Gel Nails Vs Gel Polish

Gel nails are nail extensions made using a hard gel product. The gel is hardened by curing under an ultraviolet or L.E.D.light.  The ever popular Gel Nail Polishes evolved from the original Gel nail extension process.  

There are two types of gel, hard gel and soft gel. Hard gel, once cured, is tough enough to be made into a nail extension, also called an artificial nail. Artificial nails is the process of extending your natural.   Soft gel refers to the gel products that are too soft to create a nail extension, such as gel nail polishes. Gel polish manicures are gentle to the natural nail and the polish stays intact on the nail for at least a couple of weeks with high shine and no cracking, peeling or chipping. It is best to have a trained professional apply both hard and soft gel products for the best lasting results. 

Gel extensions is a type of artifical nails, but not the same as the well known  acrylic nail extension. Acrylic Nails are created using liquid monomer and polymer powder. All gel services are performed using some form of gel and require curing under a U.V. or L.E.D. light to harden. Curing is the chemical process in which  photo-initiators within the gel itself are exposed to the heat while the oligomers combine to form long chains during the polymerization process. These bonded chains is what makes the gel hard. Once the gel nail extension is cured there is a sticky residue that is removed by wiping with a cotton ball soaked in high concentrate alcohol.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gel_nails

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