Whats the difference??

[HeatherDavis]

I got a question I just COULD NOT answer today!

What's the difference chemically between a soak off and a file off gel?

Are soak off gels impervious to chemicals? Are Biosculpture nails supposed to benefit the natural nail in some way?

Thanks for any help geeks- I will reference you in my answer

 

[angel fingers]

they are definately not impervious to chemicals, otherwise they would not soak off. they break down in an acetone like solvent and come away from the nail like a thin sheet of rubber, a bit like an un inflated baloon in texture.
they cure just like a regular file off gel, but dont set so hard, they have a slightly rubbery feel even when fully cured.
bio sculpture is percieved as being better for the natural nail due to some clever marketing. you do only a very light buff to the natural nail when applying and they tell you that because you only do 1 fill before you soak off, that the natural nail is never traumatised by filing. my trainer even told us that we should apply the gel to the nn before applying the tip because nail adhesives are bad for the natural nail. however, i do find that it is a good product for protecting the natural nail whilst it grows and i find that the very flexible nature of the gel absorbs knocks when a harder gel would have broken.
sorry i cant answer the chemical part of your question, but i'll try to find out.

 

[hollywoodnails]

soak of gel is porous ,file off gel is non porous.. so a non porous gel would not soak up the acetone to break the gel drown so has to be filed down .
A porous gel will soak the asatone up and this helps to break the gel down
iunwim .
greater geeks feel free to correct me if I'm wrong lol
hth hunny:green:

 

[Cathie!]

Is it to do with the amount of photoinitiators in the product?

 

[HeatherDavis]

I don't think it would have as much to do with photoinitiator, as it would cross linking of polymer- it can't have much of a cross-linkage if it's so porous...

 

[Cathie!]

Photoinitiator is more to do with curing of the product, just a guess....so if it's about cross linking....suggesting that file off gels have tighter cross links?....why is l/p porous and file off gels not.....I'm deviating from the original question, but l/p is as strong or stronger than a file off gel...another question to add to the pot!

 

[Cathie!]

Just had a wee read in Doug's book and it would seem to be less about porosity that permiability.....as in file off gels are less permiable to solvents etc than say wraps which are most permiable and l/p which is more permiable....but still doesn't answer the original Q!

 

[Cathie!]

Doing this on mobile so forgive typing! Calgel info says it is gas permeable, allowing the nail to respire. although nail is non living it gives off moisture and by-product vapours connected with the metabolic activity of the skin under the nail. Also there are no acrylic monomers or methyl acrylic acid in the formulation. Don't know if this helps at all!

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Photoinitiator is more to do with curing of the product, just a guess....so if it's about cross linking....suggesting that file off gels have tighter cross links?....why is l/p porous and file off gels not.....I'm deviating from the original question, but l/p is as strong or stronger than a file off gel...another question to add to the pot!

This may help http://www.salongeek.com/nail-geek/8687-l-p-stronger-than-gel.html