Compare single-phase and three-phase gel | What’s better

*Overview of the best according to the editors of Healthy Food Near Me. About selection criteria. This material is subjective, is not an advertisement and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

Speaking of high-quality manicure, it is impossible not to take into account the extension as one of the most popular options. A very easy-to-use material for creating luxurious marigolds is gel. It allows you not to worry about broken nails (which simply will not happen) and forget about the need to constantly renew the varnish. This type of extension makes it possible to create nails of an ideal shape and at the same time strengthen the natural nail plate. Single-phase and three-phase gels are usually used in the work. How do they differ from each other and what are their advantages? Our experts have the answer.

About gel extensions

The gel used for nail extensions is actually a polymer coating that requires exposure to ultraviolet light to harden. According to its chemical composition, the gel practically does not differ from acrylic. Being a synthetic substance, it is based on methacrylic acid, which hardens upon contact with ultraviolet light.

Building with a gel is considered one of the safest procedures that, if properly performed, allows you to qualitatively strengthen your own nails. For building with gel systems, several techniques are used:

1. On tips – a special overlay is fixed on a natural nail, which serves as a “support” for the builder layer superimposed on top. This method is not used by nail service masters as often as before. This is due to the high chance of injury to the nail plate. But this is the best option in cases where the native nail does not have a free edge or is deformed.

2. On the forms – a more common extension technique. In this case, a rigid form is used as a “support”, on which the gel is directly applied on top, which, when solidified, creates the desired shape.

The growth process is as follows:

1. Performing a hygienic manicure and preparing fingers is an important step that involves removing excess cuticles, burrs, correcting the shape of natural nails, removing the glossy film from their surface with a soft file (this is necessary to improve the adhesion of the gel to the nail plate).

2. Degreasing of the nail plate – each nail is treated with a special composition (sometimes ordinary alcohol or nail polish remover is used). The next important step is the application of a primer for a stronger fixation of the gel polymer on natural nails.

3. Application of the gel is a direct process of building up a single-phase or three-phase gel.

Single phase gel system

Single-phase gels are the best option for beginners who have just mastered the theory and have begun to comprehend practice. There is simply no better way to “fill your hand”. Single-phase extension does not require a large number of tools or materials. This reduces the cost of the procedure.

A single-phase build-up system involves the use of only one type of product. This does not mean at all that it will be applied in one layer: several layers will be made with one type of gel.

ON A NOTE. Single-phase systems do not always allow you to create perfect nails. Such a product is a mixture of several layers with different purposes and structures.

The essence of the method is simple to the point of banality. First, a primer is applied to the nail plate, and it is exclusively liquid (this will allow it to be quickly absorbed). The second layer allows you to model the desired shape of the nail. If these layers are mixed, this will lead to a deterioration in the characteristics of both stages of processing the nail plates.

An important and not very pleasant feature of a single-phase gel: it tends to stack, which slows down, and sometimes reduces the quality of the simulated layers. In addition, the single-phase extension system assumes the absence of a protective layer, which usually helps to maximize the “life span” of the extended nail.

In fact, the main advantage of a single-phase gel can be called its affordable price. In other respects, it behaves like most general-purpose products: it combines several products, but at the same time each of them is inferior to a highly specialized product.

Three phase gel system

Three-phase gel is the “favorite” of professional nail service masters. Unlike single-phase, three-phase contains three separate layers at once: base, modeling and protective. A three-phase system is considered the most successful option for creating a high-quality and, most importantly, as long as possible end result.

Let’s start with the base coat: it has a liquid texture, which allows you to properly prime the surface of the nail. The product, with skillful use, lays down in an even layer. The modeling gel is more viscous. Thanks to this quality, it is easy to work with it, giving it any shape you need without effort. In addition, it does not spread beyond the nail plate. Well, the last one is the protective layer of a three-phase system. Its main task is to prevent the negative impact of the environment on the nail surface.

Comparative characteristics

Having dealt with the features of each product, we will sum up the final result and compare them according to several criteria.

Attention! This material is subjective, is not an advertisement and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.