Powder Dip vs. Gel Manicures: Key Differences to Know

Nail experts categorize everything you need to know about these similar, completely different salon options.

Acrylic, gel, dip powder, extensions. There are a variety of options for nail polish, and each type has distinct advantages and disadvantages. In particular, germanicure and dip powder (two of the most popular nail polish methods) are bellong in acrylic-based families, but differ in a few important ways.

First, the important differences that you will find out between gel and dip powder nail polish.

Application Process

“The easiest way to tell the difference between gel and dip powder [manicures] It’s how they apply,” says the manuscript. Chelsea King. “With gel, it is applied like a regular nail polish and treated with a UV or LED lamp after each coat.”

Gel Manicure Polish contains photoinitiating polymers that are activated when exposed to light, says the manualist Ashley Johnson. Essentially, “these polymers are absorbed [light] Rays,” says the cosmetic chemist. Ron Robinsonit says to them, “make sure Poles stick to the nails because they will stiffen or treat them.”

This is mostly done with UV lights, as it works a little faster than LEDs (usually in under 45 seconds). Simply put, gel polish uses light to harden your nails. Without UV or LED lights, the polish will remain wet.

Meanwhile, dip nail polish should be “used with colored powder acrylic mixed with adhesive-type resins to treat in the air,” explains Johnson. The application process sounds exactly like that. First, a coat of base or primer is painted, then dipped in each nail (a small pot of still wet but colored acrylic powder). Your manicurist (or you, at home) works in layers. Once you reach the desired level of coverage (usually two or three rounds of soaking) the activator polish can be brushed as a top coat to cure the formula.

Just like regular nail polish, it is painted with gel polish and requires UV or LED light to cure. The dip powder is dipped each finger into an acrylic powder and applied the activator polish as a curing topcoat in the air.

The enduring power

A good gel nail polish can last for 2-3 weeks when applied correctly. However, for those with oily nail beds or those with a tendency to chip, gel polish may not last for more than two weeks.

Dip powder nail polish usually lasts longer than the gel counterpart. Deborah LipmanThe manualist and founder of the Nail Care and Color Line of the same name says, “Dip powder is glued using an adhesive called “cyanoacrylate.”

To get more specific, cyanoacrylates are “a family of strong adhesives,” explains Robinson. Dip powder can be thought of as an adhesive-based resin that hardens when exposed to air, like actual adhesives.

Simply put, dip powder polymers are stronger than those found in gel polish, so dip nail polish usually lasts for 5 weeks if properly cared for.

Gel nail polish usually lasts for 2-3 weeks, but dipping powder nail polish lasts up to 5 with proper preparation, application and maintenance.

Removal Process

The nature of acrylic-like multi-layered (read: thick) dip powder nail polishes can guarantee they last longer than gels, but this means they are more difficult to remove.