Gel manicure is one of the most popular types of nail care. This is not surprising, because the coating lasts quite a long time, there is no need to do manicure every day. This is especially important for modern active girls, because hands always experience the greatest environmental impact. For nail design with shellac, an LED lamp is required. It is worth considering in more detail its features and how to choose the best model.
Principle of operation
For a perfect manicure shellac or gel polish is best suited. You can create absolutely any nail design that will please the eye for more than one week. Gel polish does not dry on its own, unlike ordinary varnish. Helps him dry out the ultraviolet light. Of course, this does not mean that you need to open the window and stick out your hands, especially since the sun pleases us with its presence not so often.
LED-lamp is a unique invention that allows you to dry shellac at home quickly and efficiently. Such assistants have some differences from ultraviolet lamps. They were invented a little later than UV, and immediately gained recognition in the nail service.
The principle of their work is quite simple. Thanks to the presence of many small bulbs, it instantly polarizes the coating on the nails, which hardens and becomes strong and resistant.
Devices have different wavelengths, which should be taken into account when choosing gel polish. For some, you need a UV lamp, for others only LED. It is worth noting that the second option is more universal, since the wave range is much wider.Depending on the equipment company, electrical assistants may have an automatic on and off sensor. When you bring your hands to the dryer, it immediately turns on and off after a specified time or when you remove your hands. This is very convenient, since you will never forget to turn off the device, it will not burn unnecessarily.
How long does gel polish need?
If you prefer to do manicure yourself at home, then you need to know some nuances in order to achieve the desired result.
- There is a certain period during which the coating for the nails is completely polarized. The more powerful the appliance, the less time it takes to dry the varnish.
- The time during which you need to dry your nails also depends on the service life of the equipment. The older the lamp, the longer the gel coat dries.
- For home manicure, dryers with a power of 9 watts are most often used. This is a fairly economical option, which allows the coating to dry well.
- Drying time in such an LED lamp is from 6 to 10 minutes. Lamps of greater power, which are created for professional manicure, allow you to dry your nails in 30-60 seconds. You can buy such a lamp for home use, but it costs much more.
Rating of the best models
Valori
The Valori brand device is a good option for high-quality nail design at home. Equipment of this brand refers to mini-lamps of small power. The lamp has compact dimensions and is characterized by extraordinary mobility. It runs on a USB cable that can be connected to a power supply or computer. This option is one of the most popular and affordable. You can buy a lamp in the online store, where it is presented in various colors. If you are just starting to try your hand at manicure, then Valori will help you with this as well as possible.
CND
The products of the American brand CND are popular in Russia due to the diversity of their products. Lamps for drying gel polish of this company are a godsend for professionals and for those who just want to do manicures quickly. The electric assistant is equipped with all the necessary functions for a pleasant work. A convenient display allows you to monitor the mode and time of drying. The timer allows you to set absolutely any time, which is very important when working with varnishes of certain brands.
The advantage of CND LED lamps is their durability. With intensive use, the lamp can last at least 1 year. Functionality and versatility are also important factors in choosing CND. Among the equipment of this brand, there are often fakes, so you need to carefully study the lamp and the store in which you buy it.
Jessnail
The equipment of this brand is produced in Russia, which positively affects its cost. The Russian brand delighted lovers of beautiful manicure and professional masters who are just starting their careers. The lamp is very convenient to use, does not cause difficulties in operation. The standard size allows you to dry five fingers at once. The assistant is equipped with a timer for 2, 3 minutes and for endless work. Attractive design pleases the eye and makes work more enjoyable. The equipment has one small drawback - it does not have a special timer for drying the base layer. As you know, this requires much less time than the polarization of the main coating.
OPI LED
The dryer of this brand is a real professional trophy. A good beauty salon is simply obliged to have just such lamps for drying varnishes. The equipment allows you to work with most types of resistant coatings, dry it quickly and efficiently. Manicure becomes a pleasant procedure and significantly saves time.
Built-in high-quality mirrors allow the gels to polarize better and faster, providing an even layer.The lamp does not have a pallet, which allows it to be used for pedicure. With the help of a convenient handle, the lamp is mobile, it is easy to move from place to place. The only drawback of OPI LED is its cost. But if you can afford to buy such equipment home, then you must definitely do it.
Diamond
This option applies to lamps of average cost. It is suitable for both professional and home use. The lamp can handle most polymer materials, including biogels. A variety of body shapes allow you to choose a beautiful and stylish thing that will be a good helper in creating nail designs.
The lamp is equipped with small bulbs and one spiral lamp, which allows you to cope with the drying several times faster. Removable drip tray for comfortable toenails. Four nails are placed in the lamp at the same time, which may not be very convenient. This equipment is manufactured in China, but has excellent European quality and has a long service life.
Runail
Lamps of this brand have a pretty good reputation. The equipment may have different sizes and applications. For beginners, the company provides small budget options. For professionals, there is a whole lineup with different characteristics and design. Professional equipment has standard sizes and is equipped with all the necessary functions.
Affordable price is a big plus of lamps. At a low cost, the lamp works very well and allows you to use it for a long time. The lamps are quite heavy, so it is better to use them stationary. They are not very convenient for pedicure.
Planet nails
This is a good and inexpensive lamp that provides smooth operation and high-quality manicure. Attractive heart-shaped design is especially loved by the fair sex. This is a great option for novice nail service masters and lovers to do manicure on their own at home. Despite the small weight of the device, it has good power, as many as 28 lamps are built into it, which ensures fast and high-quality drying. The coating does not spread, but is distributed evenly.
Which is better to choose?
A variety of lamps cannot but provoke a natural question: which option to choose for drying nails in a particular situation and how much power the lamp should be. It all depends on how heavily the device is used. If you do manicure only at home, then a 9-watt lamp will suffice. This is enough to dry the coating well and significantly save energy. For professional use, higher power devices, for example, 36 watts or more, should be used. Such lamps cope with their work faster and save customer time.
Life time
The service life of an LED lamp directly depends on its quality. When choosing equipment for drying, it is necessary to carefully study its characteristics. A good lamp with high power can serve even a single year without losing its original qualities. You will understand that the device began to lose its performance when the nails begin to dry poorly. Each time, you will need more and more time to dry each layer.
If it is possible to change the lamps for new ones, then there is no need to buy a new device. Unfortunately, not all firms provide such an opportunity. Inexpensive options are much less, but their cost this suggests, so you should not be surprised at the quick deterioration.
Reviews
As with any device, reviews of lamps for drying polymer coatings are rather contradictory. Both cheap and more expensive samples have their drawbacks, so reviews vary. Users of LED lamps note their superiority over ultraviolet options. Drying time is significantly reduced, but the quality does not suffer.Some girls complain that the varnish is blistering after drying in a lamp. But often this problem appears due to the poor quality of the coating itself.
See the following video for how UV lamps differ from diode lamps, and which is better for working with gel.