What is the difference between gel and gel polish and other similar materials?

Well-groomed hands are one of the attributes of female beauty. In the salon or at home, you can tidy them up, create the desired length of your nails, and apply your preferred color.

Now there are several types of materials with which you can decorate your nails. To understand which material is best for you, you need to know what each of them is. Our topic today is dedicated to this issue.

Gel polish: features

Gel polish created a sensation with its appearance - it was immediately loved because it did not require filing off the nail and sitting for hours with a nail technician. Gel polish is basically a polish that lasts several times longer than usual. What advantages does it have:

1. Ease of application . Gel polish is perfectly distributed over the surface of the nail plate, covering it with a dense layer.
2. Persistence . On average, this coating lasts on nails for 2 to 3 weeks. Some are more lucky, some less. But this takes longer than coating with regular varnish.
3. Color saturation . Gel polishes have a denser texture and more saturated colors (compared to regular nail polish), and the color palette is quite extensive.

One could consider this type of nail coating ideal, but it also has disadvantages - for example, it cannot be used on long nails . No, of course you can use it, but at longer lengths it chips faster. Therefore, for those who like to wear nails longer than average, this option is not very suitable.

Another disadvantage is the inability to apply a pattern with small fragments. Gel polish is liquid, so it spreads over the surface of the nail. This makes it unsuitable for applying small patterns - for large fragments it is suitable, for small fragments a different material is needed. But this can be considered a minus only for fans of such coverage.

Advantages and disadvantages

I would immediately like to note the quality of the design, which does not spread on the plate. If you compare colored gel for painting with shellac, the texture is completely different in appearance.

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To paint an element with varnish, you need to paint one place several times. In the case of polymer, due to the thick consistency, such efforts are not necessary.

Nail design is easy to do with gel paint, since the mass is well pigmented. The colored mass was simply created for the “Chinese painting” technique, when you need to draw out a painting element with one stroke. The dense, thick consistency allows you to distribute the mass over the plate so that it is enough for the entire element of the design.

Gel paint: features

Gel paint is a little less popular, but this is due to the fact that not everyone understands what kind of coating it is. What are the advantages of this type of coating:

1. Can be used on natural and artificial nails . That is, this is a universal nail coating.
2. High saturation . Gel paints have very rich, highly pigmented colors. One coat is usually enough to make your nails look vibrant.
3. Possibility to create any design . Gel paint is suitable for applying any design - both large and small.
4. Extensive palette . The palette presented by manufacturers is poorer than that of gel polishes, but this is not a problem, because gel paint of different colors can be mixed to obtain the desired shades.
5. Ease of application . The gel paint fits perfectly on the nail and there are usually no problems with application.

The disadvantages of gel paint include the inability to soak it . That is, removing this coating is not so easy, and not everyone can get used to doing it themselves at home.

Kinds

Gel products always leave a mark, but the improved formula has allowed manufacturers to develop new types that, after polymerization, do not have a dispersion layer. This is certainly a very convenient option; it speeds up the process of completing your manicure. However, in the case of casting, when the foil is imprinted on a three-dimensional pattern, the sticky mark is very important.

We touched on the main differences and discussed what colors the paint comes in. But this is not the main distinguishing point of the product for the design of natural and artificial plates. The main feature that distinguishes one paint from another today is the presence of a dispersion after polymerization.

With a sticky layer

Today in the nail industry, masters use two types of paint. The first is sticky, the second is dried in a LED lamp, but there is no trace when finished. This is due to the fact that when designing, for example, monograms or a floral motif, it is better to use a material that does not have dispersion. In the case of casting techniques, where it is necessary to put a print on the foil on the drawn contour, this feature must be present.

No sticky layer

During the modeling process, you may not notice a global difference if you use a different type of material after polymerization. However, when performing certain techniques, the presence of a dispersion trace is very noticeable. The beautiful three-dimensional technique with foil is performed only on a sticky surface, and without this feature the design simply cannot be completed.

What common?

Gel polish and gel paint actually have a lot in common:

• Both types last for approximately the same period (on average 2-3 weeks)
• Both have a rich palette.
• A special lamp is needed for drying.
• Can be used for nail design (only with the caveat that not everything can be painted with gel polish).

In some cases, the two types can be used interchangeably . For example, a regular one-color coating on natural nails can be done with either of these two types.

Removing material

How does gel polish differ from gel paint in terms of material removal? The first material is removed using a remover and foil. The procedure is quite simple. Nails should be soaked in remover and water, and then remove the product from the nail plate. But as for gel paint, remover will not help here. The thin coating of paint should be filed off the nail with a nail file. Experienced craftsmen are not afraid of this; the procedure is really very simple. Moreover, as already mentioned at the very beginning of this article, the nail industry does not stand still. Now any coating is most often removed using a special manicure apparatus and a ceramic cutter. This makes the job much easier and faster. It doesn’t matter what you used to create the coating on your nails, you can easily remove everything using a device with a cutter.

What is the difference?

Despite the fact that in terms of their characteristics, gel paint and gel polish are very close, practically grinding into each other, they also have differences. This will help you make the final decision when choosing a coating for your manicure.

What are the main differences between gel polish and gel paint:

1. Density and density . Gel polish is less dense and, therefore, more liquid.
2. Wearing period . Gel paint almost never chips and wears well until the next correction. Gel polish cannot boast of this - it is susceptible to chipping and cracking.
3. Withdrawal options . Gel polish can be either soaked using a special liquid or filed off. Gel paint can only be filed off. There is no remedy. Capable of soaking it for subsequent removal.
4. Possibility to use design . Gel paint is suitable for almost any type of design - drawings of any complexity can be made with its help. Gel polish is only suitable for drawing large details of a drawing.

Gel polish is inferior to gel paint in terms of service life - the owner is more likely to get tired of the paint than anything will happen to it. In addition, it can be used both on native, natural nails and on artificial ones. However, gel polish still reigns supreme in popularity.

This is easy to explain - not everyone has the opportunity to visit salons or manicurists. More and more women prefer to do their own manicure at home. It's cheaper, safer and easier - you don't have to wait in line to see a specialist. In this regard, gel polish is much simpler - you can remove it at home yourself, which cannot be said about gel paint.

Color palette

• 8/0 – blond (light).
• 9/0 – blond (ultra light).
• 9/3 – golden blonde (ultra light).
• 8/3 – golden blond (light).
• 8/34 – copper-golden blond (light).
• 7/34 – golden-copper blonde.
• 6/34 – golden-copper blond (dark).
• 7/4 – copper blonde (rich).
• 7/46 – copper blond “Mahogany”.
• 6/46 – red-copper blond (dark).
• 6/6 – dark red blond (rich).
• 5/46 – copper-chestnut red (light).
• 5/3 – golden chestnut (light).
• 5/35 – chocolate chestnut (light).
• 5/0 – chestnut (light).
• 4/5 – chestnut “Mahogany”.
• 4/3 – chestnut (golden).
• 4/1 – ash chestnut.
• 4/0 – chestnut (natural).
• 4/05 – chocolate chestnut.
• 3/05 – chocolate chestnut (dark).
• 3/0 – chestnut (dark).
• 1/0 – black (natural).
• 1/1 – blue-black.
• 7/0 – blonde (natural).
• 6/0 – blond (dark).
• 6/1 – ash blonde (dark).
• 7/1 – ash blonde.
• 8/8 – beige blond (light).
• 8/1 – ash blonde (light).
• 9/1 – ash blonde (very light).
• 9/8 – beige blond (very light).
• 10/1 – ash blonde (ultra light).

Photos of designs on nails with gel paints

Examples of the work of other masters are an inexhaustible source of inspiration. You can either try to completely reproduce the chosen design, or create something of your own “based on it”. The main thing is not to be afraid to experiment and constantly train, and the photo gallery of examples will help with this.

Mode of application

Gel dye is applied to dry, pre-washed hair.

In permanent and semi-permanent paint formulations, before using it, it is necessary to mix the gel base with the oxidizing agent that comes with the paint.

The finished composition must be used within 3-5 hours, since after this time, the paint will lose its coloring properties.

The procedure is as follows:

1. Wash your hair thoroughly and dry it without using heating devices to dry it. Comb your hair in such a way as to avoid tangled or intertwined areas of hair.
2. Dilute the coloring composition in a convenient container (but not metal!). Cover your shoulders and back with a cape. Wear protective gloves.
3. Divide your hair into two parts with an even parting from the forehead to the back of the head. Initially, one half is painted, then the other, starting from the occipital part and gradually moving towards the temporal zone.
4. Separate one strand at a time and apply the coloring gel with a brush along its entire length, avoiding unpainted areas. Avoid getting the gel on your skin.
5. After applying the composition to the strands, they are collected in a bun at the back of the head and covered with polyethylene, and on top with a warm cloth (you can use a winter hat). The holding time is 25-35 minutes.
6. Then the gel paint is washed off with warm water. You can use a conditioner, but only when coloring with permanent and semi-permanent formulations.
7. Dry your head with a towel and let it dry naturally.

Difference from gel

This is also an interesting question that deserves attention. After all, there are also colored gels, then what is the difference between them?

The main difference between gel and gel polish is the purpose of the coating. Gel, including colored gel, serves to lengthen the nail plate, while gel polish is simply a long-term coating. Therefore, their application technology is completely different. You can read about how to model nails with gel here.

What these materials have in common is their polymer properties, durability, and the use of a base and top layer for application.