Style • 03/04/2025
What Are Soap Nails and Why Are They Trending?
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Nail art has been a form of self-expression for a long time. Whether you’ve loved metallic polish or crackle nails, trends are always forming as people explore their creativity. Soap nails are the latest fad taking over social media. Learn all about the style to see if it’s something you’d like to try and how you can recreate the look at home.
What Are Soap Nails?
Soap nails are a milky pink nail art style that’s clean, soft and nearly translucent. They stand apart from typical French manicure bases because they have a natural shine. If you turn soap nails under bright lighting, they reflect it like individual bubbles.
How Long Do They Last?
When a nail technician gives someone soap nails, the polish can last a few weeks without chipping. Experts prefer to create this look with hybrid polish, which is a mix of gel and typical formulas. However, this isn’t a requirement everywhere. Using multiple kinds of polish is partly why the industry is worth $12.93 billion and will continue growing regardless of which trend is taking over TikTok or Instagram. Your soap nails may last a few weeks or days, depending on the technician’s professional preferences.
How to Do Soap Nails at Home
You can recreate this style by getting soap nail polish and following some simple steps at home. It’s an easy way to explore this elegant look on a budget.
1. Wash and File Your Nails
Any good nail art starts with clean fingertips. Remove any lingering polish from your previous look, wash the nail beds and file them into your preferred shape. If you’re using acrylic bases, a rounded edge may help them feel more natural. Otherwise, this style is supposed to look effortless. Shorter natural nails create a laid-back vibe that better fits what soap nails are supposed to feel like.
2. Choose Your Polish Color
Although soap nails typically have a light pink hue, you can choose from colors like soft white, refined cream or pastel pink. The goal is to compliment your natural skin tone. Lighter skin tones may look more natural with a blush shade, while people with darker skin tones can match their nail beds.
3. Apply and Dry
Paint your polish on each fingernail with precision. If you struggle not to get it on your cuticles, apply a small strip of tape over them to create clean edges without extra stress. Once your nails are radiant with soap nail polish, dry them accordingly. Gel nails or hybrid polish will need to cure under a UV light. Traditional polish only needs air exposure.
If you want to get more creative with your nails, you can always paint pastel flowers on the top coat after it’s no longer tacky. The subtle hues will compliment your soap nail base. It’s another way to make your nails feel more like your personality if you’re more interested in shaping current trends to your self-expression.
4. Top With a Clear Coat
Clear nail polish typically provides a harder top coat that keeps your final look from chipping. It’s also the secret to soap nails. Apply a high-gloss top coat once your pastel paint is completely dry. The clear product gives your fingertips the extra soapy clean sheen that makes this style stand out.
Best Soap Nails Polish and Tools
Get the soapy, shiny nail art you’re looking for without leaving home. Budget-friendly tools make the look possible even when you can’t get to the salon.
GAOY Sheer Light Pink Gel Nail Polish
GAOY has a lovely translucent blush polish that’s a great place to start with soap nails. The jelly formula glides on smoothly and dries quickly under UV light. Apply three layers to make this hue shine. This product could even become a gel base for your future French manicures, doubling how often you can use this bottle.
Sally Hansen Almond Milk Polish
If you don’t prefer gel polish, Sally Hansen makes an incredible matte formula that’s equally long-lasting. The Almond Milk shade compliments any skin tone because it’s a natural shade in any nail bed. The polish also takes three coats to appear its best, but the time spent applying and drying each layer makes your nail art more robust.
Vishine Gel Polish High-Gloss Top Coat
You should only apply gel-based top coats over gel polishes. The formula from Vishine is perfect for soap nails. It’s glossy and thick enough to stay exactly where the built-in brush puts it on your nail bed. The ingredients harden to create translucent armor over your polish so it doesn’t start lifting for nearly a week.
OPI High-Shine Top Coat
Remember, the glossy sheen that makes soap nails so irresistible depends on your top coat. OPI has a bright, traditional formula that’s perfect for this trend. The clear product adds a natural shine to non-gel polish while doubling as a protective layer against chipping. You’ll get robust protection that seals in each layer, so your new style lasts for at least a week.
UV LED Nail Polish Lamp
The last thing you need to finish any gel polish style is a UV lamp. This miniature dryer is big enough to fit both hands while remaining a portable desktop tool. Start the LED timer before placing your nails under the bright blue light to lock your polish in place. The sensors throughout the underside of this dryer will cure every fingertip while you catch up on your favorite TV show.
Nail Fan for Traditional Polish
You don’t need to worry about smudging your soap nails while wrestling a hair dryer to set the polish. Get a nail fan instead. The simple tool uses a pressure pad to activate the fan whenever you place your fingers on it. You’ll dry any traditional polish in minutes without wrangling a hair dryer or getting dizzy from blowing on your fingertips.
Give This Beauty Trend a Try
Once you know what soap nails are, get some polish and give them a try. The natural, effortless style looks good on everyone. Choose the best hue for your nail bed or skin tone before painting and drying the polish. You’ll feel fresh out of the shower and caught up on the latest beauty trends whenever your fingertips catch the light.
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