Gelish Soft Gel Tips are pre-shaped, full coverage, flexible tips that add a full set of nail enhancements in just 20 minutes for 21+ days of wear. Learn more about this amazing, professional system as we break down the products, application, filling, removal, and troubleshooting.

About the Products

  • Soft Gel Tip Primer: non-acid based primer for Gelish Soft Gel Tips promotes maximum adhesion to the natural nail and eliminates the need for filing or etching the tip prior to application. Available in 0.3 oz bottle and 0.5 oz bottle.
  • Soft Gel Tip Adhesive: non-damaging, LED soak-off formula for maximum adhestion of Gelish Soft Gel Tips. Reinforced molecular structure with a thick viscosity is designed to fill the gaps between the natural nail and the soft gel tip while providing strength and a complete seal without lifting. Available in 0.3 oz bottle, 0.5 oz bottle, and 0.17 oz jar
  • Soft Gel Tips: Designed with FlexFit™ technology where the cuticle area is thin & flexible, while the apex & tip are thicker to create strength. Each box contains 550 tips in 11 sizes from 00-9. Available in these shapes: Short Round, Medium Stiletto, Medium Square, Medium Round, Medium Coffin, Long Stiletto, & Long Coffin
  • LED Touch Lights: Portable, focused beam LED Lights activated by touch for a fast, even curing process. Best used for flash curing Soft Gel Tips during application. Available in the Touch LED Light and the Touch MINI LED Light.

Prep

  1. Sanitize client's & nail pro's hands
  2. Dry nail prep with cuticle pushback and removal and trimming natural nails, then cleanse with Gelish Nail Surface Cleanse
  3. Remove shine with 100 side of a 100/180 buffer, clean away dust and cleanse
  4. Apply dehydrator like Gelish pH Bond Nail Prep to natural nails

Sizing Tips

  1. Size your Gelish Soft Gel Tips making sure the tip fully covers the nail side to side
  2. Brush one thin coat of Gelish Tip Primer to the underside of all ten tips (where it will contact the natural nail) & all ten natural nails
Note: Tip Primer removes the need for etching or filing the tips! If custom fit, sizing, or etching is required, do so with care and a 180 grit hand file

Application

  1. Apply a small bead of Gelish Soft Gel Tip Adhesive to the cuticle end of the Soft Gel Tips by scraping on the edge of the brush, to keep the product on the underside of the tip
  2. Place the Soft Gel Tip onto the nail at a 45 degree angle and use a slow, rolling motion with pressure to apply the tip to the natural to prevent air bubbles
  3. While maintaining tip pressure to the natural nail, roll until the product reaches just past the natural nail tip, then flash cure for 5 seconds using the Gelish Touch Light or Gelish Touch Mini Light for easy, hands-free motion.
Note: If an excess of Adhesive remains in the tip past the natural nail, use a gel brush to wipe away. Be sure to hold the tip and the client's finger together as it it only flashed cured at this stage.
4. Repeat 1-3 on all nails on that hand 5. Cure the whole hand in the Gelish 18G Unplugged LED Light for 60 seconds
Note: If you need to shorten the length, only remove about 20% of the tip to remain it's integrity Fun Fact: Soft Gel Tips are completely transparent to allow the adhesive to be fully curable from the outside

Finish

  1. Using a 180 grit file, lightly file the free edge to smooth and the side walls to blend if needed. Then, remove the shine with 100/180 Grit Buffer
  2. Remove dust with Nail Surface Cleanse
  3. To finish with Morgan Taylor Nail Lacquer, paint right on top of tip. Repeat for full coverage as needed and finish with Top Coat. To finish with Gelish Soak-Off Polish, apply a thin coat of polish, making sure to cap the free edge, and cure for 30 seconds in the Gelish 18G LED Light. Repeat for full coverage and cure. Then, apply Gelish Top It Off top coat and cure for 30 seconds
  4. Finish with Gelish Nourish Cuticle Oil

Fill/Infill/Rebalance

Gelish Soft Gel Tips are made to be removed every time, but you can fill the tips one time after application. Filling more than once compromises the integrity of the nail because it should not be shortened anymore than 20% of the length of the nail. 1.Remove gel color with an E-File like Gelish Go File with a 2x Coarse File Bit on high speed, also removing some length if needed. If any color remains, remove by hand with a 180 grit file 2. Switch to a Tapered File Bit to bevel down the Soft Gel Tip along the cuticle line 3. Using a Cuticle Pusher, push back the proximal nail fold and remove any non living tissue 4. Remove any shine and roughen the nail plate with the 100 grit side of a Buffer
Note: If the tip has any separation, splitting, or air bubbles, remove completely and apply a new tip.
5. Cleanse with Nail Surface Cleanser 6. Apply pH Bond to the natural nail remaining 7. Apply Soft Gel Tip Primer to the natural nail remaining 8. Use Soft Gel Tip Adhesive in the jar (0.17 oz) and a gel brush, wipe a small amount down the entire nail, from cuticle to tip edge first. 9. Then, scoop & roll a bead of Soft Gel Tip Adhesive at the base of the juncture from the tip to the natural nail. Staying on the surface of the gel, pull the Adhesive to the edges, using like a hard gel or builder gel. Use the stringing technique to string Adhesive to build structure where needed. The product will self level.
Note: The thick viscosity of the Soft Gel Tip Adhesive will stay in place while you work the on the other nails
10. Cure the whole hand in the Gelish 18G Unplugged LED Light for 60 seconds 11. Cleanse with Nail Surface Cleanse 12. Use a 100 grit Buffer to smooth, use a 180 Grit file for more refining if needed

Removal

For removal, Gelish actually suggests removing the nails completely and starting over because the entire process takes only 20 minutes!
  1. Sanitize client's & nail pro's hands
  2. For lacquer: remove with acetone and reduce nail length with nail clippers For gel polish: break top seal by gently roughing the surface with a 100/180 Grit Buffer & remove the shine or reduce bulk using an E-File with a bit of choice.
  3. Saturate a cotton pad or foil remover wrap with Artificial Nail Remover, place onto the nails and soak for 15 minutes.
  4. Remove foil and gently remove any remaining gel with a wood stick or spoon pusher. Continue to soak if needed
  5. Lightly buff nail surface with 100/180 Grit Buffer to smooth
  6. Finish with Gelish Nourish Cuticle Oil

Troubleshooting

  • For flat nails: to ensure the Soft Gel Tip Adhesive fills the side walls of a flat nail, brush on a *thin* layer across the tip where it would in contact with the natural nail first, then add a bead of the Adhesive by scraping along the cuticle edge of the tip, then apply with rolling motion at a 45 degree angle as normal.
  • For upward sloped nails: use a nail tip one size larger to ensure that the apex of the tip is towards the upward-angled free edge of the natural nail to maintain the strength of the tip. If the larger tip is too big for the natural nail side to side, lightly file with a 180 grit hand file to fit properly. When applying, use slightly less pressure while flash curing to accommodate for the upward free edge.
  • For nail biter nails: just like with flat nails, brush on a *thin* layer across the tip where it would in contact with the natural nail first, then apply the bead of Tip adhesive and apply the tip with a rolling motion at a 45 degree angle until the adhesive is slightly over the natural nail to seal the free edge.
Shop the entire Gelish Soft Gel Tip system at PinkPro Beauty Supply! Let us know if you have any more questions about the products or processes mentioned here and don't forget to tag us in your Soft Gel Tip creations @pinkprobeautysupply