Chemistry of Nail Products State Board Exam Review

Chemistry of Nail Products

• Most chemical substances are safe if used properly.
• Vapors are formed when liquids evaporate into the air.
• The higher the temperature, the faster a vapor will form.
• Fumes are a blend of soot-like particles mixed with vapors.
• Adhesion is a force of nature that makes two surfaces stick together.
• Adhesion occurs when the molecules on one surface are attracted to the molecules on another surface.
• An adhesive is a chemical that causes two surfaces to stick together.

Adhesion and Nail Products

• A nail primer is a substance that improves adhesion.
• Good adhesion depends on proper technique and high-quality products.
• Before any nail service, the hands should be washed and the nail plate should be scrubbed with a nail brush to remove surface oils and contaminants that interfere with proper adhesion.
• Improper nail preparation is a leading cause of most types of nail enhancement product lifting.

Nail Preparation and Coatings

• Nail dehydrators temporarily remove surface moisture from the nail plate for about 30 minutes.
• Over-filing the nail plate can lead to lifting, breaking, free-edge chipping, and free-edge product separation, or curling.
• Coatings that cure or polymerize do so by a chemical reaction.
• Coatings that harden upon evaporation do so by a physical reaction.
• Polymers are extremely long chains of molecules, with each chain containing millions of molecules.

Polymers and Monomers

• Monomers are the individual molecules that join to make the polymer.
• Liquid and powder systems use thermal initiators that gather energy from the heat of the room or hand.
• UV curing systems use photoinitiators that derive their extra energy when exposed to UV.
• A catalyst is a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction by making initiators work more efficiently or by helping chemical reactions happen more easily.

Chemical Reactions and Bonding

• The head of one monomer reacting with the tail of another, resulting in a long chain of monomers, is called a simple polymer chain.
• A cross-linker is a monomer that joins different polymer chains together.
• Methacrylate is used to make all monomer liquid and polymer powder systems and at least one type of UV gel.
• Acrylates are used to make all other UV gels.

Nail Adhesives and Chemicals

• All nail adhesives (glues) and wraps are based on cyanoacrylates.
• Methyl methacrylate monomer has been banned in the United States and in many other countries.
• Evaporation coatings contain ingredients called plasticizers, which are used to keep the products flexible.
• Evaporation coatings also contain ingredients called UV stabilizers, which control color stability and prevent sunlight from causing fading or discoloration.