You can “soak-off” hard gel extensions by applying a soak off base before applying the hard gel. You can file down to the base layer, then soak off the rest. I like to apply a clear soak off rubber base gel first, then build a cover color hard gel extension. That way, I can see when is time to stop filing because the clear layer is showing. I find soft gel extensions fairly easy to crack or break 😬
hard gel cannot be soaked off, its impermeable with acetone. What you’ve described is “filing off” the hard gel and “soaking off” the soak-off base. Ive tried this method and find it too time consuming. I also agree many soak off gels are quite flexible, but Ive found there are some exceptions from certain brands.
abetweene that’s why I put the term “soak-off” in quotations, because you’re not literally soaking off the hard gel. So I understand the method. I wasn’t to correct you, just thought this might be good information for those who want to use hard gel but hesitant because they’re afraid to file their natural nail (like I was). It only adds no more than 5 minutes to apply the clear base gel for me, so if others are willing to invest a few minutes for stronger nails, then its information that other would benefit to know.
Its ok,i know you werent correcting me just clarifying♥️.I have a few extension videos that go in more depth but always apply a soak-off base as a foundation. I find the overall removal to be a little time consuming with hard gel so its just a personal preference of mine since I never intend to wear them beyond 2 weeks ( you know how we just love a new set😂) , plus im always pressed for time ya know.
you're the first one who answer the question that I've been searching all over RU-vid and Google for the past month. That question is "what's the difference between soak off gel and builder gel?". I started getting interested in gels recently when I broke my nail. oww. I know. I am not trying to sound vain or ignorant but I never broke a nail before as they are really strong. Mind you, I'm not a very girly girl. I like to do lots of DIY and guys stuff like building furnitures. So it'd be fair to say I'm tough on my hands. But I still want them to look pretty since I'm still a girl. But lately, my nails are not as strong as they used to be due to the medications I am on. And it seems doing gel overlay is the answer to my problem. Therefore, I have been (or trying really hard to) educate myself about gel nails. After a month of hardcore research, I learned a little about them. On the other hand, I am still as clueless as can be. But your video helped a lot, as it has adequate amount formation despite the video being short.. Thanks babe. You are a life saver, really. You answer all my prayers and I am not so confused anymore about what I should buy. I'm surprised no one thought of making a video like this. Obviously, the first question any beginner would ask is "how many type of gel is there and what is the difference?" Thank you, you are such a genius that you answer that question that no one think to address. keep up the great work. You just got a new subbie
I can only imagine because this was a very common question for me which is why i decided to do a video. Im really glad it helped! Gel overlays are great for protecting the nails while they grow out. And ill be doing a video on how to do it hopefully soon. If you ever have any questions feel free to ask. In fact I'm doing another Gel FAQ video so hopefully that helps too.
I'm one minute into your video and I already know this is the video that everyone should go to for this info. EXCELLENT VIDEO!!! Thank you sooo much, I get so tired of rambling chatter when I'm trying to the information I need.
A good tip for hard gel is after you are happy with how it looks flip your palm toward the ceiling for a few seconds and gravity makes a flawless apex. Just make sure you stick your hand in the lamp quickly before it starts to settle again :)
nice video! love how you explain everything in details, now I know the difference of those two gels , I am not a nail tech but I do my own nails and I did an overlay on my natural nails with builder gel oh boy! I did not know how to take the gel off! I soaked and soaked and did some filing and was able to get them off but of course my nails were damaged! :( , I just got me the soak off structure gel hopefully this time it will not be a mission to take them off...
Darling love your videos so beautiful and everything is precise. In this subject one and only crucial thing is that soak off is soft and porous so it can be removed by soaking in aceton, hard gel in opposite. In soak off range you also have builder, thick consistency and also have extension soak off builder gel. 💋💋💞💞
Amazing amazing video!!! I just looovvveee it! You're like the best when it comes to explaining things lol I'm so glad you made this video!! I've never tried soak off and I've been wanting to... Until I saw this lol it looks extremely hard to use how I use gel lol thanks so much for sharing💙 would love a part 2
I was always confused with those 2 types of gel! Finally everything cleared out! Thanks so much for this video,you really explained everything so well! I'm not confused anymore haha,thanks again! Your videos are always so helpful! xx
Why am I having an economic panic attack seeing all that gel spill lol?! Would you recommend these. I have them in my amazon cart but if there are better ones that I can easily get you'd be the one to know lol
+Dr.4c Id pass, the hard gel is fine but i prefer soak off gels personally. I’ve definetly graduated from using these as they were all i had at the time.
So I bought the gelish hard gel to do the free edge (like you showed in your tutorial) and the ibd soak off builder to build the apex and finish off the nail. Will that turn out okay?
Can u use soak off gel and builder gel combined like if u put 1 coak of soak off gel and then u put over it builder gel will it still damage you're natural nails if u file off the builder gel and soak off the soak off gel?
great video! I am in the search for a nail lamp and the Orly lamps seems so efficient, but i am so confused with UV and Led you make it work for both gel polish and making gel nails? from what i have reached led is for gel polish and UV is for creating gel tips can you shine some light pls.
Raisa Llenza Thanks hun! In a nutshell, gel polish and builder gel (for extensions) can both be cured by UV & LED lamps. The only difference is Brand specification. Some brands are designed to work with LED, and some are designed to work with UV. Its as simple as just checking the instructions for the Brand your buying. So LED isn't specifically for gel polish, it just so happens that most brands you've probably seen are LED curable gels. And Most builder gels also happen to be UV gels.
I just bougth the structure gel and the ph bond, my question is if I must to use foundation before the structure gel or they are the same? Can I use other base coat and top coat brand, I have of a sensationail kit.
I am currently using a soft soak off gel. My question is, if I polish my nails, how do I remove the polish? And can I use gel polish on the soft gel nails since it has to be soaked off?
4:00 From what I understand and read(since I was worried about this particular issue), gels and polishes that are cured by UV light requires UVA specifically to harden, and that's the more intrusive UV light, that penetrates your skin deeply and causes harm to your cells. If the LED didn't have UVA, it wouldn't cure the gel. Safe (or unsafe) to say, both regular UV lamps and the LED equivalent both harm your body. How much though, is the question. If one does their nails often, it would probably be best to use sunscreen and/or gloves. No one wants premature aging and no one wants cancer, right? :)
Hi I'm a beginner and have been watching your videos for some time. After watching your videos I still find myself asking questions. I apologize if the question I'm about to ask have already been answered. Basically I want to start doing my own gel nails at home I want to do them like their acrylic but because acrylic is harder for me to use I think gel would be easier. What gel type would you recommend using for tips? Can I still use base gel and top coat Gel for natural nails or can I still use them for fake? Or do I just use soak off gel? Is it necessary to use builder gel for 3D decorations?
So your looking to make extensions with the gel then apply gel color polish as well. Basically you can use soak off gel polish with base & top coat for natural or gel enhancements (extensions), theres no distinction. To create tips or extensions I would recommend hard gel, just know that you cannot soak it off. You must file off hard gel, so if you intend to wear them for long periods of time and just do infills this type of gel is best & strongest. To change colors it would also be easiest to file off the color rather than soak between fills.
Im filming a part 2 to the this video this weekend so hopefully it will clear up any questions you have as well. Ill hope to have it up in about 2 weeks
+abetweene I plan on gluing fake nails on my own and using gel on top to make it stronger, then using regular nail polish so I wanted to know which gel is better for that method?
thank you for this very informative video, nowi know the difference... 🙂🙂🙂 i have a question can i use a soak off gel before i apply the builder gel? coz i want my exteensions to be really strong ,, but will the removal be easy? soaking off? coz the first later is a soak off gel... heheh thank you so much
HI there! My question is.. If I have a builder gel that is non soak off, can I put gel polish on top and be able to soak it off normally with acetone without disturbing the actual hard gel nail? Thanks in advance !
I want to thank you for this very helpful video!! I do have both of these Gelish products and had no idea what the difference between them was etc. I am a self learning nail junkie and I am so grateful for this video. But one question for you....if a person doesn't have any of the "foundation" left and wants to create extensions with the builder gel in the black pot, they can use the structure gel as foundation? Or is it possible to apply builder gel directly over the pH bond?
This was a great video. If I went to the salon to get a gel manicure (not gel polish), and I don't want to have extensions, should I ask for soak off gel or builder gel?
+luvyalots249 If what your looking for is a protective layer of gel on your natural nails, you could ask for a gel overlay. You can get regular polish on top (which you can also change at your discretion using non-acetone remover) , then just infill during your regular appointments.
Thank you for responding :) What if I want to do french? I have very weak nails that will chip regular polish off within a day. Gel polish is also hard to keep on my nails since they are so bendy.
+luvyalots249 You can get an overlay of gel or acrylic. It will act as a base to reinforce weak nails, so your nails wont be bendy. You can polish any style or design on top.
Excellent. I usually complain at people who talk so much and do ten fingers one at a time. You are fast, great [sometimes too fast for me whose mother tongue is not English] but geat. I go back and forth.
Hi! I am looking to create extensions with the gelish hard gel but everywhere I read others say you need an 18w led lamp for it to cure properly. I have the rcm pro lamp (6w) and was wondering if this was strong enoung for strong extensions? Also do I need to have the whole gelish line for the product not to peel? Thanks so much and love your videos!
Jordan Harris Hey! I have no idea how many watts my lamp is but it works. I say go for it! I've never had an issue with anything ever not curing. You dont need the entire line, but the benefit to usng a system from a given brand is they're products are designes and engineered to work together, so if you try your own "cocktail" you run the risk of it possibly not working. If you already own some products you have in mind, it doesnt hurt to try, and then proceed with purchasing more Gelish if you experience issues. Your welcome, and thank you!
Great video!. Question: I don't want to extend my natural nail, I only want to harden it. What gel of those two would you recommend? And, since this is my fist time watching your videos, did you make one showing how to refill a gel-on-it nail? Thank you!!
mvalonso75 actually I wouldn't recommend either, but I would recommend another soak off builder gel. My current favorite is IBD. I havent made a refill video but I will definitely add it to my list.
thank you for this info....I am currently experimenting with gel polish and and I would like to try SOAK OFF STRUCTURE GEL ..I have very long natural nails ..I want to get away from fiberglass wrapping my nails ..do u recommend the IBD soak off structure gel??? I own 8 bottles of IBD gel polishes...great product!!!😍
Would a soak of builder gel leave your nails stronger then the sculpture gel alone? Is there a brand you recommend? In the salon I was getting shellac with 1 layer of hard gel on top (which was perfect!!) but want to find an alternative that doesn't require filing off or dropping $$$ every 4 weeks at the salon. I have the gelish kit but havent quite found it makes my nails strong enough for my liking....
if your referring to these products specifically, i would say no. the soak off structure from Gelish is not a product that works for me personally. Its too flexible and lifts constantly. The only brand i have more experience with and am absolutely sure works is Presto.
Omg thank you I was so confused! Also Is there a soft gel that you recommend that has the thickness of a hard gel. The look I am going for is a short square look like pinterest pictures that are acrylic but I don't want to use acrylic but like how thick it is I also like the ease of soak off soft gel.
would the hard gel last longer in terms of lifting? i used the regular soak off system and after about a week n half i can basically peel it right off. would the hard gel stay put longer?
Have you used any of the Gentle Gel soak off builder from Nailite Inc? I love the way the product applies to the nail because sculpting is easy but I always have problems soaking it off. The last time I used it, I had to file it off my nail and I know my natural nails took a hit. Have you ever encountered a soak off that just wouldn't soak off!
Jubalpicket i havent tried them, but it looks like a UV gel and i dont have a UV lamp so i probably wont get the chance. I've used one producct that had difficulty removing but it just took much longer than instructed. So I was stll able to actually soak it off. If filing the surface then wrapping your nails in foil & acetone for at least 10-20 mins doesnt cause the product to at least wrinkle or physically break apart, i would say its not soak off. As a matter of fact I went to their website, and the builder is not marketed as a soak off gel, only the polishes. The builders are hard gel, and hard gel can only be filed away.
+abetweene Thanks for the response! I love your vids! The one I purchased literally says soak off in the name and in the description it says it has been formulated to soak off the nail in 10 minutes (LOL). It's under builder gels but maybe it's not intended to be used for sculpting. I'll have to reach out to them. I thought I was doing something wrong but I filed and soaked for 30 minutes in foil and pure acetone. I've used my LED to cure it but their Stylus hard gel has to be cured under UV.
Jubalpicket yeah, i agree ...the best thing to do at this point is email the company. Im really glad you enjoy my videos : ) thanks so much for watching
Can I replace using the Gelish foundation base with the soak off structure gel, since in the video you said it is of the same ingredient? Or do I have to use foundation base first and then the soak off structure gel?
Kelly Reed you would use Led gels with an led light and Uv gels with a UV light ( the only exception is that led gels can be cured in a uv light also, just not vise vera)
I have an issue, I own the hard BUILDER gel, and a 4 watt led lamp, it "cures" as in, it completely drys, but its very flexible and snaps really easy. I can't use it to sculpt extensions bc it will just bend against anything it hits and snaps. Tell me, do the layers need to be really thick? Does my lamp not have enough watts? HELPP -Thank u.
Gabby NLov hmmm, i dont have this problem but also have no idea how many watts my lamp is. It shouldn't be flexible however, so it sounds like either it isnt cured all the way through or the extension is too thin & thats why it's snapping off. Practice distributing most of your product at the apex ( may help to google a picture since im not showing an actual nail in this video) and be sure to pinch in a C curve...it's where your strength will lie.
I went to Sally's Beauty to check out the Gelish kits but I was still so confused! It looks like the gels are only in bottles. Builder gel is different than the top and bottom gel coats right?
Sarah Ottati the gel in bottles are soak off gel, so the characteristics i mentioned in the video would still apply. Think of builder gel for "building" as in constructing an extension. Thats it's sole purpose = extensions. Soak off gel is thin so you brush it on like polish.
The only other brand I have used is Presto & it's the only thing I can recommend. But I hear good things about Akentz and it looks as though it performs well.
my nails are pretty hard but the thumb breaks easily I believe because of the shape of the finger.. not sure. My other nails grow so long but the thumb doesn't even grow 1Cm. So which one would you recommend? I am looking for something to prevent them from breaking that's why I was thinking of the hard gel.
Girl! This is a very useful video, but you talk too fast for me i just couldn't follow lol. I need time to visualize what you're saying. I had to stop half way because my brain is spinning lol. I never used any of these items yet but seriously thinking about it, so i think it's easier if i ask the questions that i'm concerned about.... I'm thinking of using the builder gel over my paper thin nails to make them stronger and then apply the gel polish and top coat. When i need to soak off the polish, will the builder gets affected with the soaking or does it stay intact? I would really like if i could just change the polish without having to reapply the builder every time.... I don't know, i hope you can tell me please? Oh, and if it's possible to keep the builder, when it grows far from the cuticles can it be filled in like with the acrylic nails? Please forgive me if you already talked about this in your video, unfortunately my brain can't pickup fast speech. No, i'm not retarded, i just need to see things in my inner eyes to be able to understand it and that takes some time... Thank you in advance.
If applying gel polish over hard gel, it would be easiest to just file off the color rather than soak. Acetone wont remove the hard gel though, so you could try it.
Hi do you have any idea where I can get the orly lamp in the UK? I tried to order from orly.com but i don't think they ship to the UK as England wasn't included in the drop down list so I couldn't go any further on the page😞 really want this lamp please help!
i wouldn't recommend this particular soak off gel for extensions, but you can use soak off builder/sculpture gel to make extensions. Unfortunately you wouldn't likely use the same technique as i did with the hard gel, because soak off gel is thin and would run everywhere if you used that much product at once. I do have a video sowing how i use soak off gel though. Its the Natural nail extension video
Hello I've watched your video and I use the soak of gel but sometimes it peels of am I not putting it on correctly....I take the shine off my nails then add bonder then the gel....then base coat....my chosen colour of gel polish then top coat...please can u advice me...thanks
+Crazyshopaholic31 sounds like your taking all the right steps... it may just be the gel that your using. Personally i have better luck with sone brands rather than others, so try diff products u til u fond wat works for u
I havent been able to find out the wattage for my lamp.....however you don't need to be concerned about the number unless the instructions on the gel specifically mention to use a certain wattage.
Nikki Mirabent nope, it shouldn't. most gel i've found generally cure in 30 second. The only brand i've found that doesnt is Presto, which cures in 20.
Have you tried using the soak off layer first and then the hard gel second? Just wondering if you did that if when you remove it you can file and then soak off the rest to not damage the nail. Has anyone tried? Does it work?
Elise Hines yes, thats the sequence I used in the video. The problem is knowing when to stop filing/ when you've reached the soak off gel. Remember the hard gel wont break down AT ALL when soaking, so the acetone wouldnt be able to penetrate the soak off layer if you havent successfully filed away all the hard gel. For me personally theres just too much risk of over filing.
oh my goodness. so i put the hard gel over my entire nail, spent so much time doing it. and literally right after finishing them, THEY ARE ALL JUST POPPING RIGHT OFF. what the fuck did i do wrong? i de-shined my nail plate, i used ph bond, i just dont get it.
TheLivvieLove Wel the structure of the nail extension is very important. the gel cant just be painted on like polish. Ill be uploading a video in a few days on exactly how to build a sculpted nail.
perhaps your lamp isnt strong enough. not sure how many watts is required but i would check the packing to see if it its there. if not you can email the company.
Very informative! I just started to do nails as a hobby and heard that for real nails, you'll need a dehydrator and a primer before applying the hard gel. But I'm just using fake nails, would I still need to use them? Or will the gels not wear well on the plastic tips if I don't (I'm planning to wear the fake nails) ^^
if I were to use the structure (soak off) gel under nail polish would that be in replacement of a base coat? Also since it is soak off with acetone would removing the polish on top a week later ruin the gel underneath?
+Isabel Nailed You could used gel under regular polish, but you'd wang to apply it as an "overlay" rather than in just one layer as a "base coat".A single layer wont do much. If you use acetone, yes, it will affect the gel. use non-acetone remover instead.
I dont presonally recommend the Gelish Soak Off Structure gel for extensions because its too flexible, but maybe you''ll have better luck. I have had success wth other brands soak off gels though.
+abetweene hi! what are these brands? sometimes one or more of my nails break and i don't want to shorten the rest of the nails but rather build extention for broken ones until they grow again. which soak off gel brands would you recommend - I think you never mentioned it before, or did you? thanks a lot!
I'm really confused because you showed 2 gels, hard builder gel that files off and soft soak of gel ... where does my hard file off non builder gel fit into the equation
Right ... ok I think what I have is a hard gel that is not a builder gel ... it's IBD "hard gel for LED/UV clear" ... the previous bottle I had was the same but it was a builder gel so I'm guessing this is similar but not as thick as the builder gel .... sorry that's probably confusing I just bought the second bottle and I was planning on buying the exact same model as the first bottle but they didn't have any in stock this was the only when I can get it and I was just trying to figure out if I need to be doing anything differently because it's not a builder gel
Aubrey Smithwick There are essentially 2 types of gel: hard and soft (soak off). So for the sake of the above argument, base, top, builder, and polish don't matter. There are only those 2 types of gel....so everything else is a subcategory.
abetweene ok so is there anything different I need to do if I'm using this standard hard gel vs the builder hard gel ... do I need to be doing multiple thin coats vs one thick coat or anything like that ... is the application essentially the same?
Aubrey Smithwick Depending on the viscosity the application may be different, but its actually up to you. With a thin/thinner gel you have no choice but to work in layers in order to avoid flooding the cuticle/skin. But with thick/thicker gel you can afford to be generous without fear of the gel moving.
Does anyone know of a hard soakoff gel? I don't want to file off the hard gel, I'd rather soak them off and to have my press on flexible enough to glue to the nail. If anyone knows, any lmk
hard and soak off are opposite each other/different types. therefore it wouldnt be a soak off if it were a hard gel if that makes sense. if youre looking for a firm gel however, one of my fav high viscosity soak offs is leaf gel sculpture.
Lougi Jalabi you don’t need a base gel, in fact what you really need is a primer because it acts like a double sided sticky tape to adhere the builder gel better. A layer of gel doesn’t help much at all, in fact I did that before learning about their primer and my extensions would just pop off until I used the gel prime
+abetweene wow ok. I just watched your other gel video about hard gel because I went and bought ibd hard gel. do you know if I could just use the gelish foundation?
+alejandra barcenas sure, just keep in mind that not all brands/products work well together. When you utilize items within one brand they are specifically engineered to work as a system, so if you have any issues, that could be why.
