What Does the Dip Powder Manicure Consist Of?

Painting your nails with powdered nail art is a trendy technique. Although it's been around for a few decades, it's only now that the method is gaining support online. We reveal more about this technique.

Saving broken nails and, at the same time, giving them color are specific purposes of the dip powder manicure. The procedure dates back to the 1980s, but social media has helped it become a trend. Its application is easy and versatile. What are its advantages?

As the name suggests, this method to paint the nails uses powder. And, unlike what some people think, working with this kind of pigment isn’t synonymous with opacity and roughness. Dip powder manicure promises the smoothness and shine that conventional polishes are used to.

What is the dip powder manicure?

Dipping nails in colored powder is a trendy technique in manicures. It consists of covering the base of the nails with a transparent polish, on which each nail is then dusted or dipped to color them with an acrylic powder.

The process requires sealing or the application of an activator to harden this peculiar polish, according to a publication by the Cleveland Clinic. The steps to paint with powders are repeated several times, as many times as you need to create the tone intensity you want.

The science of the “magic” powders is in the contact with a base of cyanoacrylate, a chemical that acts so that the pigment doesn’t crack and the manicure resists.

The application of cyanoacrylate should be moderate; abusing this substance causes hypersensitivity or allergic reactions

Advantages of the dip powder manicure

This technique lasts up to a month, so you wouldn’t have to worry about touch-ups before this. The acrylic powders can be mixed, so you can play around looking for the tone you want.

Another benefit of the material is that it’s odorless. This way, you’re safe from penetrating scents while doing your manicure. Let’s review other advantages.

Exempts the use of lamps

Dipping nails dry immediately, so you won’t need to put your hands under a UV lamp. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, exposure to ultraviolet rays through these devices could damage the dermis, causing premature staining and wrinkling.

No permanent damage to nails

While the activator in the powders is cyanoacrylate, spacing manicures apart prevents nail damage such as brittleness of the natural nail plate. And compared to other products, this chemical does not damage the nail root or hinder nail growth.

It’s a simple technique to execute

Even if you’re inexperienced at doing a manicure, dip powder manicure is unlikely to result in mistakes. If you have all the tools and materials, you can apply the technique at home.

It offers color intensity

For acrylic nail systems, it’s essential to combine powders and liquids resulting in an intense color gel. In contrast, dip powder manicures go straight to vibrant colors without mixing with other substances.

How to apply the dip powder manicure

In simple steps, we tell you how to apply the dip powder manicure, in case you want to practice at home.

1. Clean: Start by wiping a cotton swab with nail polish remover to remove any residue from previous paint.
2. Paint: In the painting phase you apply a layer of adhesive base coat, making sure to cover the entire nail.
3. Sprinkle: Nail by nail, put them in the container with the acrylic powders. It’s also feasible to sprinkle on the nails, without dipping them in the bottle. In any case, you can spread the particles or remove excess with a brush.
4. Fix: Follow with a layer of the resin activator to seal the powders. There are 2 alternatives; one of them is to polish as soon as you remove a nail from the powder and the other suggests waiting to finish with the powdering of all the nails to work them together.
5. Filing: As in any other manicure, dipping includes filing to give the nails the style of your preference.
6. Buffing: You close the process by applying a polish that doesn’t require lamp drying.

Are there any risks with the dip powder manicure method?

Not everything is rosy as with the dip powder manicure method, because there’s an important warning: inserting the nails in the bottles containing the material isn’t entirely hygienic.

If you do the dipping at home, using your own supplies, there’s no problem. However, if you go to a salon that uses the same container for all customers, you could get germs on your nails. The correct thing to do in these places is to use special brushes.

Also, the continuous use of this manicure technique involves dehydration and nail wear, due to the filing of several layers of the surface to remove pigmentation. The suggestion is to let the nails rest for a while, applying moisturizing polishes, before returning to the dip powder technique.