After 10 years of wearing acrylic nails, I decided to try going natural. The idea of getting a manicure that could only last a couple of days didn’t sit well with me. One of the reasons I wore acrylic nails for so long is because they would last a long time. Sometimes I could go three weeks before I would need to head back to the salon.

I’ve heard about gel manicures from beauty blogs and YouTube, but I didn’t know anyone who got one done. When I first talked to my family and friends about getting one done everyone asked me the same questions. “Are those safe?” “Don’t they cause cancer?”

Several Google searches later, I learned that currently there is no conclusive evidence proving that the UV exposure from getting a gel manicure can cause cancer. From my research, I also learned that an LED light could be used to “cure” (harden) gel nail polish, has no risk of cancer, and works faster.

Once I learned there is minimal to no risk of cancer, I got my first gel manicure. Since then I have had four gel manicures, one every two weeks since I soaked off my fake nails. The two kinds of gel polish I have used are Hand and Nail Harmony’s Gelish soak off gel polish and OPI’s GelColor. I’ve paid from $18 - $30 to get them done.

From my experience gel manicures really last two weeks. Even with regular nail polish designs on top, it did not diminish the integrity of the gel polish. My nails are shiny and can last through everything. After taking my acrylics off, my natural nails were like paper. Gel manicures have made my nails stronger slowly, but they’re certainly not as weak as before.