Is a Dip Powder Manicure better than a Gel Polish Manicure?

Is a Dip Powder Manicure better than a Gel Polish Manicure?

Ever since Dip Powder really hit the mainstream in the last 5 years, when it was only really being sold by 4 companies – Revel Nail, SNS, ANC, and Nextgen – the question has been asked – is Dip Powder better than Gel Polish? We think the answer is “Yes!” but of course it’s a little more nuanced than that, there are times when Dip Powder doesn’t work for certain people or when Gel Polish might make more sense for someone than Dip Powder, so we’ll take a minute to talk about all the details about why Dip Powder is better than Gel Polish for some things and when Gel Polish is better than Dip Powder for other things.

The first and main reason that most people prefer a Dip Powder manicure is pretty simple – it’s more durable. On most women, a properly done Dip Powder Manicure will last longer than a properly done Gel Polish manicure and be more resistant to chipping and lifting. That’s the big reason a lot of women prefer it – the manicure should last until it grows out enough that you need to get it removed from growth, not from chipping/peeling/breaking/lifting. The benefit here is that when it does grow you can just soak it off to remove it. Unlike acrylics that have to be drilled off, Dip Powder manicures can be removed with a soak off method like gel, so even though they last longer, they are just as easy to remove as Gel Polish manicures.

That’s the big one. It seems boring but its true, most women who prefer Dip Powder over Gel Polish prefer it because of the durability. If you are going to spend the money to go to a salon to get a manicure or if you are going to buy an at-home kit and do it yourself, you don’t want it to only last a few days before something happens and you either walk around for a week with one broken nail or you get the whole thing taken off just because one of them got damaged. That’s no fun.

There are some other reasons that women prefer Dip Powder – some women have sensitivities to the ingredients in Gel Polish and get soft or weak nails after having Gel Polish manicures on for an extended period of time. This is usually a symptom of the Gel Polish not being completely cured under the lamp, leaving a layer of uncured liquid Gel Polish on the nail that can be absorbed by the nail bed, causing the softness.

Another reason some women prefer Dip Powder is due to the use of the UV Lamp. Women who are concerned about the UV light causing skin damage want to avoid unnecessary exposure to UV and since Dip Powder does not require the use of a UV lamp, you can avoid that exposure. Since the skin on the back of the hand is so delicate and prone to showing signs of again, some women want to avoid the use of UV light that could further that.

Since the question of is a Dip Powder Manicure “better” than a Gel Polish Manicure is really one of those “it depends” answers (like are French Fries better than Ice Cream? – it depends on what you need at the time!), there are some reasons when Gel Polish makes sense to use instead of Dip Powder, so let’s look at those, too!

The first main reason to use Gel Polish over Dip Powder would be if you have a sensitivity to the ingredients used in Dip Powder. A very small percentage of people have a sensitivity to the ingredients in the powder that can cause irritation on the skin. Some other people have a sensitivity to the liquids, and if they aren’t using a set of liquids designed for people with sensitivity like this set: https://www.revelnail.com/products/sensitive-dip-powder-liquid-set they can experience congestion, runny nose, and other symptoms. For those women, it makes sense to avoid Dip Powder and use Gel Polish instead.

Another really practical use for Gel Polish is for Pedicures! It’s easier to apply on toes and stick your foot in a lamp than it is to do Dip Powder for the most part. You can sprinkle Dip Powder on your toes, so it’s not impossible, just usually easier to do Gel Polish. Revel Nail makes 82 matching Dip Powder and Gel Polish and Nail Polish – called a 3 in 1 in the nail industry – so if you want a matching mani-pedi you can buy Dip Powder for your nails and Nail Polish or Gel Polish for your toes, which can be easier.

We hope that helps outline why we think Dip Powder is better in general, but certainly not always than Gel Polish – if you have an opinion let us know!