Acrylic extensions or gel extensions?

[Blackxs]

Hi
I am starting out in Nails and can't decide which course to do first. Would you recommend Acrylic extensions or gel extensions? I eventually want to offer both but at the moment can only afford to go on one of the courses. What do clients prefer coming to you for?
Thank you so much for your help.

 

[Julia Lashes]

Hello , gel of course , poly gel . I’m surprised that some nail techs still using acrylic. It’s has been proved that acrylics damage natural nails

 

[Blackxs]

Hello , gel of course , poly gel . I’m surprised that some nail techs still using acrylic. It’s has been proved that acrylics damage natural nails

Thanks so much for replying to me, super helpful and much appreciated

 

[Noodle]

Hello , gel of course , poly gel . I’m surprised that some nail techs still using acrylic. It’s has been proved that acrylics damage natural nails

That’s not strictly accurate, as much like any enhancement system, so long as it is applied and removed correctly, there should be no damage.

 

[Julia Lashes]

Poly gel is more flexible, gel last longer . Well it’s up to you what to use , but personally I think acrylic it’s past .

 

[Trinity]

Poly gel is more flexible, gel last longer . Well it’s up to you what to use , but personally I think acrylic it’s past .

Hugely disagree with the acrylic statement.

I'd learn liquid & powder first, gel, then gel hybrid

 

[Noodle]

Hugely disagree with the acrylic statement.

I'd learn liquid & powder first, gel, then gel hybrid

Exactly the same sequence as me

 

[Julia Lashes]

Hugely disagree with the acrylic statement.

I'd learn liquid & powder first, gel, then gel hybrid

Disagree , top nail artists using acrylics only for Art nails competitions. It was popular 17 years ago . Only U.K. and USA still doing acrylics

 

[Trinity]

Only U.K. and USA still doing acrylics

And this is a UK based forum so you'll find plenty of us using, training and loving it with no intentions of giving it up. We may add other methods to educate ourselves but it's not 'past' by any means.

 

[Alison Pilkington-Child]

Unless you ultimately plan to offer design acrylics using coloured powders etc then I think hard gel is the way to go.

Here's my reasoning..
Hard gels were once not as popular as acrylics because they were not as strong and hard wearing. However there has been so much development and now I know I can wear hard gels that perform just as well, I've 'crash tested' a few and been very impressed.

Perhaps it's just me but they seem to be the new buzz, gaining in popularity, which means there will be a demand for them. Rightly or wrongly, they are increasingly perceived to be a healthier choice by consumers. So I think doing the gel course will put you on trend.

Whichever path you take acryl-gels will be an easy side step to add to your skills set and for straightforward nail enhancements with a gel polish finish it's the new way to go for acrylic fans. I mostly did acrylics at first but the minute I started offering Polytek by Ikon.iQ all my acrylic ladies pounced on it... I rarely ever get asked for acrylics now.

The other benefit I found with Polytek compared to acrylics was the reduction in lifting in my naughty clients who drag out their infills...

Ultimately a qualification in acryl-gels is becoming a must-have, but that is the next step after you choose between gel or acrylic, then whichever you didn't choose at first, go back to it when you can.

 

[Julia Lashes]

And this is a UK based forum so you'll find plenty of us using, training and loving it with no intentions of giving it up. We may add other methods to educate ourselves but it's not 'past' by any means.

I’m talking about top class nail tech , European and Russian. To be honest America is very behind and U.K. also . Just have a look at Instagram pages and compare . Gel is and Poly Gel are popular for at least last 14 years , talking about building gels

 

[Alison Pilkington-Child]

I have to say, one of the reasons I like Ikon.iQ Nails is because it’s European and salons there are historically more biased towards gel rather than acrylic so the level of product development is first class.

I used Bio Sculpture before, which, as a salon oriented product, wasn’t driven by the Russian/Ukranian impetus for performance and competition gels... and the difference is very noticeable indeed. Switching from BS to Ikon.iQ was like trading in a moped for a sports car, lol!

 

[Cindy2021]

Hello , gel of course , poly gel . I’m surprised that some nail techs still using acrylic. It’s has been proved that acrylics damage natural nails

Can you please provide this evidence?

 

[blondie3384]

I've been wondering the same thing... I currently do CND Shellac but want to be able to offer extensions too. This isn't my main job, so not wanting to invest loads of money into doing 2 different courses. After deliberation, I think I am going to do the CND Brisa Gel course. Watched so many YouTube videos though and feel a bit nervous about my capabilities to do it! Especially using a form..!!

But then Sweet Squared also offer LE Beginners course. I've literally no idea which one to go for. I mean... Brisa is CND, but do clients care about continuity? I will continue to ponder this over lockdown. I've nothing else to do after all!