Artificial nails have their own history. Back in ancient China, special nail extenders were used to make nails a few centimetres longer. And priests of ancient Egyptian temples attached special plates of amber, silver and gold to their nails, having polished them beforehand. But only in the 50s of the XX century nail extensions became a necessary attribute of the whole beauty industry.
As the industry developed, craftsmen began to use pieces of linen and tissue paper. Real cut nails were also in demand and could be bought from women who had strong nails. They were engaged in such not tricky business - cut nails were expensive.
But the appearance of false nails, similar to those that are familiar to us now, the world owes to dentistry. Back in the 30s of the last century, several people, dentists by profession, independently of each other invented a method of nail extension using filling material. History attributes the authorship of nail extensions to an American dentist from Chicago, Maxwell Leip. Back in 1934, he used powder and liquid to create an artificial nail, which were used in the manufacture of fillings. Although the technology was not widely used at the time, it was a start.
The false nails, which are attached without glue using a special design, appeared in 1935. The inventor of this method is Johan Rohrbach. And two years later - in 1937, a method of strengthening or building up nails with the help of special tips and glue was patented.
In 1954, American dentist Fred Slack invented the first false nails made of polymer material. The dentist accidentally injured his nail while working with a patient and, in order to keep working, covered the nail with acrylic dental material. It turned out that the material stays perfectly on the nail and the nail does not hurt at all.
According to another version, Fred Slack put acrylic material on his wife's nails to wean her from the bad habit of biting her nails. Thus, Fred's wife became the first woman to experience acrylic nails. In one way or another, a new century had begun in the history of manicures.
Difference between materials in chemical composition
The modern technique of nail extensions using acrylic was accidentally invented in 1954 by Fred Slack, an American dentist, when he tried to "fix" a broken nail using dental acrylic.
Previously, acrylic was made up of methyl methacrylate, which made artificial nails very thick, brittle and unable to take shape. It also turned out that methyl methacrylate caused significant harm to the natural nail - the level of its toxicity was recognised as unacceptable for use in the procedure of nail extensions and dangerous to the health of both the master and the client. In 1974, the use of methyl methacrylate in the production of nail extension materials was banned, and instead of it was used less dangerous ethyl methacrylate, causing much less damage to both the natural nail plate of the client and the health of the master constantly in contact with the material.
Over time, the materials for nail lengthening have been improved. Two systems of acrylates have been used, one of them has the ability to harden in the air, and the other - under the influence of ultraviolet rays.
Gel technology is based on polymerisation reaction - the process of formation of a high molecular weight substance (polymer) by repeated attachment of molecules of a low molecular weight substance (monomer, oligomer) to active centres in the growing polymer molecule.
Main components of the gels
Polyurethanes are heterochain polymers whose macromolecule contains an unsubstituted and/or substituted urethane group - alkyl, acrylic or acyl.
Acrylates (esters) are colourless liquids easily polymerised into polyacrylates. Commercially synthesised by the reaction of acrylic acid and alcohol.
Oligomer - a molecule in the form of a chain of a small number of identical polymer building blocks.
Photoinitiators are compounds that, when exposed to a certain wavelength of UV light, split into particles with a free electron. These particles are called radicals and are very reactive.
The presence of photoinitiators creates the basic prerequisite for curing. The photoinitiator radicals produced by UV light react with the double bonds of the binder to form radicals. These in turn combine with the rest of the binder molecules. The more photoinitiators there are, the faster the gel sets. It is not allowed to be kept open, it immediately becomes covered with a film, even if the sun does not hit it.
Hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone - initiator of photopolymerisation (polymerisation under UV exposure).
Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate and Hydroxypropyl Acrylate - monomers for polymer formation in the process of photopolymerisation; giving gloss, protection against mechanical damage and moisture.
Isobornyl Methacrylate is a good reactive solvent for oligomers, providing the polymerisation process due to the cyclic component in its structure.
What are single phase, biphasic and triphasic gel?
When a single phase gel nail extension is used, it includes all the layers you need for the process. This means there's no need to switch between different products or jars - everything you need is contained in one convenient jar. A single-phase gel usually consists of three key layers: a base layer, which provides a strong bond to the natural nail; a sculpting (modelling) layer, which allows you to create the shape and length of the nail; and a protective layer (finish), which provides shine and protection from damage. This versatile product facilitates the nail extension process, making it more convenient and efficient for the master and the client.
When it comes to two-phase nail extension gel, it usually means that the gel consists of two parts: base and sculpting (modelling).
When using a three-phase nail extension gel, it is assumed that the gel consists of one layer - the sculpting (modelling) layer
