How to choose a lamp for drying gel polish

Gel polish is a new trend in modern manicure. The main advantage of this coating is that it lasts on the nails for several weeks. This significantly saves time and money. Gel polish quickly enough replaced from the world of fashion both classic coatings and acrylic nails. However, its application has its own characteristics. The main one is drying under a special lamp. How to choose her?

What is gel polish

This tool has become a real breakthrough in the field of nail business. Now nails do not just build up or varnish. The manicure became durable, which attracted a large flow of customers. It’s nice to pay a low price for going around with a neat manicure for a month.

What is the secret of gel polish? This is a combination of ordinary varnish and modeling gel. The latter provides incredible durability, gloss and color depth. The gel includes a film former and a photoinitiator. The properties of the coating depend on the first, the second is the initiator.

The film former with the participation of the photoinitiator turns into a hard resistant coating. Ultraviolet rays are needed for this process. At the same time, for each type of varnish - its own drying range. That is why it is important that the varnish dries under a special lamp. There are various options: gas, luminescent, LED and hybrid. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Fluorescent lamps

These are ordinary ultraviolet lamps, the radiation of which covers the entire possible spectrum of polymerization of gel varnishes. In other words, such lamps are universal. Another advantage is their low cost. This is a good plus for a beginner in the nail business.

However, there are a number of significant drawbacks. Under such lamps, the nails dry for a long time. In addition, lamps tend to heat up. In this case, the temperature may be sufficient to cause a burn on the skin. Fluorescent lamps are very sensitive to voltage drops in the network and ambient temperature. Under adverse conditions, they simply stop working.

Such a lamp is hardly suitable for those craftsmen who have many customers on the same day. It can not be often turned on and off, this will help reduce the life of the lamp and burn out. However, their replacement is not expensive. In addition, the lamp emits harmful substances into the atmosphere, which the master constantly has to breathe. It also has a stroboscopic effect and adversely affects vision.

Gas lamps

They are also called cold light bulbs or the first letters of the English abbreviation CCFL. They do not have the ability to heat, so drying the nails will take place with a minimum of discomfort. Like fluorescent counterparts, these lamps are able to work with gels of any range of solidification. Their minus is the same - prolonged drying of the varnish.

However, it is worth noting that the life of a cold light bulb is several times longer than that of a fluorescent one. Their durability balances the high cost in comparison with analogues. In addition, the lamps lack a strobe effect, which eliminates the effect on vision. Mercury vapors are not released when used. The lamp is suitable for repeated reuse throughout the day.

LED lamp

They are better known as LED lamps. A fairly well-advertised method of emitting light using a semiconductor device also has its advantages and disadvantages.

LED lamps are really durable.Their service life is not comparable with what luminescent analogues can offer. In addition, the lamp will not have to work so long. The varnish dries under its rays in a few seconds. It is very convenient and economical.

In addition, the LED lamp can be called the most environmentally friendly. During its operation no harmful substances are released, it significantly saves electricity and can be completely recycled. Such a lamp does not affect vision.

In addition, LEDs do not have the ability to heat up. Thus, the skin will remain intact and the client will not be burned. Such a device can be turned on and off several times a day without consequences.

However, there are a number of significant drawbacks. An LED lamp costs more than a luminescent lamp and changing bulbs in it is also more expensive. However, the main minus is not this. Not all masters know that not every gel polish is able to dry LED lamps. They work in a fairly narrow spectrum of radiation.

To work with LED lamps, you need to buy special varnishes with the corresponding mark on the package.

Hybrid lamps

They combine the properties of LED lamps and CCFL. How does it work in practice? If the gel polish is able to solidify under the influence of the diode emission spectrum, then the varnish will dry in a few seconds, if not, then only CCFL rays will affect it. Such a coating will dry in a few minutes.

Other advantages in the form of durability, the lack of a stroboscopic effect and heating of the lamp are preserved. The main disadvantage of such lamps lies in their price. These are fairly new options, because their cost is more expensive than analogues. This is a good option for masters with many clients.

Is it possible to dry gel polish without a lamp

There is an opinion that since the sun also emits ultraviolet light, the gels can be dried just the floor with sun rays. Alas, this is just a myth. To dry such a varnish, a uniform and sufficiently powerful ultraviolet irradiation is necessary. Normal daylight will not provide it.

You can try to dry your nails this way, but the gel will not polymerize. Moreover, he can curl up into lumps, ruining the whole picture of manicure. However, there are varnishes whose properties are similar to gel polish, but they do not require special drying.

This coating is also called non-photosensitive gel polish. In fact, this is just a fairly durable varnish. Its appearance with its brilliance resembles a gel coating. It looks beautiful, but it’s unlikely that it will last longer than one week on nails. It can not be called gel polish.

Thus, we can conclude that there are many lamps for drying gel varnishes. Their choice should, first of all, depend on the purpose and mode of operation, as well as on the financial capabilities of the master. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to the choice of the varnish itself. Not all lamps can cover any gel polymerization range. The choice of lamp must be taken responsibly, weighing all the pros and cons.

Video: which lamp to buy for gel polish