TYPES OF ARTIFICIAL NAILS

There are basically two types of artificial nails on the market today. They are ‘the tips’ and ‘the form’. Tips are made of lightweight plastic plates that are "nail"-shaped. They are glued on the end of the natural nail and acrylic powder is then applied over the entire nail. Tips are now available in many different colors and designs, ranging from simple colors such as yellow or blue to flamboyant designs such as animal prints and mixed metallic colors.

an example of 'a tip'(blue)

‘The form’, however comes in different types with diverse names for each type.First is the acrylic nail, which, as the name suggests is made out of the acrylic powder. With this, the nail technician applies the acrylic powder to the natural nail and then waits for about 30-40 seconds for it to dry.

this is an eagle nail with patterns.

There is also the eagle nail that looks like the nail of the eagle, i.e., it is long, curved to the insides but blunt at the edge.

 ‘The glass nail’ is another type that modern Ghanaian women are patronising today. They are made out of glass and are very beautiful in appearance than all the other types mentioned above. 

So if perhaps one of these days as a woman you would like to enhance your natural nails, you can choose from any one of the types above, and remember, artificial nails are not a replacement, but an extension for natural nails.

artificial nails, how they began

A nail is the outer structure, composed of keratin, that grows from a tuck in the skin and protects part of the fleshy tip of a finger or toe. 
In years past, there has been the development of artificial nails to intensify the beauty of the natural nail and how this technique came about is a mystery.
History has it that, rich women in the Ming dynasty used to wear very long artificial nails to distinguish themselves from the poor once.

artificial nail designs of ancient Greek.

In Egyptian times, women had artificial nails created from gold, bones and even ivory to make them look more beautiful and appealing.

more designs from ancient times.

In the year 1954,in Philadelphia, Fred Slack, a dentist once hurt his finger nail while working. He took a piece of solid foil, made the first false nail in the world and covered it with restorative material. He filed it and was surprised at the result, the nail looked natural and the pain passed at once. The dentist carried on his experiments using acrylic toothpaste and nail forms. Soon his brother Tom joined him and they patented their invention starting the company, 'Patti nails'.
These days, artificial nails have become popular all over the world gaining its popularity from america.

the artificial nails were made to look just like natural nails and the colours were perfected by using pigments which looked like the teeth and the skin. Originally, Polymers and Monomers mix was used to create the nails. It was applied over the natural nail and was extended onto a supporting material. It was left to harden and then it was shaped to look more like a natural nail. This was known as an acrylic artificial nail. So these days when you hear the term acrylic artificial nails, you know that they have been created using Polymer powder and Monomer liquid.