As anyone who has purchased nail items before knows, there are a large amount of various types of gel nail strips and related products available online. Seeing so many options can be overwhelming, as well as frustrating to spend money just to do trial-and-error on a bunch of different products. In this post, we will share about the advantages and disadvantages of some common nail solutions, and what makes certain gel nail strips a higher quality than others:

Nail Polish

Nail polish is the original nail styling that made nail designs famous in the first place. On its surface, the idea is good. You can paint your nails in different colors (and even designs if you are good) that are fully customized. In addition, they are relatively inexpensive to do. However, there are a few challenges that are quickly discovered when using nail polish:

• They are not very easy to apply cleanly and evenly
• They easily get damaged and chipped
• Not easy to remove (a lot of nail remover required and even that doesn’t work great
• They smell super strong and may not be safe due to their fumes and properties (especially for children)

Therefore, while nail polish can be fun to play around with, in general it does not hold up to the ease, quality, and healthiness of other current solutions.

 

Press-On Nails

Press-on nails, also known as glue-on nails, are artificial nails. They are made of an acrylic resin, and became very popular in the 1990’s and early 2000’s as an alternative to nail polish. One positive about these nails is that they are easy to apply onto nails, and can have various lengths and styles, many of which are quite outlandish. If you really want to have very long nail extensions, than these could be the best solution to use. However, they are come across a number of issues that cause these type of nails to be lacking:

• Unnatural looking. It is quite noticeable that your nails are fake when using these.
• They require a type of glue usually, making them uncomfortable and ‘heavy’ on your nails
• In general, their durability is not great and they can be damaged or come off pretty easily
• Alternatively, if they are glued very hard onto the nails, they can be hard to remove

So while some people may like this style, they are not the best for the majority of people. For this reason, they have fallen more out of favor as better solutions have emerged.

 

Thin or Paper Nail Strip/Stickers

There are also brands who sell nail strips, often for very low prices. These may be tempting because you can get a large amount of these for cheap. But once you use them for a bit, you will find out why they are inexpensive in the first place. The main reason they can keep prices down is because they use thinner and lower quality materials. In turn, this creates a number of disadvantages:

• They are not easy to apply without coming off easily
• They can get chipped or damaged frequently, and are sometimes not waterproof
• A lack of air permeability can make them uncomfortable to use
• May not have stringent quality and safety processes, or can have chemicals that are unsafe

Therefore, it is better to spend a little more money to get a higher quality gel nail solution. Which brings us to our last category…

 

High Quality Semi-Cured Gel Nails

The best and most modern solution is to use high quality semi-cured gel nails, such as the ones from Danni & Toni. These are manufactured in-house (not through some unknown factory) so that the full production and R&D process is controlled and consistent every time. Other gel nail brands will simply will outsource their products from other factories, which can impact the quality, reliability, and safety of their products.

Another advantage of these is the process that they go through. Because they are made of real gel, they are smooth on your fingernails and look and feel very natural. Meanwhile, because they are semi-cured, they are able to be safely and easily put onto your hands. Altogether, here are some main points about this type of gel nails:

• Easy and safe to apply
• Can last up to 14 days (when using a UV nail lamp to apply)
• Glossy, flexible, and permeable - so they are comfortable on your nails
• Fully toxin free and safe for everyone, including children

Now that you have seen these four types of nail solutions, you can see why high-quality gel nails are generally the best solution for people who want simple, comfortable, and beautiful looking nails!