Regular visitors of salons will be familiar with the damage that constant use of nail polish brings. From dryness to brittleness leading to breakage; all of which disfigures our nails. These problems led to the invention of nail stickers as a suitable replacement for nail polishes. While many saw this as a welcome development, it presented another challenge for others, most especially if you are a Muslim.
As a Muslim, taking cognizance of what you wear both in clothing and accessories is highly important. Majorly because it has to meet the halal standard which is a prerequisite for performing wudu. With this in mind, a Muslim looking to beautify her nails might ask; are nail stickers halal?
While some are halal, some are not. Nail stickers are created differently and as such, finding the right one to use might mean you aren’t breaking any Islamic rule. Specifically, with breathable nail stickers, you can be sure of rocking a decent fashion style while still remaining faithful to your beliefs.
What Are Nail Stickers?
Over time, improvement in technology has seen a steady rise in the popularity of DIY manicures and the newest trend is the use of nail stickers. Nail stickers simply nail polish made and designed in form of prefab sheets on easy-to-apply stickers. While nail stickers have been around for a while, the majority of their presence has been in use as a form of nail art applied on regular polish. Today, they come in an assortment of designs and are ready for use with several fun patterns.
Simply put, stickers are real nail polish on strips with an adhesive backing for easy attachment to your nails directly. For ease, they regularly come in a size that covers the nail or as tiny stickers that you can arrange on already polished nails in a fashion of your choice. Nail stickers are awesome works of art carefully crafted to add pattern, color, and beauty.
Halal-Friendly Nail Sticker
Unlike regular nail stickers, breathable stickers are made up of polymers that allow oxygen and water molecules to touch the nail. This ensures that you keep your nails moist and healthy preventing dryness. Over the years, the creation of nail stickers has improved to accommodate a wide range of individuals, and Muslims are not left out.
For Muslims, an advantage of using breathable nail stickers is that they can wear them during the five daily prayers. As a requirement, Muslims are mandated to perform wudu just before praying. Wudu is the process of cleansing the body in preparation for prayer.
The hands, feet, face, and ears are washed three times while ensuring that water reaches the nail bed. Therefore, breathable stickers can be worn during prayer.
If you are looking for great halal-friendly stickers to use, I will recommend; mwellewm14 Sheets Nail Stickers Glitter Gradient Color Shine Full Wraps Polish Stickers or eBoot 288 Pieces 96 Designs Nail Vinyls Nail Stencil Sticker Sheets Set . You can get them on Amazon
How to Apply Nail Stickers
Nail stickers are easy to apply as they already come with an adhesive coating at the back. If you choose to use a full nail sticker, there are some steps you have to take before and after applying. The same goes for tiny stickers with a little modification. The steps to take are as follows:
1. Remove Old Nail Polish
To apply nail stickers, you need to ensure that your natural nails are clean. To ensure this, you have to remove any old nail polish present on your nails. You can use a nail polish remover to achieve this.
2. File and Clean Your Nails
Nail stickers are able to mimic your natural nail and that’s one of the reasons why we love them. To help achieve this effortlessly, you should trim your nails to achieve even length as well as file them for a smooth shape.
Once you are done with trimming and filing, you want to proceed to clean your nails thoroughly. You should soak your nails in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes. You can then use a cuticle stick to work on your cuticles for a fresh look.
3. Select Your Nail Stickers
Each set of nail stickers is a transparent sheet of various sizes to work for different nail shapes and sizes. The best way to pick a size that fits perfectly is for you to place the stickers over your nails. This shows you how the stickers will sit when set on your nails even before removing them from their package.
After picking your choice of nail stickers to use, gently remove the strip from its backing with your fingers. If the sticker is super sticky, you can use a pair of tweezers to pick them up.
4. Apply Your Nail Stickers
With your sticker between tweezers, gently place the adhesive side over your nails, ensuring it’s as close to your cuticle as possible. Smoothen it against your nail from the cuticle all the way to the tip of the nail. If you choose to use nail stickers as an accent to your base nail polish, simply place the nail art sticker at your location of choice. Likewise, smoothen it for a seamless finish.
When applying over a nail, take note to smooth stickers from the center to the edges. This helps eliminate any air bubbles present under the sticker. Airs are bad for stickers as they cause bubbling of the sticker making it fail easily. Also, it’s best to avoid using an orange stick as this might scratch the sticker. Rather, use a silicone tool as it is gentler on a sticker than an orange stick.
5. File Away the Excess
Chances are there will be bits of extra stickers hanging off your nails if left, this can contribute to how quickly you have to replace them. With excess stickers, you can use a nail file to smoothen out excesses.
How to Remove Nail Stickers
A popular opinion is that immediately applied nail stickers start to lift at the edges, then it’s time to remove them. As easy as it is to fix nail stickers, it’s even easier to get rid of them and you can employ any of the steps below:
1. Warm Water Soak
I prefer this method of removal as it is gentle on nails and has no harsh effect on the skin. Soaking your nails in slightly hot water can help you get rid of nail stickers. Add warm water in a bowl with little drops of dishwashing soap. Dip your hands in the bowl and let your nails soak for about 20 minutes once the nail stickers are loose, you can peel them off easily.
2. Peel and Go
Since nail stickers don’t last as long as nail polish, chances are after a reasonable amount of time, they will pill. This is because, with each passing day, the adhesive binding the sticker to your nail becomes weaker. That said, simply peel the stickers off from any of the lifted edges.
3. Do an Acetone Soak
One excellent way to get rid of nail stickers is with an acetone soak just as you do with nail polish. While acetone can be harsh on your natural nail and skin, it’s advisable to always apply a little quantity of petroleum jelly to your cuticles. With that done, empty an appreciable quantity of acetone into a small bowl, dip your fingers in the bowl, and allow your nails to soak for about 10 minutes.
After this, use an orange stick or tweezers to gently raise the stickers off of your nails. Your nail sticker should come off easily, if not, repeat the soaking process.
Making your Stickers Last Longer
Most certainly we all want to get more from all we do and nail stickers are no exception. While nail stickers are meant to last for a few days, these life hacks can help you elongate their lifespan considerably. Below are some tricks to utilize:
1. Picking the Right Brand
Picking the right brand of Nail stickers is essential. With premium brands, they use high-grade materials as well as extra-strong adhesives to create their stickers. With this, you are sure of having your stickers stay on your nails longer.
2. Apply a Top Coat
By applying a coat of transparent nail polish, you inadvertently extend the lifespan of your nail sticker. This is one of the most effective and easiest ways to make your nail sticker last longer. The nail polish serves as a layer of protection (waterproof seal)by preventing damage to the sticker as well as helping the adhesive stick longer.
Are Nail Stickers Safe?
Yes! Nail stickers are totally safe for your nails as they do not cause any damage. As with many nail beautification tools, the removal process often causes the most damage but with nail stickers, the removal process is easy. It uses a gentle adhesive and with accent nail art stickers, you apply them over a base coat and not on the nail directly.
Furthermore, nail stickers are mostly budget-friendly manicures and sets often cost as little as $5; which is one of the best reasons this enhancement is popular. When you apply nail stickers correctly, their expected lifespan can be as long as two weeks. How long stickers stay on is dependent on the type of glue used to coat the underside of the sticker as well as the application technique used. The stronger the adhesive, the longer they stay on.
Conclusion
Nail stickers specifically nail art and come in all colors as well as sizes. Smaller accents or decals are also available to add pattern and design to your existing nail appearance. One awesome fact about nail stickers is that you can create colorful and artful details on your nails without having to spend heavily on a nail artist. Stickers are easy to remove, often by soaking in warm water and peeling off. And Muslims, can also rock this colorful nail accessory as breathable nail stickers which are halal-compliant.
