Dip nails can be a fun and easy way to DIY-ing a long-lasting at-home manicure. For those who have never attempted dip nails before, don’t worry! There’s a learning curve, but it’s quick to catch on if you follow all the instructions. However, many of you are probably wondering… do I need a UV light for dip powder?
First of all, let’s talk about the dip powder process.
Steps:
Click here for a complete guide to applying dip nails the easy way.
The short answer is no; you don’t need a UV light for dip powder nails.
HOWEVER, depending on the top coat you use, you might need a UV light. For example, when using a glossy gel top coat (sold in our dip liquids set), you will need a UV/LED nail lamp to cure the gel. You can go without a top coat, but that will reduce the lifespan of your dip powder and will prevent the manicure from looking beautifully glossy. You can also use a matte top coat, which doesn’t require UV light. We don’t recommend using an air-dry shiny top coat designed for standard nail polish on top of dip nails because the chemicals between the two could interact weirdly.
For more information on getting your dip nails shiny, click here to read our guide.
There are three kinds of nail lamps; a UV lamp, an LED light, and a UV/LED lamp.
If you’ve ever tried making resin crafts before, you know that a UV lamp is essential. Most gel polishes, including the top coats, are resin-based and need some kind of UV rays to harden.
There are tiny molecules in gel top coats called photoinitiators, which are signaled to start the polymerization (hardening) process once they touch UV wavelengths by converting the light to energy.
A LED nail lamp is highly similar, except they emit much thinner and more powder UV rays, leaving the gel polishes to cure much faster than a standard UV lamp. Unfortunately, this lamp is usually more expensive, and the light can sometimes feel hot on your skin.
A UV/LED lamp is the best of both worlds by using both UV and LED technologies. It works faster than a standard UV nail lamp but doesn’t feel like it’s cooking your hand the way an LED light does.
There currently haven’t been any studies done on a connection between nail lamp usage and skin cancer; however, many scientists theorize that there could be a cause-and-effect thing going on.
The UV and LED nail lamps both emit a special kind of UV rays, called UVAs, which have been connected to skin cancer. So, theoretically, UV and LED nail lamps could cause skin cancer long-term.
But, here’s the good news. More recently, there has been this super cool new finger-less anti-UV glove that you can put on to protect the skin on your hands while still curing the polish on your nails. You can click here to visit a product listing on Amazon*.
*We are not affiliated with Amazon or ManiGlovz. Our goal is to help people by recommending things we genuinely think will help!
Fairy Glamor designs unique 3-in-1 dip and acrylic nail powders in Galveston, Texas. We're a 100% family owned business that was founded in 2020 and went from making handmaking powders in our spare bedroom to shipping out of a big warehouse. We believe in both quality and affordability--that's why our powders are used by both professional nail technicians and in homes. Our unique colors are hand-designed to give you gorgeous manicures that'll make your nails feel magical.
