Women’s love for applying nail paint has no limit, and there is hardly any occasion or even a random day when you won’t spot a woman flaunting their beautiful nails. The beauty industry has very well understood the needs of every woman and put a lot of effort into upgrading the beauty game, and that is why we now have gel nail polish. However, the main equipment to get a perfect gel nail polish application is a nail lamp.

For those who regularly get manicures done at home or salon, know the importance of a UV lamp, but there can be many who might wonder why a nail lamp makes for an essential component, so give us a chance to explain about it and the technology behind it.

Understanding the Function of a Nail Lamp

Nail lamps are a wonderful technology for the women of today’s generation who love to have perfect nails all the time. It emits light at a decided wavelength that further acts together with the gel polish for the process called “Photo Polymerization.” This is a chemical reaction that converts the liquid gel polish into the solid state, which makes the coating on your nails sturdy and lasts a longer period of time.

Now, two types of nail lamps are widely used, UV and LED, and both of them function similarly but in a slightly different way. To cure the gel polish, the UV lamp releases UV light, whereas LED lamps release light in specific wavelengths.

If you are visiting a salon to get your nails done, you have to stick to whatever lamps they are using for the purpose of curing the gel, but when you are buying it for personal use, you have the freedom to choose between them based on their pros and cons. At the end, they both work in the same manner, just with a little difference in how they emit the lights.

Role of Wattage in Nail Lamps

Nail Lamps, UV or LED; work on wattage to cure the gel polish. This wattage is a measure of the electrical power, signifying the strength of the nail lamp. The higher the intensity of the wattage, the faster the curing time will be, but more wattage means producing more heat that can pose certain drawbacks. Less wattage on the other side can have poor results, like not fully curing the nail polish or ending up sticky.

The right wattage is important to ensure that your nail polish is cured perfectly without any damage or unfinished results.

Can You Use a 120 Watt Nail Lamp?

To cure even the thickest layer of nail polish, a 48-watt UV nail lamp and 60 watts of LED nail lamp are enough, but if you are thinking whether using a 120W can be beneficial, then the answer is, yes. It is if it only concerns reducing the time for curing the nail polish, but it may not be equally beneficial because of the high heat it emits.

It is best to use a 120-watt only if you want it for professional purposes and have a daily rush of curing nail polish on over 50 to 100 hands.

Wattage Options

The next important thing, other than the nail lamp, is to understand the best wattage for curing gel nails without much damage and hassle. Also, as there are two types of nail lamps available in the market for the same purpose, we will review the wattage options for both.

UV Nail Lamp Wattage

Let’s understand the best uv lamp wattage for gel nails, and how they work.

9 Watt

This is the lowest wattage option and is good to go for curing thin layers of gel polish, but the time taken to cure nail polish using this watt is a lot, as the process is slower. It can take up about 2 to 4 minutes per layer, but there is an advantage that the heat produced is way lower and not at all harmful, but it may not completely dry the thick layer. This wattage might be a good option for home usage, but it is generally not recommended for salon or professional use.

36 Watt

36 watts has the power to cure almost every layer of nail polish and is an ideal choice if you use it regularly at home. It takes about 1 to 2 minutes to dry the layer, without emitting excessive heat. It is also a good choice for semi-professional purposes, but should be avoided for an entire professional setting.

48 Watt

48 watts is considered to be a high wattage UV nail lamp and is mostly used in professional settings, as they need a faster lamp to dry or cure the nail polish. The time taken is about 30 to 60 seconds, and it works on every type and layer of nail polish. It comparatively emits more heat, which can be slightly harmful if nails are exposed under the lamp for a longer period.

LED Nail Lamp Wattage

Now, let’s move to the best led lamp wattage for gel nails:

12 Watt

LED nail lamps with 12 watts are good to go with home and personal usage and can easily cure thin layers of nail polish in about 2 to 4 seconds, but may not be equally efficient for thick layers and heavy gels. They produce minimal heat and are completely safe to use.

36 Watts

36 watts is an ideal wavelength for semi-professional and regular home use, as it still produces mild heat and is efficient enough to cure hybrid and thicker gel nail polish. They take around 1 to 2 minutes to cure the nail polish and are a budget-friendly option for regular users.

60 Watts

Mainly used by professionals in salons, the 60-watt LED nail lamp cures every type of layer, thick ones too, and cures in less than 30 seconds, but keep in mind that faster curing translates to producing more heat, which can result in temporary discomfort.

A nail lamp is indeed one of the most miraculous inventions in the world of fashion, but you must be very mindful of the purpose for which you will be using the lamp. Both UV and LED nail lamps are efficient and almost do the same task with slight differences; invest in one that you think will be the most beneficial for you.