Types of nail gels - which one to choose?

Nail gels have been popular for many years. The number of women interested in gel and hybrid manicures is increasing year by year. As this sector of the beauty industry is growing rapidly, the choice of nail styling products available on the market is huge. Many companies offer a wide range of products for different nail styling methods or specific nail plate problems.

The criteria for dividing gels

Gels can be divided in many ways, e.g. according to consistency (thin, medium-thick, thick), hardness of gels (firm or flexible), working technique (single-phase, two-phase or three-phase products, self-levelling or non-levelling), or purpose (base gels, builder gels, camouflage gels, top coat gels, color nail art gels). However, I want to focus here on specific products and introduce the ones we have available at Silcare.

Silcare nail gels - Base One and High Light LED

The Silcare brand also offers a range of light-cured gels, including single-phase, self-levelling builder gels with a medium consistency and thick, self-levelling gels with a jelly consistency (“thick” type of gels in the Base One line). The exceptions are Ideal and Help To gels, beacuse they are very thick and do not have levelling properties.

When you compare the medium-thick gels in the jar, you won't notice a difference. It only becomes apparent after curing. This can be seen in the Base One and the High Light LED gels. Both gels are single-phase builder gels, so you can easily use them both on the natural nail and for extensions. You just need to know which gel to use on your nail plate.

Base One gels are perfect for people whose natural nail plate is flexible. The gel itself is flexible after curing, so it will work well with the nail plate. High Light LED gel, on the other hand, is quite hard after curing – it can peel off at the free edge of the nail if the natural nail is flexible.

We also see a difference when extending nails on a form. Here, Base One gels (in the classic version) and High Light LED gels work well, as the extended tip does not deform after application to the form and curing.

There are two densities to choose from in Base One gels – medium-thick and thick. The name Base One Thick indicates that it is a thick gel of the jelly type. High Light LED gels are only medium density.

Base One gels have a wide range of colors to offer. There are 4 shades of Cover builder gels (Cover, Cover Light, Cover Medium and Cover Dark), also the classic transparent Clear, Clear with a violet glow (Clear-V), and Clear Violet, pink semi-covering colors (French Pink and French Pink Dark), milky Milkshake and white Bianco gels in 4 shades (W1 Naturale, W2 Neve, W3 Extra, W4 Estremo). Base One Bianco gels are not suitable for nail construction, they have too much pigment and a thicker layer may not cure. Bianco are dedicated to French manicure, to create a white tip.

High Light LED gels don't have as many colours to choose from, although here apart from Clear and Clear gels with glow (Pink, Blue and Violet) we have also Cover, French Pink, Milkshake and Bianco. Bianco is for the French nail tip.

Other Silcare nail gels

Help To... Quick Fix Myco – clear gel, is perfect for when you need to reconstruct damaged nails on both hands and feet. It contains three different active substances (brewer's yeast extract, undecylenic acid derivative and piroctone olamine) that have a nourishing, antifungal and anti-inflammatory effect. It is a fairly thick gel with poor levelling properties, so there is time to spread it well without fear of flooding the cuticles. It’s hard after curing.

Ideal – a very thick clear gel that does not level. It needs to be spread very carefully on the nail so that there is not a lot of filing afterwards. This allows you to work on the nail architecture longer without worrying that it will flood the cuticles. After curing it is very hard.

Expert tip:

If you work quite fast and you don't mind “flowing” gels, I recommend medium consistency gels, they level out nicely and create a smooth surface on the nail, which reduces filing to a minimum. On the other hand, if your work rate is still slow I would suggest a gel, such as the 'trick' type from the Base One line, or quite thick ones like Help To or Ideal. Thicker gels will allow the product to spread properly over a longer period of time without fear of flooding your cuticles. However, they may require more sawing due to the poor levelling properties of these gels.

Perfect Eurofiber Clear is a building gel, quite dense. In the “raw” state, fine fibres are visible, after curing they become invisible. It has self-levelling properties and is very hard when cured in the lamp. Suitable for natural nails and nail extensions. Apply any top coat after filing the nail. This gel is not suitable for glossing due to the fibres it contains.

Affinity – medium-thick, single-phase gel. Excellent for natural nails. Flexible after curing. Available in clear and with glow (Pink, Blue and Violet).

Acidic or non-acidic bonder is a base under the builder gel that primes the nail. It is used as a “rub on” before the nail builder layer and has adhesive properties. After curing, an inhibition (sticky) layer remains, which is not wiped off. It can be used with all types of hard gels.

UV Extreme Connector Glue – a gel that is a combination of key components from all bases. It has the same effect as a bonder and blends perfectly with all Silcare light-cured products.

Nailo French White – a thin, extreme white gel, without inhibition layer, we can use it for white tip as well as nail art.

Nailo are single-phase gels. The Nailo line also includes a clear gel with two densities.

• UV NAILO 1-Phase Clear is a builder single-phase gel with a jelly-like consistency. Ideal for beginners as well as advanced stylists. It has very poor levelling properties, so will not flood the cuticles. Requires appropriate spreading of the product so that there is less filing.
• UV NAILO 1-Phase Sequent Clear is a medium-thick gel. It has self-levelling properties, so here you need a little practice in applying it. If you work too slowly it can flood the cuticles.
• NAILO UV Gel 1-Phase Pink is a clear builder gel with a pink glow, also medium density.
• NAILO UV Gel 1-Phase French Pink is a medium-thick gel in “milky pink” color. It gives the nail plate a healthy look by masking any discoloration. Complements the French tip perfectly. Has very high self-levelling properties.
• NAILO UV Gel 1-Phase Masked builder cover gel. Recommended for covering up imperfections (e.g. mechanical injuries) or extending too short natural nails (bitten nails). Ideal for French manicures.

Polygel Easy Shape is a product combining a gel and acrylic system. The acrylic gel has the hardness of acrylic and the flexibility of gel. A versatile product that can be applied to the natural nail plate, extensions on a standard nail form as well as on dual forms. It has a thick consistency. In order to apply the product correctly, it is necessary to soak the brush in cleaner without any additives, i.e. isopropyl alcohol. This will help you work correctly, as the product does not stick to the brush. It does not have self-levelling properties.

If you are interested in nail styling, I cordially invite you to take a look at the offer of Silcare brand training courses.

Beata Śliwińska,

Silcare Brand Instructor,

Winner of the Championship at the KingdomBeautyCrown Nail Championship in London