Anyone who knows me knows that I love having my nails done. For the past 2 years, I have had acrylics more often than not. I started getting acrylics during my freshman year of college, and since then, it has always been a part of my routine.
I usually would get a new set or an infill at least once a month, sometimes twice. This summer, I realized how much damage my nails and nail beds went through. When I would take off my acrylics before getting a new set, I would notice how brittle my nails were. Even if my nails had grown out super long, the nails that had grown out were so thin that they would break during daily activities.
Not only did my nails become weak, but I also noticed that they started to have banding: I could see rings on my nails where the acrylics had pulled up layers of my nails as I removed them. This pushed me to look into the impact of acrylics on your nails, and I learned that getting acrylics requires you to file the surface of your nails to make them stick. This process, over time, thins out your nails, and the frequent fills required for consistent acrylic use are incredibly damaging to your nails. On top of that, removing acrylics, either through soaking them in acetone or ripping them off, causes a lot of damage to your nails.Â
This realization pushed me to try press-on nails. I probably should’ve just let my nails breathe and not done anything to them. At this point in time, I was not ready at this point to let go of having my nails done, so my solution was to try and find a less damaging way of doing them.Â
Press-ons are less damaging to your nails because they do not require you to file your nails down as much as acrylic nails do, and their removal process is not damaging to your nails like the removal process of acrylics is.Â
Once I started using press-on nails, I realized that the positives of press-ons are not just how much healthier they are for your nails. Press-ons are also much more cost-effective than going to a salon and getting your nails done. Press-ons can cost anywhere from $10 for plain nails to around $40 for press-ons that are high quality and have complicated designs.
The average cost to get a basic set of acrylic nails can range from $30 to $60, depending on the quality of the salon. I will also note that in Boston, it will fall on the higher end of that scale, and if you want to have any type of design, it will likely be much higher. When there were sales, I regularly got designs or chrome and I often paid around $70-$80 to get a new set. If you want to get nails that include any 3D elements or gems, it can even cost over $100. You also have to consider that you will probably be tipping your nail tech, making the average price of a set even higher.Â
For press-ons, you have to spend a little upfront to get the supplies to apply the nails, but overall doing press-on nails yourself is cheaper than getting a set of acrylics done. There is also potentially the added benefit of being able to reuse your press-ons if they are of higher quality.Â
Press-ons also allow you to try more complex nail designs for cheaper without having to go through the difficulty of finding a nail tech that can do those designs.
If you want to try out press-ons, you will need some items for prep, plus a set of press-on nails. If you want nails that last as long as an acrylic set, a good, high-quality set of nails and good prep are key. Glamnetic and Olive and June are both excellent for high-quality press-on nails. I have also used Etsy to find some more complex and 3D nails.
To prep your nails, you will need a nail file and buff to shape and buff them, a cuticle remover and a cuticle pusher. You don’t want any of your cuticles to be under the press-ons. This will cause them to pop off. You will also need a nail dehydrator to eliminate all the oils on your nail that will cause your press-ons to fall off faster. Lastly, high-quality nail glue is essential to a long-lasting set of press-ons; I swear by the Beauty Secrets Drip and Clog Proof nail glue. I have tried other nail glues, and this one lasts the longest. The switch from acrylics to press-ons saved the health of my nails, saved me money, and saved me time. By doing my nails at home, I no longer have to waste time going to the nail salon. Ultimately, I believe that press-on nails are the healthier and more affordable way to get my nails done.