I’ve been getting my nails done since I was in middle school. I went from regular polish to gel, and more recently have been getting dip. About 6 months ago, the dip polish destroyed one of my nails, leaving me to go natural for a few months. This is what got me questioning which polish is worth the price.
First off, gel is a kind of polish that needs a UV or LED light to dry. Dip uses a powder to create the manicure.
I’ve interviewed people in my classes and around campus who’ve all had varying reasons for their responses. Some said gel because it looked more natural, while others said dip since it lasts longer. There were also people who said they had never heard of either and usually paint their own nails at home.
What I found interesting about people’s responses is that no one mentioned one of the biggest determining factors for me, which is the time it takes for the nails to be done. Dip nails can take up to an hour or more to get done, while gel usually only takes about a half hour. If I have somewhere I need to be the day of my nail appointment, I’ll usually pick the quickest of options to make sure I’ll be on time for the event afterwards. Gel is more time convenient in that way since it is often quicker than a regular polish manicure due to the UV light that’s used to dry the nails.
Another layer to this loaded debate is which option is the healthiest for our nails. Gel nails require UV light exposure during the entire process since every layer added is more time that your hands are exposed to the light. This is concerning due to the increased risk of skin cancer that UV light poses. As I get older, I think more and more about how the way I’m treating my body now will affect my health later. That’s why after reading the article “Ask the Expert: Are the UV Lamps in the Dryers at the Nail Salon Safe to Use” by The Skin Cancer Foundation, I decided on the winner of this debate. The winner is….dip.
Dip not only lasts longer, making the extra cost more worthwhile, but I also like the way it looks more than the gel. My nails have a certain shape to them that gets people to stop me on the street and ask if those are my natural nails. After reading the article on the risks of UV light, I decided that since dip makes for less exposure to UV light, it’s better for my overall nail and hand health. Even though dip requires more nail maintenance due to the thickness of the polish, it’s not required to go back to the salon until over a month has passed, making for a better quality polish.
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