Hard gel concept questions

[Kmullz]

Hi, posting for my personal curiosity, I'm an engineer and like to understand the science. Look at this as a teaching opportunity!

With hard gel...if hard gel is a builder layer to strengthen the nail, what is the color...soft gel or hard gel? For example what is IBD color gel...soft or hard? If it is soft, how does a hard gel manicure last longer than soft...does the soft gel just adhere to hard base better than the prepped nail alone? Or is it a hard gel top coat or something)

Thanks!

 

[Beautiful-you]

Hard gel is used for overlays on tips , or can be sculpted to extend the length of the natural nail or it can be used to give extra strength on top of the natural nail without extending. It can’t be soaked off though, it needs to be filed off. Hard gel can come in various colours, but since it needs to be filed off, it is often used in clear or light colours and coloured gel polish is applied on top so it can be infilled. (The Gel Polish is filed off and the hard gel refined before applying a fresh layer after 2+ weeks).

Coloured gel polish is a soft gel and can be soaked off. It isn’t as hard wearing as hard gel and can be used on the natural nail (over base coat) for a gel manicure that should last 2+ weeks, or it can be applied over any type of overlay (hard gel, builder gel, acrylic, polygel, Fibreglass etc). Gel polish isn’t really designed to give extra strength as such, it’s more of a “power polish”, although these days soak off “Builder in a Bottle” or Rubber Base coats are often used under gel polish, which do seem to make the nails stronger and more long lasting.

I hope that helps!

 

[CFBS]

Hard gel is used for overlays on tips , or can be sculpted to extend the length of the natural nail or it can be used to give extra strength on top of the natural nail without extending. It can’t be soaked off though, it needs to be filed off. Hard gel can come in various colours, but since it needs to be filed off, it is often used in clear or light colours and coloured gel polish is applied on top so it can be infilled. (The Gel Polish is filed off and the hard gel refined before applying a fresh layer after 2+ weeks).

Coloured gel polish is a soft gel and can be soaked off. It isn’t as hard wearing as hard gel and can be used on the natural nail (over base coat) for a gel manicure that should last 2+ weeks, or it can be applied over any type of overlay (hard gel, builder gel, acrylic, polygel, Fibreglass etc). Gel polish isn’t really designed to give extra strength as such, it’s more of a “power polish”, although these days soak off “Builder in a Bottle” or Rubber Base coats are often used under gel polish, which do seem to make the nails stronger and more long lasting.

I hope that helps!

I'm interested to know which brands of HARD gel you would recommend and are they HEMA free?
Thanks

 

[Beautiful-you]

I'm interested to know which brands of HARD gel you would recommend and are they HEMA free?
Thanks

I use INK London’s iJel (they also do JellyPro). It isn’t HEMA free, but INK state that they only use high quality HEMA and in low quantities