Dip nails, are they shite?

[mehtivation]

Sassy saints, glamrdip etc all over my instagram. I'd love to no longer spend ££££ on acrylics (gems don't work for me, home or salon) and my nails grow ultra fast... are these dip kits bollocks?

Seem one for £70 with 3 colours and I'm tempted

I’ve tried Glamrdip. I was pretty impressed with it - it was easier to apply than I thought it would be, and looked really good (better than at home gels I’ve tried). It lasted a week or so but then started getting cracks and chips - might be to do with my application more than to do with the product.

I watched a video the other day... I think you would need a lot of practise to do it yourself and get a smooth application. I don't see the point of it though what about builder gel OP have you tried it?

A week is how long salon acrylics look good for me... they don't generally chip but regrowth is mad. I spend the second week counting down to the appointment, so I think that sounds alright really.

Was it easy to get off? How were nails afterwards?

Builder gel also didn't work for me, at home or from the salon. Just chipped. My natural nails are awful and break painfully if there's nothing on them at all plus look minging (fairly stubby fingers!)

Dipping powder is great at the salon. It gives a pretty much identical look to builder gel. However, doing it at home is very difficult and you’re dealing with chemicals. Search “dip flu” when researching it and you’ll see some people say it made them ill!

I do builder gel at home. I find it lifts unless your nails are professionally prepped so I go to the salon every 3-4 months and get a set of dipping powder or builder gel. I then infill at home until it’s fully grown off and the ends start lifting again.

This means my nails always look great and I can really enjoy those salon visits as they’re affordable!

PS You can also infill with builder gel on top of acrylics. Try doing this rather than soaking off.

PPS my at home builder gel lasts 3-4 weeks

@LemonRoseCat that's a great and money saving tip. Can I ask what lamp and gel you use please?

The lamp is Beetles and I use Mylee builder gel and top coats. My normal gels are a mix of brands including Mylee but also some I got in a discount store for £1. All seem fine!

I LOVE the Gel Bottle colours but they only sell to pros 😢

Stupid question probably but what is builder gel? Is it a gel colour?

Thanks @LemonRoseCat - I don't understand the infilling though... if the builder isn't great unless nails are professionally prepped then surely the regrowth is unprepped or done by you, ie not with pro tools, and prone to lift?

Sorry if I'm being thick! Also I've never infilled my own nails so not sure how

@LemonRoseCat thanks!

Re the infill - the problem I have is lifting at the edge where my nail grows, not near cuticle so this seems to work for me! I don’t have a problem at the base of the nail.

Also infilling (or at least how I understand it) basically means filing your gel down but not all the way off and the painting over it again. I’m sure pro nail techno will have a more sophisticated description or method but works for me!

*pro nail techs

Dip nails need glue which is basically superglue. I have just read the glamnails website about their ingredients and I would say do your own research on the ethyl 2 cyanoacrylate contained in their nail glue.

Lots of salons won't do nail dipping because they have to decant the powder into a separate pot for hygiene reasons and end up having to bin the excess.

@Posypointshoes builder gel is a thicker consistency gel that allows you to "build" up a thicker gel layer on the nail. I personally use it like any other gel ie I just put a thin layer on and flash cure it and repeat mainly because I am prone to heat spikes as any gel (tried loads) is cured which is painful. There are lots of videos on Youtube by nail technicians that talk through all the different options plus you can see them work with builder gel where they put a blob on your nail and work it with a brush.

Thank you, I'll look into ingredients

I'll just quote out the American Chemical Society because a lot of the websites talk about it are very technical and you have to wade through a lot.

"Ethyl 2-cyanoacrylate and other less common 2-cyanoacrylate esters are the active ingredients in commercial superglues or instant glues."

Entirely up to you if you want to use it but just be aware of what you are putting on your nails. I say this as someone who has been doing this for almost 30 years getting my nails done in a salon and doing them at home myself. Nothing we put on our nails is good so be aware of the possible irritation and don't just go off some random on Insta/TT but watch nail technicians on Youtube who show the correct way to apply dip/gel and also the safe way to remove it all too. They have training and understand the nail composition.

I didn't know lots of this! I got a dip set on Amazon called Beetles. I've had varying results. One set lasted a few weeks. Another time they were cracking within a few days. It's hard to get off. Quite brittle, like I think it cracks because the nail underneath bends but the powder can't.

I know this post is old but adding that Gel nails at home have either HEMA or also Methacrylates which are known to develop severe allergic reactions. I have done my own gel nails at home for several years before deciding to switch to something safer.

The Glamrdip is 18-free and contains neither of those toxins. You also don’t need to use a UV lamp - so for doing your own nails at home - yes it’s faffier at first but it’s much less toxic and risky.

Anyone use sassysaints nail dip was it any good and how was removing

I have sassy saints. It is easy to do and looks amazing. I've had it last 2/3 weeks. It comes off easily enough if you're patient. My issue with it is that without it on, my nails are softer and weaker than they've ever been. I've never had salon nails done, so maybe this normal. I've currently having a rest from it to try to improve nail condition again which is a shame because I love the results when it's on. I'm a member of a couple of Facebook groups and a few women have mentioned weakness of the nails but most don't seem to have a problem so maybe it's different for some.

I have Sassy Saints, I think they're good, but they don't last as advised, I was going every three weeks for BIAB gel nails, I don't get three weeks out of my SS but they are good. Takes a bit of practice and usually takes about an hour to do but they're strong like BIAB or acrylics, good colours and I like that you can repair chips yourself. I only get about a week maybe 10 out a set though but I'm pretty hard on my nails. I cut my nail right back to start SS as nails were a mess with the BIAB but here is my latest set, picture doesn't show the colour very well. Overall I'm happy with them.

70 doesnt seem all that cheap tbh ...

I bought glamrdip in the end for £70 - it is a lot but that was 3 ish months ago and tons left. Nail shop acrylics every 2 weeks would've cost £200+ by now so it is a better option financially!

Like someone else said I am getting a week out of it before chips and cracks but it is quick and easy to do and to fix myself. My Natural nails are shit and shop acrylics were very thick so lasted 2 ish weeks but with awful cuticle ends so I'm happy with my choice tbh. I put on a show and do my nails once a week for about 45 mins unless I want to change colour and then it takes about 1hr 15. On balance I think this is better than £70 a month at the shop plus parking and awkward conversation with nail tech