I have been in the beauty industry for 30 years, and I have used every type of artificial nail technique that has ever been invented. Way back then, we had porcelain nails from which acrylic emerged (a softer form) then there was fiberglass, gel, and more.
About ten years ago, a system emerged which was a combination of acrylic and fiberglass nails. This system was developed around acrylic powder but instead of using the monomer (acrylic liquid) to cure the powder and to harden, it uses a special type of nail resin. Nail Courses Online This technique has eliminated the necessity of using a primer (acids) to make it adhere to the natural nail plate. At the time, I had a lot of nail clients and the lack of the smell and the dust was simply a god send. I found it to be wonderful. If you have ever been in a salon where acrylic nails were being done you will know about the smell, and the dust from the filing.
Let's discuss the smell. If you have never smelt the monomer (acrylic liquid) then you probably won't appreciate the lack of smell but I guarantee you it is definitely a step in the right direction. Then there is the filing. Because there is very little shaping needed with this system, the dust has been reduced dramatically. Apart from the cleaning aspect, anything that reduces a health risk must be worth considering. Dust from the acrylic nails can be devastating to your health, especially your lungs.
Just recently there has been a huge outcry about the toxicity of acrylic monomers with high levels of MMA which is supposed to be extremely dangerous. I have watched with more than a passing interest and have seen one manufacture of this stuff say that it is not dangerous and another manufacturer say it is deadly. The jury is still out but if you use the Glazed Nail system you need not concern yourself.
As I said, I have used every system out there. I had my own beauty school and I taught fiberglass, acrylic and gel nails and I can tell you without fear of contradiction that this system is the easiest and safest yet. I now have an Online Beauty School from which I teach the very same system.
Having said that, I have to say that this system has not been widely adopted by the industry and I am at a loss to understand why. I can only surmise that nail techs may not want to bother learning a new system, or it may be that, because they have perfected the acrylic system, why fix something that is not broken attitude may be the thing. One thing I am sure of and that is the benefits far out-way the few hours one may have to put in to learn a new system.
There is however, another theory. It may be that this is simply a monetary consideration. With this system, there is a lot less infills needed, because when the nail grows out, the re-growth is a lot less noticeable and clients don't need to return to the salon as often. Although I do have clients that come every two weeks to keep their nails looking in top condition, the bulk of my clients would only come once a month and sometimes every 5-6 weeks. Lasts longer - Less money in it for the technician.
My answer to that is, you can always take on more clients. And then there is the name. It could be that the name and the technique is simply not sexy. I must admit, "Glazed Nails" doesn't sound sexy.
I suspect the reason may be a combination of the above, and that the system is not widely known. I had one of my students tell me that when she ordered the ingredients she needed to do these nails, she was told by the wholesaler that she was wasting her money and she had never heard of it. As I said, Glazed Nails have been around now for over a decade and was brought out in its original form by Backscratchers, a very well known and well respected company in the artificial nail industry. There is NO excuse for every Beauty Wholesaler out there by now not to know about this system of artificial nails, whether they choose to stock it or not. I suspect that the wholesalers have a vested interest in not promoting it because this system is far cheaper than acrylic nails (the markup on acrylic nail products is massive).
I for one would never go back to using acrylic or for that matter even gel and neither would any of my clients, many of whom have been with me for 20 years or more. My suggestion is that you be the judge. I have put up a video on YouTube of me putting on one of these nails. Have a look and see how easy it is. Link below.