4 Best Nail Bonders to Make Your Manicures Last Longer
The Best Nail Bonders for Gel Polishes and Regular Polishes are:
- IBD Gel Bonder (A very effective bonder for gel polishes)
- Orly Nail Bonder (A great nail bonder for regular nail polishes)
- Young Nails (A premium and durable nail bonder)
- CND Stickey Base Coat
What is a Nail Bonder Used For?
Nail Bonders are applied over your natural nails to make your gel polish or regular polish adhere better so that they can last longer.
They do so by acting like double-sided sticky tape. Meaning that they stick onto your nail bed and at the same time act as an anchor for your nail polish.
This keeps your polish more firmly onto your nails preventing peeling and chipping.
Related Article – 9 Reasons Why Gel Polish Peels Off & How You Can Fix it
Are Nail Bonders and Nail Primers the same thing?
Nail Bonders are considered a type of nail primer, meaning that they are one of the first coats applied to your nails.
Some brands of nail bonders work like a base coat meaning they use similar ingredients like nail polish. Whilst some work more like a nail primer meaning they are more like an adhesive.
In this article, I focus more on nail bonders for gel polishes and regular nail polishes.
Related Articles:
What are Nail Primers & Dehydrators- How & When to Use
Nail Primer vs Base Coat – Which One Should You Use
Nail Bonder For Acrylic Nails
For an acrylic application, I advise using a dehydrator and then a non-acid nail primer (Non- acid primers are very similar to nail bonders).
1- IBD Gel Nail Bonder
IBD Gel Nail Bonder is one of the best nail bonders to use when applying gel polishes.
IBD or International Beauty Design is a premium brand of nail products. IBD products are widely used by professionals.
They have been around for almost 4 decades and their products are known for high quality and consistency. Citation.
Pros of IBD Gel Nail Bonders
1- Very Effective
IBD Gel Bonder is extremely good at binding your gel polish onto your nails.
It works by binding with the keratin in your nails and then creating a good surface on your nail beds for your gel polishes to cure firmly onto.
When applied correctly IBD Gel Bonder can make your manicures last for 3 weeks or more.
2- Easy To Use
IBD UV Bonders are super easy to use:
How do you use an IBD Gel Bonder?
- First, prep your nails as you would usually do,
- Next, apply a coat of the bonder over your nails
- And then cure it under a UV lamp for 1 minute or a Led lamp for 30 seconds.
- Once cured you can proceed to apply your gel polish.
3- Works with a lot of Brands of Gel Polishes
I have used IBD Gel Bonder over the years with a lot of different brands of gel polishes and IBD Bonders have consistently performed well with most of them.
And I suspect this is why they are so popular even though they are so pricey.
Cons of IBD Gel Nail Bonders
1- Expensive
IBD are premium products and they tend to be more pricey in comparison to other products.
But I think they are worth it since they will allow your manicures to last for a longer time which will save you money.
2- Requires a UV or Led Lamp
IBD Gel Bonder requires you to have a UV or Led lamp to cure.
Now, there are other brands of nail bonders that don’t require a UV or Led Lamp to cure. But in my experience, the bonders that work the best with gel polish are the ones that need curing.
I suspect this is because they are made of similar ingredients which allow them to bond better.
Where to Get IBD Gel Bonder
You can get these bonders on Amazon, click here to see the current price there.
And also Walmart usually have them in stock too.
2- Orly Nail Bonder
Orly Nail Bonder is in my opinion one of the best bonders to use with regular nail polishes.
It is like a combination of a base coat and a nail bonder which makes it very effective at increasing the lifespan of your nail polish.
Orly Nail Bonder works by forming a very strong bond with your nails and with your nail polish preventing your polish from peeling or chipping easily.
How to Use Orly Nail Bonder
Orly Bonders are super easy to use just apply a coat over your nails and let it dry for 2 minutes and then apply your nail polish.
Orly doesn’t require UV or Led Lamps to cure since it is meant to be used with regular nail polishes and is not meant to be used with gel polishes.
It’s high performance and ease of use is why Orly Bonder is one of the most widely sold base coats on the market.
Where to Get Orly Nail Bonder
You can get Orly Nail Bonder on Amazon, you can click here to see the current price there.
Or you can get Orly at Walmart click here to see the price there.
3- Young Nails Protein Bond
Young Nails Nail Bonder is a very strong protein-based bonder. It is made primarily from a very strong polymer-based adhesive.
The polymer forms a strong bond with the protein structure in your nails and with your polish or acrylics – like double-sided sticky tape or glue.
Young Nails Protein Bonder is a great multipurpose nail bonder that will works with gel polishes, regular polishes, and even acrylics.
They are also easy to use and don’t require a UV or Led Lamp to cure. Their main drawback is that they are very pricey and come in small bottles.
You can get Young Nail Bonders on Amazon, you can click here to see the current price there.
4- CND Stickey Base Coat
CND Stickey Base Coat creates a soft and sticky top layer over your nails to allow your nail polish to adhere better. Citation.
Stickey Base Coat has been around for years now and is very popular. They are meant to be used with regular nail polishes and not gel or acrylic nails.
They are easy to use just apply a coat over your nails and let dry it for a minute.
Now it’s important to note that Stickey Base Coat won’t dry completely and would purposely leave a wet top layer. This wet layer allows your polish to have a better anchor onto your nails.
You can get CND Stickey Base Coat on Amazon, click here to see the current price there.
Do You Need a Bonder for Gel Nails?
A bonder is not essential when applying gel polish but using one will make your manicure last for a significantly longer time.
Do You Need to Cure Nail Bonders?
Some brands of nail bonders require a UV or Led Lamp to cure whilst some brands dry naturally when exposed to air.
Citation and References Used
