Silicone mermaid tails are the most realistic option for mermaid tails. These custom swimmable works of art are often used by professionals and are film quality made by hand from platinum cure silicone. Silicone tails are a luxury that not all Merfolk can afford. A full silicone tail typically starts at $1750 for a more affordable option and a sought after brand name tail can run $5000-$10,000. These tails can also have long wait times sometimes up to 4 years!
Over the years tailmakers have tried to create more acessible and more affordable versions of the silicone tail. 2012 was around the time these tails rose in popularity. The partial or basic silicone tails of this time were made by covering neoprene or scuba knit fabric in silicone caulking that was textured and then the pieces were sewn together and a monofin was added to the inside of the tail. Once Merfolk realized that caulk shouldn't be used for tails and isn't skin safe all the tailmakers who made tails this way stopped making and selling tails. Read about that here: https://haleymermaid.wixsite.com/tailsafety/post/silicone-caulking-and-mermaid-tails-don-t-do-it
Also be on the look out for cheaper silicone tails that are made from a mystery silicone. The tailmaker should be able to tell you the exact name and brand of the silicoen they use and it should be platinum cure medical grade. Read about that here: https://haleymermaid.wixsite.com/tailsafety/post/buyer-beware-mystery-silicones-for-mermaid-tails
Mertailor started making and selling custom basic silicone tails made from skin safe dragonskin silicone around 2015 and stopped making them in 2017. These were very popular and once he stopped making them the only option for a skin safe silicone tail for less than $1000 was merrowfins basic silicone tails. But these tails contained questionable homemade monofins which were seen by many as a safety hazard.
I thought the mermaid community needed another option. A skin safe silicone tail that's affordable and safely made with a proper monofin. In 2018 I made my first basic silicone tail. Now it's 2024 and merrowfins seems to have closed. Many people have been ghosted by merrowfins with no sign of their tail or a refund for over a year. Leaving me as the only option for a basic silicone tail.
There have been some misunderstandings about these tails so I made a video trying to clear things up you can watch that here:
Basic silicone tails are a cheaper version of a basic silicone tail. A way to get a tail that is more realistic than fabric but cheaper than a full silicone tail. They are not meant to be as detailed or as "perfect" as full silicoen tails. You can't get a $5000 quality tail for $500. The basic silicone tail will have imperfections because it is made a different way and it's cheaper. Read about normal vs abnormal imperfections here: https://haleymermaid.wixsite.com/realmermaid/post/is-that-normal-silicone-imperfections
The basic silicone tails I have made for myself have held up through years of mermaid shows and ocean swims. I don't mind the imperfections because you can't see them in vidoes or photos or even from behind the fence when I'm doing mermaid shows in the lagoon where I work.
Perks of basic silicone tails:
*cheaper but still skin safe and durable
*lighter than full silicone tails.
*easily resized to be made smaller because the side seams are sewn.
*no lube required to put the tail on because the inside is scuba knit so if you wear leggings you will have an easier time putting the tail on
*fully customizable fluke size and shape
The downsides:
*More imperfections and messy spots than full silicone tails
*Visible side seams
*Less detail than full silicone