cuticle area.
- Fit the nail tips. While applying the tip, you want to make sure that it’s fitted from sidewall to sidewall. It shouldn’t be too large hanging over and you or too thin.
- File the nails. Go back with Sanding-Band and get rid of the extra ledge and repeat these steps on the rest of the nails.
- Apply dehydrator and primer. Create a perfect bead of acrylic. Take enough monomer in your brush but not too much. Remember to file the top of the bead because you don’t want to have a sharp hardline.
- Finish it with a topcoat
Maintenance
- Whenever you go for Solar Nails, remember to keep your hands clean. To maintain hygiene, keep your hands sanitized to avoid germs.
- Acrylic nails can crack your nails if you put too much pressure or do not maintain it. Therefore, be gentle on your nails and avoid getting it cracked and chipped.
- Keep fingernails dry and clean. Use hand gloves before washing dishes. Practice good nail hygiene.
- Always Use moisturizer to protect the skin around the nails. Dermatologists recommend using vitamin E, petroleum jelly, or cuticle creams into your cuticles at night.
- You should be quick to rectify if your nails have any damage or infection. Treat it immediately to avoid painful injuries later.
- Use Vitamin E in your diet. Vitamin E dissolves in your dry cuticles. it increases moisture to the nail bed, and to the skin around the nails which helps to rejuvenate and restore dry cuticles.
Cost
Solar nails cost varies depending on your location and the solar nail salons you are visiting. Solar Nails cost around $35-$45 compared to gel nails that cost up to $62 a set. You can get a Retouch on your Solar Nails instead of getting it completely done for full price.
Image: Instagram
How to remove Solar Nails
Put some petroleum jelly on the fingertips, avoid getting it on the nails. Cover your skin around the nail properly, take a glass of acetone and Keep the fingertips immersed in acetone for at least 10-20 minutes. Do not use a plastic bowl because it dissolves the plastic.
Once you are soaked, you will notice a soft top layer and acrylic losing the sides. Scrap the layer off gently with a cuticle pusher. Place your fingers back into the bowl to soak your nails for an additional 10 minutes and repeat the process to remove residue.
Never try to remove your acrylic nails if you are not sure of the process. Rather get your Solar Nails professionally removed.
What to expect?
Solar Nails are noticeably heavier than your original nails. Also, it ends up being quite thick. If you have a gap between your real nails and Solar Nails, you can use filler glue to fill that.
Let your nail tech know the exact length you are looking for because you can’t change it later, as it takes a lot more grinding and filing to do that. Comparatively, Solar Full Set Nails look less natural than other acrylic nail options. But Solar Nails are strong and don’t break easily.
The best part about Solar Nails is that it’s easy to remove with an acetone soak and causes less damage to your nail bed. However, other acrylic nails are difficult to remove. In addition, Solar Nails don’t fade away, so you don’t have to be concerned about discolouration.