PolyGel or hard gel?

[Ash11]

Hey everyone, not sure if this is the right place for this but Im a customer looking for insight:

Im interested in getting a gel overlay to help in growing out my nails. Im not sure if I should get hard Gel or polygel. Polygel seems like a better fit (one salon that i am looking at only does polygel or acrylic) and in reading up on it it claims to be lighter yet more durable than hard gel, but then another salon im interested in does akzentz hard gel and that sounded good as well upon reading about it.

In your experience, which holds up better? More durable? Can sustain a longer time between fills? I plan to get clear overlays and would love something light weight that i only have to refill them once a month or so.

Thanks!

 

[NailtechJoe]

In your experience, which holds up better? More durable? Can sustain a longer time between fills? I plan to get clear overlays and would love something light weight that i only have to refill them once a month or so.

Thanks!

Technically, polygel and hard gel are acrylics; they are both file off in terms that they are non porous. For every enhancement service, the nail technician will recommend a certain time frame for you to have a rebalance. No matter if the nail enhancement is made of titanium or granite, the arch structure and C-curve is what keeps the nail enhancement strength. So as you get growth, the apex moves forwards which means that there is a greater chance for the enhancement to fail. A regular visit also checks to see if there are any problems such as lifting issues which would be sorted out.

I used to offer hard gels but I now offer Gelish Polygel. As a Polygel technician, you need to come back every 2 to 3 weeks for maintenance.

 

[7th-Heaven]

Hey everyone, not sure if this is the right place for this but Im a customer looking for insight:

Im interested in getting a gel overlay to help in growing out my nails. Im not sure if I should get hard Gel or polygel. Polygel seems like a better fit (one salon that i am looking at only does polygel or acrylic) and in reading up on it it claims to be lighter yet more durable than hard gel, but then another salon im interested in does akzentz hard gel and that sounded good as well upon reading about it.

In your experience, which holds up better? More durable? Can sustain a longer time between fills? I plan to get clear overlays and would love something light weight that i only have to refill them once a month or so.

Thanks!

They are both fine options. Each type will be slightly more suitable for certain nail types (e.g. gel is more flexible than acrylic, and can be a nice option for someone with flexible nails). Having said that, hard gel, acrylic, polygel and acrylgel are all be viable options for enhancement, and should last until you go for an infill/rebalance. How well they hold up during the next 2-4 weeks until fill-time will depend on a few factors. It will firstly be depending on the skill of the nail technician and the prep he/she does, the state of your own nails (e.g. if you are a nail biter) and what you do in day to day life and how that affects the enhancements. Even if the nails are still on and look fine, you shouldn't try to stretch the time too long between maintenance. 3-4 weeks is fairly normal/average. If you leave it too long, not only will you give your nail tech more work to do, but it will likely be more expensive for you. A lot of techs around here charge new set price if you come in after 4 weeks, simply because it cam be pretty much the same amount of work as a new set. And more importantly - the more your nail grows out, the more you risk having an accident with it, because the apex (the strength point) has moved along with the nail when it grows. Additionally, if the nails have started to lift (which can happen if you don't go for regular maintenance) you can also risk getting a bacterial infection (otherwise known as "greenie") under the lifted area, because of moisture that gets trapped under the sculpted nail.

So in my opinion, your main concern shouldn't necessarily be whether they use polygel, hard gel or acrylic ,but how they use it and if they use it safely and do a good job.