which Gel to train in ?

[jac extreme]

Hi all

I have always prefered L&P but I also trained in a particular gel, which I do not like as it is buff off, I want to train in a really good soak off gel but do not know whether to go for Calgel or Bio sculpture. There does not seem much between them so I would appreciate some advice please !!

 

[Bagpuss]

Hiya, sorry i dont use either of those gels but i have had calgel on myself in the past and i thought they looked really pretty but didnt find them very strong/longlasting. When i decided to get into nails i knew i wanted to do gel but like you didnt want a buff off gel so i looked into the soak off ones. I couldnt attent the training though as i needed a basic manicure cert b4 i could apply and i couldnt get one of those for 6 months so it would have been very long winded. Then i read about Creatives Brisa and although its not soak off (well not totally, it can be soaked off after most is buffed) i thought id give it a go anyway but was still unsure abaout the buffing as i was sure this would damage the nail, but after being shown and taught and reading the advise on here i never even give it a second thought now, and they are sooo much stronger and longlasting then the other gels i had. I'm not saying it was the gel, it may have been the nail tech who applied them, but its just my thought. I do prefer the non-soak off gels. Hope you dont mind my input xxx

 

[Jaffacake]

I use NSI balance gel which is a buff off gel, I worried about buffing if one of the nails broke off etc. I have since learned that the last little bit will soak off in acetone! as another option aczents do a soak off gel too....x

 

[ADiva1]

Hi Jac
I started off using IBD which is quite a good gel, especially for nail extensions, but I am too impatient and looked for a gel that soaks off, lol!
I now use Biosculpture gel which I find very friendly and good for overlays. That seems to be what most of my clients want. Bio soaks off in about 15 mins. My friend had a sample of Calgel at the last Beauty Show in London and we were'nt too impressed, maybe it was the application. If I had to choose between the two I'd go for Bio. There are other soak offable gels out there, Reflex is one of them. Gosh, I've gone on and on, hope this helps! xxx

 

[exceptionail]

I haven't tired the Calgel but its meant to be much the same as the Bio. I helped out a friend at her salon over Xmas and she uses Bio. I did do a couple of her clients for her and yes its super dooper easy to apply but to be honest i didn't think much to it from a clients point of view. She did a set on me and they wasn't very strong at all. Also they all peeled off, she said it was down to using different products, either house hold cleaning or body cream :twisted: as it was chemical sensitive!!!

If i was a client there is no way I'd have them done as it would work out very expensive. She also filled them with the whole tripe "its a treatment for the nail. It will make them grow" and "other nail systems are bad" :twisted:

In my opinion these nails are for a lady of leisure- (if only!)

I can safely say that I'm sticking to my fibre-glass system.

Sorry don't mean to be negative. Others may have had good experience with it, but not me.

 

[Kellyc]

Hi Ya, i am trained with Calgel i actually took a conversion course for it and have not used the product since my course! I enjoyed working with it and it did look very nice when finished even though i didnt find them very stong but the cost of the products is sooo expensive so i decided to wait and save to buy the kit, that has never come around because i now use NSI and love the gel. So i unfortunately wasted the money on the Calgel course in my opinion. I would search around first before taking a course. NSI as Sherrie said is a buff off gel but its surprising how quickly you can remove a set of NSI nails its not as exaggerated as it may sound x x

 

[RedAdmiral]

I use NSI Balance and I think its great, its a good strong gel that buffs off quickly.
I had Biosculpture gel nails in July '04 and had never had them before. I told the Tech that I was very busy in the nailbar and that I thought as it was a soak off that I'd probably have them 'soaked off' by the end of the week, she told me all the theory and I thought ok I'll have them BUT I wanted an extra layer!
Its a polish style application which is handy to do, they come in lots of colours.........but a week later and I had NO nails left as the tips had melted! I had paid €60 for them so I was Very careful with the acetone but it got the better of me!!

On a positive note it is brilliant on your toes!! Best thing to do is wait until the Trade shows and get a demo from everyone.

Hope this helps

 

[Little Angel]

Hi

I can absolutely recommend biosculpture gel! I would say 80% of our clients have it as a natural overlay. Its an excellant product, but you do need to do the training.

 

[Mrs Geek]

Someone PLEASE correct me if I am wrong!!

I heard (as you do) that Biosculpture and Calgel are the same:?: That it was one company started in South Africa but there was a fall out and it was split in two. I am sure that over the years both companies have developed in their own ways hence possible differences in the products etc....

As I say, these are things one hears so someone put me in my place if this is way off base (ohhwhoo poet/didn't know it)

 

[exceptionail]

Some PLEASE correct me if I am wrong!!

I heard (as you do) that Biosculpture and Calgel are the same:?: That it was one company started in South Africa but there was a fall out and it was split in two. I am sure that over the years both companies have developed in their own ways hence possible differences in the products etc....

As I say, these are things one hears so someone put me in my place if this is way off base (ohhwhoo poet/didn't know it)

i heard this too. they give you the whole jargon when you do the course.

As RedAdmiral said before, i agree it is good for the toes.

 

[MINKUS]

Hi all

I have trained with BIO, so the story goes.....

It was a husband and wife team developing the formula for a gel.....half way through they split up.

The wife took her info....continued developing it and brought out Bio
The husband took his info....continued developing it and brought out Calgel.

Bio is good for natual overlays and sculpting....dont find it strong enough really for tip and overlay.

I have a VERY heavy handed lady come to me after problems/ lots of breakages using Calge tried the BIO over tips and she had the same problem....Sculpted them and VOILA they are fine.

I have also 'played' with NSI and like it lots just wary of the 'file off' bit.

Bio is GREAT on toes and comes in over 50 different colours which is very popular. ( am i on comission here or what!??XX!!)

HTH

AMB x

 

[Oceana]

I have always prefered L&P but I also trained in a particular gel, which I do not like as it is buff off, I want to train in a really good soak off gel but do not know whether to go for Calgel or Bio sculpture. There does not seem much between them so I would appreciate some advice please !!



Hi, I see this thread regarding gel is headed towards Bio and Calgel, may I ask why do you specifically want a soak off gel? When would you need to soak off the gel apart from a removal? when doing repairs on gel nails it is quicker and easier to buff off the product and repair the damaged part.
My feeling is people say they prefer "soak off" gels as they are scared of buffing product off, but in reality it is quicker and certainly less messy than soaking off! Using a 100/180 grit file take down the bulk of the product and use a 240 file to smooth down, leave a very thin layer of gel on the nail plate to strengthen the natural nail...this will grow out naturally.
LCN manufacture an entire range of products that cater for every nail and every client, they are not just pre-mixed acrylics like some "gels" but acrylester resins which are strong and durable enough for all your clients needs.
Calgel and BioSculpture are paint on gels and NOT sculpting gels and cannot offer the qualities of the LCN sculpture gel
I would thoroughly recommend LCN as they offer an unbeatable product and great training.
Please PM me if you need any more info.
Clare

 

[jac extreme]

I am not worried about buffing off a gel, I have done it many times, but like the idea of the quik removal of a coloured gel if the client requires a change of colour. I do not think I will go with calgel or bio sculpture tho as the cost seems to outway the advantages, thanks for all your advice everyone its been much appreicated.

 

[thenaillounge]

I used Calgel and found it really thick and rubbery. Infills were a nightmare as there was such a step due to the thickness of the product.

Soak off gels tend to comprimise on the strength as the bonds in the product need to break down easily to ensure they soak off in 15 mins.

IBD colours are fab, so easy to buff off and do a colour change, you'd have it done in 15 minutes no bother.

I found Calgel didn't chip, however it came off in large chunks instead. The thing that got me was their false advertising and lack of support. Not to mention the extortionate pricing of their products. 1 teaspoon of product is £20 enough for 5 sets if your luckly. Ridiculous in comparason to other products that are available for a reasonable price and a deacent sized amount.

Just my five pence!

 

[Nurse nail tech]

Hi I have that same question. I have used IBD for a while and there is some problems I sometimes encounter like mild lifting. I used LCN and absolutely hate it. It is so expensive to replace and toooooo much filing.

Now I am debating with trying Tennails or Creative's Brisa gel.
Any suggestions?

 

[Oceana]

I used LCN and absolutely hate it. It is so expensive to replace and toooooo much filing.

Hi
Can I ask why you felt there was too much filing?

 

[Mandini]

Hi everyone

This thread is really interesting, so I thought I'd add a few thoughts. Having used L & P for most of my nail career, gel always seemed a bit of a mystery! And of course one disadvantage glaring me in the face was the fact you couldn't soak them off. Obviously now with many brands being "soak off", this has overcome this problem. However you tend to sacrifice durability with them. Gels that can be soaked off allow solvents to penetrate them more easily - their insides are more loosely linked.

You have to try and find the balance according to your client base - if you have alot of heavy handed clients then you need something with superior durability.

Creative Nail Design's gel, Brisa is not a soak off gel, but boy, it has maximum toughness which then lends itself to amazing colour stability and clarity.

Also - always ask yourselves "why soak off?" Unless the client specifically wants their enhancements removed, I would never soak a set of nails off. Rebalance, rebalance, rebalance. I hate putting the clients nails and skin through that kind of dehydration unnecessarily.