Written by me, Katie Masters, never AI

LET ME GUESS-

You're ready to start your nail journey but aren't sure whether or not to do press-on nails or go to a salon. You've heard everyone talking about the "damage" certain things do to your nails and you can't figure out what to really believe anymore. And you're just trying to get down to the bottom of-

Press-ons vs. salon, which is better?

Well, you found the right article to analyze this because I have a bias on BOTH SIDES of this argument! My name is Katie Masters and I am the owner and creator of Nail Thoughts. I am a professional nail technician of over 10 years and had my own private salon for 8 of those years. I have a professional gel line AND a press on nail line.

Pictured: Me with my Nail Thoughts gel line and me with my Nail Thoughts press on line!

Both have two completely different target audiences and markets. My gel line is obviously for professional nail techs while my press on line is for the at home nail diyers/fanatics. So I have skin in BOTH games, therefore you know I will give an honest analysis to help you decide what is better for you as I have full experience in both.

Pros of salon: 

✅Totally custom to your nails. No need to resize or adjust press-ons to your liking, it’s always right.

✅You get to pick exactly what you want (depending on color choices and nail artist of course). No need to choose from limited press-on designs/colors.

✅Supporting nail artists. Who doesn’t love to support an artist/small business at their craft?

✅Your nail tech could become your friend and therapist who you can vent and have a great time with. There is just something about a beauty appointment that makes you unload it all! My salon became a safe space for the girlies to let loose and tell me everything they couldn’t even tell their friends!

✅You get to feel pampered because you don’t have to do anything. No need to apply the nails yourself and figure it out, you have a professional holding your hands.

✅They are professionally applied. There's no need worry about applying anything the wrong way because you are in a professional's hands. Literally.

Cons of salon:

❌You lose time. From driving there, parking, 1~2 hours depending on the service, driving back, you have lost a little portion of your day. 

❌Socializing and small talk and having to hold still for a long time. The social salon atmosphere can be very overwhelming for people with social anxiety. I sometimes get antsy with just a haircut when I run out of things to talk about.

❌Might not be budget friendly. Nail appointments can get pretty pricey depending on what you like to get on your nails. My Los Angeles’ salon’s basic gel manicures started at $80 and increased depending on the art etc.

❌You still don’t get what you want. Sometimes there's not a salon near you who can do the fun/trendy designs you see all over instagram so you could get stuck with the classic meme of “what I asked for vs what I got”.

❌Needing to do the process every 3 weeks. Because who is going to remove the gel for you? Remembering to book in advance can be a tough one too.

Pictured: Me doing nails!

Pros of press ons:

✅Much quicker process than a regular manicure. At minimum, a press on nail application can take 10~15 minutes!

✅You can do them on your own time. No driving anywhere, no booking in advance, it’s all you! Whenever you feel like it, whenever you have a moment.

✅Much cheaper than a manicure. Press-ons can range between $10 and $20! Compared to a $60~$80 gel manicure, press-ons are much more budget friendly.

✅No small talk or worry about social anxiety. Press-ons are perfect for my socially anxious queens! Have a nice little moment to yourself, put on a youtube video, apply your nails and chill.

✅You have access to so many fun designs that you would never have dreamed of! All of those amazing nails on instagram aren’t cheap! But with press ons you can literally have those IG worthy nails for a FRACTION of that price! Also as mentioned earlier, a lot of nail salons don’t know how to do those trendy designs, so if you don’t have a specialized nail artist in your area, press-ons let you get the manicure of your dreams!

✅ MY press on brand supports nail artists! I am a working nail tech, and I collaborate with other working nail artists to bring their designs to life! So instead of big box stores stealing our designs with no credit, we are taking ownership back so you still get to support the industry even when you skip the salon! FINALLY. You can shop for them HERE.

Pictured: The Nail Thoughts x Paola Ponce Daydreamer Press On Nail Set

Cons of press ons:

❌Less custom to your nails as they are bulk manufactured. Press on kits come with plenty of sizes, but everyone's nails are a little different so you still have to fine tune the nails a little bit to customize them for your perfect fit.

❌You have to do them yourself, so it’s not really a pampered feeling, it’s more of a …craft.

❌Minimal expertise! Since you have to do them yourself you might not be an expert and they could pop off due to a lack of nail experience, you’re not a nail tech after all. I made a free eight page press-on nail survival guide though to help you out though. 

❌Don't support the nail industry. Most big box press-on companies aren’t even nail techs so you don’t get to support the nail industry and the artists that create these designs for us to enjoy.. (but mine do!!!)

❌You have to remove them yourself and that takes some “nail tech knowledge” unless you wait for them to pop off.

Pictured: My free downloadable guide on how to make press ons last longer

What is healthier for your nails, press-ons or gel manicures?

Notice that I never mentioned which one damages your nails more? Because neither of them should. I know! Isn’t that great news?! As a professional nail tech I’ve seen all of the fear based marketing around gel manicures, especially when it’s used to promote a “healthier” alternative (which is usually press-on nails). Fear based marketing always drives me CRAZY and I am always rolling my eyes! Because here’s the real secret, the gel manicure prep process is almost identical to the press on nail process. 

Pictured: The Nail Thoughts line of gel products and press-on nails

Usually when people mention nail damage, they are talking about the over filing of the nails and the “thinning” out of nails from the constant filing. 

The nail product itself does not do that to your nails, it’s the person filing that’s doing the damage, and that person filing can be a nail tech or it can be you depending on if you are at a salon or applying press-ons yourself. There is a fine line between a gentle buff and an overly filed nail, knowing the difference is key.

Pictured: Nail Thoughts Satin Cherry Press-On Nails being customized into a square nail shape

Gently filing the surface of the natural nail is NORMAL and necessary for BOTH press-on nails and gel manicures! Both products, nail glue and gel, need a matte and textured surface to be able to properly adhere and last. If you left the nail smooth and shiny before either of those nail enhancements, you can say bye to long lasting nails! 

 Trust me! I would not have been able to grow mine and my client’s natural nails out to incredible lengths if they were constantly being damaged by me and my filing!

Pictured: Three different photos of long NATURAL nails that were able to grow long because of Nail Thoughts gel products.

 When you are prepping your natural nails for any type of nail product application whether it’s press-ons or a gel manicure, you are essentially buffing the surface shine off of the nail plate. Your nail plate (aka fingernail) has many keratin layers jam packed together to make your nail (think 30~50 keratin layers depending on the person). So buffing the surface shine off the nail is just a light touch to make the surface layer matte. A buff should not HURT, should not BURN, and should not leave ridges.  Doug Schoon, chemist, and author of “Nail Structure and Product Chemistry,” says:

“Today’s advanced products are designed specifically for improved keratin adhesion; so heavy filing is no longer needed or desired! Only the ‘shine’ needs to be filed away. Oils saturate the upper-most surface of the nail and cause the surface to reflect ‘light’ or ‘shine’. After 24 hours, clients shouldn’t even notice that their nails are thinner after artificial nail products are removed. If the plates are thinner, it is due to over-filing”.

And there you have it, when choosing what is better between press-on nails and a salon manicure, it shouldn’t have anything to do with “which one is healthier”. But it has everything to do with what your personal vibe is! Do you like getting out of the house and feeling pampered? Or do you like to have the control and spend less time at a salon? Do you have social anxiety and can’t sit still for too long? Or do you love the social aspect of a beauty appointment? Do you have the budget for fun trendy nails? Or are you trying to save money?

Pictured: An instagram post outlining who I had in mind when I created press-ons. Tap thru for more.

RESOURCES:

If you are interested in seeing how my gel products work, check out my youtube series of me getting my nails done by all kinds of nail artists who use my gel products here. Maybe you’ll even find a salon/nail tech that uses Nail Thoughts in your area!

If you are interested in press ons, check out my blog post on how to get your press on nails to last longer HERE. Or download my eight page document I wrote on how to get your press-ons to last 2+ weeks every single time with my press-on nail survival guide. 

If you are interested in natural nail health at home, check out my other blog post about why your nails keep breaking HERE.