5 Reasons To Try Semi Cured Gel Nails

There are several reasons why many people choose to do their nails at home, whether it be an in-a-pinch situation or whether you simply prefer to get creative and have agency over what your nails look like in the end. And when it comes to DIY nails, there are several options. From the good old fashioned nail polish to getting a gel and Shellac kit, any kind of salon-grade nails can be accessible to you in your own home. But in my opinion, one option stands above the rest, and it’s semi cured gel nails. Here’s a few reasons why they’re my preference, and why you might want to get on board too.

They Look Professional

Above anything else, doing your nails (whether you do them yourself or you pay to get them done) is about how they look. Obviously. Semi cured gel nails are going to give you the professional look of salon-grade nails, without everything that comes with it. Mainly: you don’t have to book an appointment and you don’t have to spend the money that comes with that commitment. And without the fuss of dripping nail polish, semi cured gel nails don’t even leave the option open for you to end up with a messy or unprofessional-looking result. It’s an easy application, and you simply shape them to your nails. But when it’s all said and done, no one will know you skipped out on getting them professionally done and did it yourself at home. In fact, you might even opt to get extra creative since you’re saving the money. Bonus points for the semi cured style.

You Need Your Nails Done at the Last Minute

Though there’s no denying going to get your nails done is a pleasant experience, not every situation affords you the time to find and book an appointment, travel there, spend an hour or so at the salon, and get back in time for whatever’s next in your busy schedule. But when you’re particularly crunched for time (say, a last-minute invite), going through that entire process isn’t even an option. You need to do it at home – and fast. Applying semi cured gel nails, from start to finish, can be done in under 20 minutes. You cut your nails to shape, you put on the pre-made strips, and you fit them to your nails. Then, since they’re already 60% cured (hence, semi cured), the process of hardening and finishing them takes about one minute. So if you’re looking at last minute plans, or if you’re just too busy to get them done or wait out the drying process for traditional nail polish, semi cured gel nails are the way to go.

Painting Your Nails Is… Not Your Strong Suit

Hey, we’re not all artists here. I write this from experience. When I paint my own nails or toenails, I end up with significant amounts of paint on my fingers and toes surrounding the nail, and it never quite looks the same when you try to get it all off. It’s a dilemma I’ve been battling for years. Enter: semi cured gel nails. With these, you don’t need to stay in the lines anymore, and you don’t have to ask a friend to sit down and paint your nails for you. The strips are already ready, in a fool-proof shape that you really can’t get wrong. You can handle it all by yourself, mess-free, and it’ll look like you paid a professional.

That Post-Nail Painting Feeling? Gone

There are few things worse (ok, nail-related things) than the period of time after you’ve just painted your nails, and they’ve pretty much dried, but you still feel like you can’t touch anything for way too long. After I paint my nails myself with traditional nail polish, I genuinely feel like I’m out of commission for hours. The area surrounding my nails feels fragile, and I never really trust the nail polish to not end up with a permanent indentation if I do too much too soon – even if “too soon” is like, two hours later. But with semi cured nails? You guessed it: that awkward, out-of-commission, can’t-touch-or-do-anything feeling is gone. You place the strips, cure them, and then you’re on your way.

Two Words: Saving Money

A trip to the nail salon might not exactly break the bank, but it is technically an unnecessary expense that could be much cheaper if you opted for some DIY nail treatment. And while a single bottle of nail polish takes the cake when it comes to low prices, semi cured gel nails aren’t that far behind. The main expense here is getting a UV gel nail lamp, and these cost less than $25 just about anywhere you can find them. Some brands even give you one for free when you order your first set of nail strips. Which brings us to the next expense. A set of nail strips are also typically under $20, and they come with 30 strips per set. That’s enough to do your nails at least twice and leave plenty of room for mistakes. In comparison, a trip to the nail salon for gel nails is going to cost, at the very least, $40 before the tip – and could even creep up towards $100, depending on where you go. So, the math here is obvious. You now have the option for easy, professional-looking nails while also saving the money you’d typically spend on that experience for something else. The world is your oyster.

These are just a few easy and obvious reasons why semi cured gel nails are the way to go when it comes to DIY nails. But overall, if you want nails that look great, are easy to apply, and are a huge money-saver, consider giving semi cured gels a shot. And if you don’t like them (somehow, though this is hard to imagine), then you’ve still spent less time and money on them than you would have booking and paying for an appointment at the salon. How can you lose there?