Hard Gel Isn’t the Only Way to Get Strength Without Bulk

Soft gel isn’t bulky when it’s done right.

There’s a myth going around right now on Instagram that soft gel is bulky by nature. At best, it's a misunderstanding of product and technique. At worst, it's a deliberate distortion to get you to buy their course.

I’ve seen a huge wave of hard gel courses popping up lately, and many of them are marketing themselves on one specific claim: that hard gel is thinner than soft gel. And yes, that can be true—but only when soft gel is being used improperly.

If you’re trying to use soft gel to build nails that are too long for what it was designed to do, or you're just using too much product in general, then yeah, it’s going to look thick. But that’s not a product problem. That’s user error. 

Soft gel is not inherently bulky. What’s actually happening in most cases is this:

• Too much product is being used.
• The structure bead is being dragged too far into the sidewalls or free edge where it isn't needed.
• There’s a misunderstanding of where the strength of an enhancement actually comes from-- from the shape, not the thickness

Strength comes from structure. From the viscosity of the gel. From how the apex is placed and how the product is applied—not how thick it is.

Soft gel does not need to be thick to be strong. Period.

When used correctly, soft gel gives a gorgeous, sleek result that’s lightweight, flexible, and durable—especially on short to medium nails. For that kind of work, my absolute favorite combo is:

• 🟣 Kokoist Platinum Filler Base – a medium-thick builder with excellent adhesion and self-leveling. You can use this without another base underneath if you like.
• 🟣 Kokoist Mega Stick Base – I pair this underneath for an extra insurance layer. For very short overlays you can even just use this and skip the platinum filler, especially for people with really bendy nails who benefit from a little more flexibility. This gel could be considered a "rubber base" because of its flexibility and adhesion.  (Did you know rubber base isnt actually a specific thing? Maybe that needs its own blog post.)

If I’m working on longer nails or with someone who needs more durability than usual (which is literally only one client in my whole book-- who is so hardwearing she's literally missing a finger now), I’ll switch to:

• 🟣 Kokoist Excel Builder over Mega Stick Base – unbeatable strength, still soakable, still beautiful. Some refer to this as a "soakable hard gel" which is obviously an oxymoron, "hard" means "not soakable," but this has the strength of a hard gel while still maintaining soakability. It's the best of both worlds.

Once I found Excel builder, I have never needed to use hard gel again. I keep some in my drawer in case the need arises, but it hasn't happened yet!

And yep, I’ve got a 10% off code for all of those through my Erica’s affiliate links, which I’ll drop below.

Soft gel is still the best option for many, if not most clients. It's strong, it's flexible, and it creates a more sustainable nail routine for people who want strong enhancements without committing to a permanent file-off system like hard gel.

Hard gel absolutely has its place.  It's ideal for a small subset of clients who are very hard wearing or wanting extreme lengths. But don’t let anyone convince you that soft gel isn’t a versatile option or that you need hard gel to have thin overlays. With proper technique, it’s anything but. You can use soft gel for all or a vast majority of your book while still offering prescriptive services, because soft gel comes in a wide array of strengths and viscosities. 

If you're ready to master the kind of builder application that looks natural, wears strong, and keeps your clients rebooking, you'll want to get on the waitlist for my Builder Gel Course. It's coming soon—and it's going to change the game.

Affiliate Links (with 10% off at Erica’s ATA):
🔗 Kokoist Mega Stick Base Click To Redeem 10% off 
🔗 Kokoist Platinum Filler Base Click To Redeem 10% off 

✨ Join the waitlist for the Builder Gel Course here: Click Here