Hard gel is a nail enhancement like acrylic nails, except it cures in a UV light. Hard gel has absolutely no odor and it looks more natural than acrylic.
It is NOT gel polish/shellac/soft gel/soak-off gel. You can put gel polish over hard gel. You can extend the length of the nail with hard gel, just like acrylic. It can be sculpted and shaped just like acrylic. The only difference is that hard gel hardens through UV light rather than through evaporating solvents (like acrylic). Hard gel is designed to imitate how natural nails look. They are designed to last much longer and give women who have short nails, the opportunity to wear long nails without being afraid of common breaking for various reasons. Flexibility makes it less likely to crack because it can withstand greater pressure. The flexibility also makes the gel feel much more natural than acrylic because it moves along with the natural nail. Hard gel can withstand greater pressure and it is less likely to break or crack than acrylic is. Just like acrylic, gel can crack if it is flexed beyond its stretching point. However, because it has more flexibility, it will generally cause less trauma when cracked than when an acrylic nail cracks.
Hard gel is hypoallergenic, which means it is less likely to cause allergies than acrylic. This is because hard gel uses oligomers rather than polymers. “Oligomers are resins that have been reacted with other resins to form a larger resin close to being fully polymerized. Because they are so large, they have difficulty getting into the bloodstream and therefore are much safer to use.
Hard gel is safe during pregnancy. Also, hard gel has no strong odors or fumes.