Elegant Transformations: Embrace Soft Gel Extensions for Gorgeous, Long Nails

A few years ago, when your clients wanted nail extensions, acrylic was the only option you could offer them. Things have changed a lot since the acrylic nail days, and they now have another choice – soft gel nail extensions. Although these aren’t quite new, they remain a not-so-common technique in nail salons. Here is what you need to know about soft gel nail extensions.

What are Exactly Solf Gel Extensions?

Thanks to advances in the nail industry, individuals don’t have to rely on thick plastic false nail tips that are superglued to get the nail length of their dreams. Soft gel nail tips offer an easier and quicker way to achieve that. As their name suggests, soft gel nail tips are high-quality press-on nails made of gel (not plastic like other press-on nail extensions). They’re a sort of semi-permanent nail extension that can stay on nails for several weeks before they need to be filled in, changed out, or removed. As they’re thinner than acrylics, they’re much more comfortable and convenient to wear.

As long as the soft gel nail tips are applied and removed correctly, they won’t damage your client’s natural nails. In fact, after wearing these nail extensions, many find their nails stronger and healthier. Thanks to their flexible and lightweight characteristics, these nails are also less likely to chip or snap.

What to Consider When Buying Soft Gel Extensions

One of the mistakes you’ll want to avoid when shopping for soft gel extensions is getting tips that are too sculpted. Many of your clients won’t have lovely c-shaped natural nails and lengthy, elongated nail beds. Most of us have natural nails that are flat or that only have a slight c-curve. Unless you’re looking for a sculptured style. buy full coverage tips from your preferred brand that offer a natural curve to their tips.

Having only sculpted tips as your standard all-fitting nail tip choice is definitely not a smart idea. When in doubt, go for a brand that offers tips that can be moulded or rolled in a c-curve. With time, you can find out if you or your clients need a more sculpted look.

Size is another important factor to keep in mind. No matter what brand or design the tip is, fitting that full cover tip is quite essential. If you choose a small natural nail size, you might need to use too much pressure to get it to attach and the whole cover tip might come off. Going for a tip that is a bit bigger than the natural nail could also result in issues. If the tip is not adjusted to fit inside the lateral nail folds, you or your client will have to lift it because the gel or plastic tip will be in contact with the skin. The whole cover tip should be flush with the normal nail on all sides.

Benefits of Using Solf Gel Extensions

Natural Look and Feel

The natural look and feel of soft gel extensions are due to their:

• Lighter and thinner structure: They imitate the thickness of natural nails
• Countered design: To simulate the shape of natural nails and give proper apex
• Variation in thickness: The cuticle area of the tip is thinner to lead to a more seamless fit
• Nail tip extensions made from other materials tend to be bulkier and heavier. They also don’t feature variations in thickness, which requires you to file the back down to achieve a more seamless and natural look.

Fast and Easy to Apply

Applying soft gel nail tips is far quicker and simpler than creating an extension out of either soft or hard gel. This is how soft gel nail tips are applied:

• To ensure a tight fit, you must first match the size of your nail tips to the length of your client’s nails. You can file them down to fit the nails if they are too big.
• Align the cuticles by pushing them back with a cuticle pusher.
• Buff the nails with a 180-grit nail file and etch the region beneath the nail tips where the polish will attach to the nails.
• Use rubbing alcohol to clean the nails before applying a dehydrator and nail primer.
• Apply a gel base coat to the nails and let them cure under the UV LED lamp.
• Place some base coat underneath the gel nail tips where they will adhere to the nails.
• Keep the nail tips firmly in place while shining a UV light over them.

Improved Durability

When compared to either utilising conventional nail tips or creating nail extensions using either soft or hard gel, gel nail tips tend to be both more flexible and durable. Gel nail tips bond to the nails using a UV gel base coat, which is usually stronger and lasts longer than nail glue.