
Base coat, which is applied directly on the nail, with different purposes such as covering the deformities on the nail surface and making it uniform, strengthening the nail and assisting with the adherence of the subsequent polish layer.Gel nail polishes are usually offered in three layers: Gel polishes typically last around two weeks without chipping or peeling 3.

Gel nail polishes are a specific class of nail polishes, with the ability to cross-link under UV radiation and, consequently, demonstrate improved properties and greater durability compared to the conventional polishes. These nail polishes typically have low scratch resistance and will chip or peel from the nail surface after two to seven days in the best cases. Conventional nail coatings usually contain various solid components, dissolved or suspended in a non-reactive solvent, which build a clear or pigmented film after application and drying on the nail. Nail lacquers are cosmetic coatings applied on human fingernails or toenails for two main reasons: first, for enhancing aesthetic aspects of the nails, and second, for protecting and strengthening fragile nail surfaces, serving as a protective cover for the nail tips 1,2. Nail polishes are one of the most widely used products in the US cosmetics industry, utilized by 117 million Americans in 2016, with growth anticipated to reach 122 million by 2020.

These novel nail gel polishes are greener alternatives to the current products in the market, with promising potential for consumer acceptance. The high-solid formulation demonstrated promising performance, exceeding that of the benchmark, while the waterborne formulation met most of the desirable requirements, with some significant technical benefits. Also, both formulations were cured under UV-mercury and UV LED radiation sources to evaluate curing efficiency. In this study, two green UV LED curable nail gel polish prototypes – one high-solid zero-VOC and the other waterborne, both with considerable bio-renewable content – have been designed and their performance compared with a commercial petro-based benchmark. Therefore, considering the increasing consumption of nail polishes, and to keep pace with the bio-based regulations and consumer preferences, an unmet opportunity exists to develop novel sustainable nail gel polishes with considerable bio-renewable content. However, to the best of our knowledge, bio-based nail products have not been sufficiently explored. There has been a clearly growing consumer preference for use of products made from bio-based sources.Īccording to the US Department of Energy (DOE) technology roadmap, 10% of basic chemical building blocks should be derived from plant-based renewable resources by 2020, and this amount should increase to 50% by 2050. In addition, bio-based materials can be modified to make them amenable to cure by advanced UV LED exposure that consumes low energy and is safe for human exposure, compared to conventional UV mercury lamps. Bio-based materials are excellent renewable resources with high potential of meeting final-product performance, cost and environmental needs. Most gel nail polishes available today are based on petrochemical resources, making them unsustainable. Gel nail polishes represent an advanced class of nail polishes, with the ability to cure under ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and consequently demonstrating improved properties and greater durability compared to conventional polishes. Nail polish is one of the most widely used products in the US cosmetics industry, utilized by 117 million Americans in 2016, a number expected to reach 122 million by 2020. Wood glue is designed to stick wood to wood and not wood to lacquer, so the masking tape makes it quicker and easier to expose the bare wood after the finish has been applied.With that in mind, I carefully masked off the area under the bridge, following a line just inside the outer edges of the bridge plate.By Forough Zareanshahraki and Vijay Mannari, Coatings Research Institute, Eastern Michigan UniversityĮditor’s Note: The following received RadTech 2018’s Best Paper Award in the Student division at the event held in May. Over the years, I have built a handful of acoustic guitars and it’s common practice to apply masking tape to the front in the area where the bridge is destined to be. Excess grain filler has plugged the string holes, but it helps to prevent the wood from swelling and cracking the finish while wet sanding and it can be drilled out later The masking tape is removed carefully to reveal base wood.

Working on the assumption that no harm could come from that approach and it may actually result in enhanced tone, I decided to try something new. Much is made of the tonal benefits of wood-to-wood and wood-to-metal interfaces, with neck pockets left unfinished, and the likes of Eric Johnson advocate the removal of finish beneath the bridge area.
