So you’ve been getting Shellac manicures. They’ve been lasting almost two weeks, look perfect on your nails, and you just can’t get enough. The nail person tells you how good they are for your nails, and you love life.
But hold up, a sec.
While Shellac manicures may be better for your nails than acrylic or gel nails, you are still putting your nails under an extreme amount of stress. Coat after coat of this liquid that hardens under a UV light cannot be “good” for your nails. Nonetheless, beauty doesn’t come cheap, and if pretty nails are worth the hardship it causes on your fingernails, then why not? With these arguments in mind, we’ve created a list of pros and cons of getting Shellac manicures.
Pros:
· Nails look healthier; hands look cleaner, and polish last for weeks. This is a definite pro for any woman who cares about her hygiene, and the importance of beautiful nails.
· Although after awhile, nails can get brittle, Biotin or prenatal vitamins could be taken to restore nail growth faster, allowing for the Shellac to last longer.
· Unlike acrylic, Shellac will not rip your actual nails off. When they are soaked off under the foil, it actually keeps the cuticles in better condition and keeps the nails moisturized.
· Bottom line, nails grow back. If you keep your Shellac manicures for a long time and find that your nails are becoming weaker, it may be wise to take a few months off before starting back again.
Cons:
· After 3-4 months of constant Shellac manicures, nails become weak, brittle and have a harder time sustaining the Shellac. With that being said, the polish may be more likely to chip away and last for a shorter period of time than when you first began getting them. This means more money spent on Shellac manicures and more of your time being used up sitting in an acetone nail salon.
· The only real way to get Shellac off is by going to the nail technician, and if you don’t have a lot of time or an unlimited amount of money to spend, this process can get tedious.
· Depending on your nails, Shellac looks great for about a week, maybe a week and a half. But by the end of 2 weeks, your nails look chipped and cracked, basically like you tried to chew off the polish. Ew.
· Because numerous coats cover your nails, and you basically are getting a fake nail painted on, your nails cannot breathe. This hinders growth and makes them extremely weak.
· Getting regular Shellac manicures, every week or two, is harsh on your nails. The less you get Shellac, the healthier your nails will be.
· The harsh chemicals in the Shellac has unknown causes. Shellac hasn’t been out for years, and hasn’t been researched on extensively. There are rumors that certain chemicals in Shellac cause birth defects, or toxicity in your body. Although these aren’t for sure true, putting an unknown, harsh chemical on your body is always concerning.
Although you should be cautious when getting Shellac, ultimately it is no worse than makeup with unknown chemicals, or loading up on hairspray every weekend. There could be worse things in the world, and there’s an extremely high chance that Shellac will NOT kill you anytime soon.
Photo Credits:
pioneerwoman.com – theoddsaregood.blogspot.com – parkcentralspa.com