Acrylic artificial nails have gone a long way from when it was invented more than twenty years ago. Then, acrylic nails were just a piece of plastic formed like fingernails, very unnatural looking, very far from the way it looks now. The new acrylic nail is more natural – looking, sturdier and more durable while providing women with fabulous nails they can flaunt around.

The term acrylic comes from the word “methacrylate” a mixture of polymer powder and monomer liquid. What gives the new acrylic nails its extraordinary strength and toughness is Poly(methyl methacrylate) or PMMA or synthetic polymer. When the monomer and polymer are mixed together, the chemical reaction of the mixture produces the filament-like acrylic product that dries to look like natural nails.
The most important aspect of applying the new acrylic nail is ensuring that the nail bed is perfectly clean before the application to prevent the growth of bacteria that could cause fungal infection in between the natural nail and acrylic nail. Cleaning the nail bed with alcohol will dispel grease and oil and will eradicate bacteria.

Another important step in the new acrylic nail application is priming the nails. The process involves applying a nail primer over unpainted nails to ensure that the acrylic product sticks on the natural nails. What the nail primer does is to melt away a thin layer of the surface of the natural nail coarsening the surface to secure the acrylic deep into the nail.

Sculpting the new acrylic nail entails the use of a nail form made of either plastic or thin metal foil that is placed over the fingertip and coated with the acrylic product. Once the acrylic product hardens the nail form is removed.

The final stage of the new acrylic nail application is the filing and buffing of the hardened acrylic product to the desired length and shape. The new acrylic nail can be painted with nail color or not. In itself, it already looks great but when painted with nail varnish or polish in some amazing nail colors it looks super elegant and fabulous. Photo by B_Zedan