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What is dipping powder for nails?

Everything You Need To Know About Dipping Powder

There are high chances that you’ve seen a dipping powder manicure at least once while scrolling through any social media platform. This process involves dipping your finger repeatedly into a small pot of powder. And if you’re wondering what dipping powder is and if it’s any better than gel or acrylics, you’ve come to the right place.

Gel and acrylic manicures have been rising in popularity because they can last up to two weeks. However, dip powdered nails are proving to be long lasting than gel and acrylics.

Although dip powder manicures seem like a new trend, this process isn’t exactly new. The technique has been around for years, but it’s gaining some new attention thanks to social media.

Dip powder nails are somewhere between a regular manicure and a fake acrylic nail.

Instead of using UV rays to seal in your polish, the colour comes from a pigmented powder. Between base coats and a sealant, you dip your nails into a little jar of your chosen colour (SNS, for example, the most popular and vetted manufacturer) for a manicure that could last three to four weeks.

 

1. How Dip Powder Process Works

The process of getting a dip manicure is different than other manicures you’ve experienced.

Gel polish requires UV rays to cement the polish, or acrylic, whereas dipped manicures use pigmented powder.

As the process is simple, this could be a great option for at-home manicures. Not having to hit up a nail salon to get an acrylic or gel polish done would certainly mean some savings and not shelling out big bucks for the procedure. With dip manicures, you also don’t need to worry about dust inhalation, as you do with acrylics or with UV exposure, as you do with a gel manicure.

One of the biggest advantages is that the colour is applied to your nail in powder form.

Hence if you get it on your skin it won’t stick like how a typical nail polish will.

 

After dipping your nails into the powder, you seal the colour with a protective clear polish. It’s an easy process, and the nails dry instantly!

Dip manicures have impressive results—reviews say it can last up to two to four weeks. Many companies sell kits that allow you to apply dip powder at home, such as SNS.

 

2. Long lasting:

Unlike regular manicures, dip powder treatments can last up to a month.

Dip manicures are supposed to last 3 weeks. However, they may even last up to a month or more depending on the level of at-home care after the treatment is applied (especially if you keep your nails and cuticles well-moisturized).

 

3. No UV Exposure

You don’t have to worry about extra UV exposure on your hands, as dip powder manicures use a special sealant instead of a UV lamp to set or cure the pigment.

 

4. Simple process

 

Since the powder only adheres to the sealant (and not your cuticles) once its brushed on, they typically require less precision than other manicure types

 

5. Extremely durable 

Dip powder manicure lies somewhere between gel and acrylics in terms of strength and texture. They’re stronger than gel polish but more flexible than acrylics and can last up to a month.

 

 

Is the Process Safe?

• Many salons do not carry out the treatment due to sanitation concerns
• A huge risk for dip nail manicure is sanitation. Firstly, watch out for the application process.
  

  Some nail technicians will dip your nails directly into the container — this is how the manicure earned its name — versus painting the pigment on with a brush.

  A nail technician should paint the powder onto your nails to keep things hygienic between customers.

• It is incredibly unsanitary for multiple clients to dip their fingers in the same container of powder.
• Another easy way for nail infections to be passed between clients is by pouring the product over multiple clients’ nails and allowing the product powder to fall back into the container. This is unsanitary because of germs that can be picked up on the nail by the product powder falling back into the container.

 

 

Things to keep in mind

If you choose to get this manicure done, make sure your manicurist is painting on the base, pigment, and sealant coats, not dipping.

• You can also use your own products. Otherwise you risk getting an infection.
• When you opt for dip powder manicure, the seal layer of your nail is broken in the process which is temporarily damaging to the nails. Dip powders also tend to temporally dehydrate the nails.
• If you’re already addicted to dip powder manicures, don’t panic as there are no long-term effects.

While dip powders aren’t necessarily healthier than other types of manicures, the products are not permanently damaging.

Dip powder nails are bonded with the same ingredient used to make Krazy Glue—and this goes for acrylic and gel polishes alike. Nail polishes contain chemicals too, so if you’re already using traditional polish, you don’t have anything more to worry about when using the dip powder from a toxin perspective.

 

Another thing to keep in mind is that dip powders are like acrylic and gel except:

• They consist of grains of pigment.
• They have more intense colours.
• This is different from acrylic nails that involve a liquid and a powder that bond to form a gel.
• Gel manicures are also a liquid that hardens under UV light.
• And with dip powders, a manicurist will use a glue to get the powder to stick on the nail.

 

 

Removal Process

As with acrylic gel and manicures, the removal process with a dip powder manicure is key. Generally, all three types of manicures will require that you soak off the product, which can sometimes be time-consuming.

One thing to remember is that if it says soak for 15 minutes to remove (as is the case for the dip powder products), that’s the minimum time. The longer you leave on the polish, the more difficult it will be taking them off.

You should never try to rush the process by scraping off the polish. This could do severe damage to your nails and cause pain.

Have you ever tried to take your gel manicure off at home without soaking your nails in nail polish remover for long enough? If yes, then you know what you’re getting yourself into.

 

Dip powder doesn’t pose any more risk during removal than acrylics or gel manicures. Nor is there any risk of inhalation with the product.

There are definite pros to powder (mainly no UV light and lasting results). As for being “healthier for nails,” that has more to do with proper removal and maintenance in between than the type of manicure.

 

Bottom line: They’re a good option if you lead an active lifestyle and want something more durable. Just make sure to take them off every month.