nail wraps?

[luna99]

I want to have beautiful nails and hands on the day of my wedding..mostly in case we take the ever so popular "hands with rings" photo.. but I don't want to get those fake nails...

I can grow my own nails out if I keep polish on them, though they aren't super strong... and I've heard of something called a nail wrap but don't know exactly what it is. could someone explain to me?

I assumed it was a piece of material that gets wrapped around your real nail making it stronger.. is that true?

thanks everyone!

 

[pixie08]

Yes it is a silk material (looks like fabric) they cut and glue (and alot of other things get done like filing and powder) and in the end makes them stronger. but only while you have them on...once you soak and remove back to old nails or even weaker

 

[sarah_n_brian2006]

I am a licensed nail tech, so let me give you my professional advice. Glue desolves in water and weakens in humidity. Nail wraps are a small custom shaped piece of silk that is applied with a resin based glue. Nail wraps work and look beautiful in dry climates (ie, New York, Mass, Conneticutt, etc.) But here in the wonderful land of moisture, they (nail wraps) can lift after 2 hours and pop off with very minimal pressure. They can even crack. The moisture here in the air just ruins the bonding agents. In fact very little shops/salons/spas/day spas will even offer it as a service, unless it is mending a broken nail. Which they are a great at (mending broken nails), but they do not last very long. I like wraps because they cause very minimal damage to the nail and soaks off almost effortlessly, but they just flat out don't last here in the south.

If you would like to, you can start using them now as a way to grow out your nails, then before leaving to come here, have your tech soak them off (in acetone [nail polish remover] for 10 minutes) and have her/him put a thin (not too thin or it will pop off as well) layer of acrylic or gel over it. Acrylic soaks off in acetone (takes like 30-45 minutes [DO NOT LET ANYONE DRILL THEM OFF, AS THIS CAN RUIN YOUR NATURAL NAIL]), where as gels do NOT come off unless you drill them off. You can put wraps over both when you return to NY.

Acrylics (as well as Gels [I HATE GELS]) work good here as they actually bond within your top layer of nail, unlike wraps which adheres to the surface of the nail. Acrylics can lift due to moisture but that doesn't usually happen for the first week when done correctly.

BIG DISCLAIMER!!!!! Do not go to oriental shops that you smell the acrylic from well outside the shop. They are using a illegal chemical that eats up your nail bed (the skin under the nail). That can create little brown spots within days and just gets worse. They use this chemical because it is very strong and is much easier to work with, and CHEAP. Be weary of Full Sets (with tips) for under $20. They should cost between $25-75 and up. Hair salons with nail techs($-$$), spas($$$), day spas($$-$$$), and alot of non-oriental shops($-$$) can give you great sets that will last.
Just tell them when you make your appointment its for your wedding and they will probably allot more time and a better technician to give you as close to perfect as you can get.

Sorry so long, but I hope this answers all of your and anyone elses questions about artifical nails.

 

[pixie08]

Wow thanks for the advice Sarah...being from NYC silks are a big thing- most of the "higher end" salons say to get the silk but I had NO idea about the moisture thing You just saved my wedding day nails! thanks again...I guess i will go with acrylics.

Are in FL? I was hoping to go the mandara spa salon to have a fill in before the wedding...have you heard anything good/bad about them?

 

[sarah_n_brian2006]

I actually know a woman that works there (facialist). But she left for there like 2 years ago. I hear wonderful thinks about there as well. She says it's wonderful. (All I remember about her is she's an older woman and very tall, and alittle broad in the shoulders) I think her name is Linda. Good luck!!

 

[luna99]

thank you so much sarah for the help!! I never thought about getting wraps during the process of growing my nails out..but that certainly would help!

wow, now I know who to go to with nail questions.. you know your stuff!

thanks again.

 

[DisneyFairy19]

Thanks for the posting that... I dont want acrylics either and I am trying to grow my own nails but they break easily so I have been using OPI nail strengthner.. and it works great..