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What is a Rubber Base Gel
A rubber base gel is a thick gel base coat that has an extra elastic and flexible nature.
Their flexible property comes from the fact that these base coats have more plasticizers added to them, which allows them to bend easily without breaking.
This extra flexibility allows your manicures to flex and bend with your natural nails instead of working against them. And importantly they also make your nails more flexible meaning they will bend and not break easily.
Rubber Base Gels are also thicker than most base coats which allows them to strengthen and reinforce weak and brittle nails – similar to how Overlay Nails are.
Now Rubber Base Gels do not contain any rubber, they get their name because of how rubber-like they can be.
Also, click here to check out my article on Rubber Base Gel vs Builder Gel.
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How to Apply Rubber Base Gel
Rubber Base Gels are applied just like any gel base coat.
- First, you prep your nail like you normally do,
- Next, apply a thin layer of the rubber base gel
- Then cure the rubber base gel for 30 seconds under a UV-Led Lamp
- Finally, apply your gel products such as your gel polish or builder gel over the base gel.
Curing time will vary based on the brand of rubber base gel or type and wattage of the nail lamp used.
Related Article – How Long Do You Really Need to Cure Gel Polish – Easy Guide
Video of Rubber Base Gels
Best Rubber Base Gels
The Best Rubber Base Gels are:
- FZANEST Gel Base (An affordable & effective rubber-like gel base)
- Kodi Rubber Base Gel
- The Gel Bottle Clear Rubber Base
All of the gel base coats that I feature are the best rubber base coats that will work with any brand of gel polish.
But I also advocate that if you can you should use the brand of base gel that goes with your brand of gel polish. Basically, stick within that specific gel system.
You see most brands of gel polish tailor their polish to go with their own base coat, they do so by using ingredients that complement each other.
Now for a rubber base coat that goes with regular nail polishes, you can use Orly Rubber Base, you can click here to learn more about Orly.
1- FZANEST Rubber Base Gel
FZANEST Gel Base is a really effective and budget-friendly rubber gel base coat.
They also adhere really well to your nails and keep your polish anchored really well thus preventing your polishes from peeling. FZANEST Gel Base Coats are easy to apply and they work with both UV and Led Lamps.
But from my experience, they take a bit longer to cure in comparison to other gel base coats but I suspect this is because of their extra thick formula. This extra-thick formula allows them to protect and reinforce your nails creating a strong overlay.
They also are easy to remove since they are a soak-off gel polish. Plus they can be used with most brands of gel polishes.
FZANEST Base Gels are available in different colors but I recommend getting the clear one to ensure it works with any color.
You can click here to see the price for a bottle of Clear FZANEST Rubber Gel Base on Amazon.
2- Kodi Rubber Base Gel Review
Kodi is a base coat that was tailored and designed specifically to be a rubber base coat in the truest sense of the term.
They have an extra thick and durable formula that should be able to work with most brands of gel polishes. Citation.
Kodi is also easy to apply and remove, they don’t have a high scent and work with both UV or Led Lamps.
Now the biggest drawback with Kodi is that they are super pricey. For me, they are more affordable options, like FZANEST that work just as well.
If you are still curious you can click here to see the price of Kodi Rubber Base Gel on Amazon.
3- Gel Bottle Clear Rubber Base
Gel Bottle Rubber Base Coat is one of the best gel bases on the market.
They are made by the Gel Bottle Inc an independent company that specializes in Gel Products. They are known for high-quality premium products and are based in California. Citation.
Pros of The Gel Bottle Rubber Base
1- Makes Your Gel Polishes Last a Longer Time
The Gel Bottle Rubber Base has a very well-balanced formula being both thick and yet still being able to adhere well to your nails. This allows your gel polish to be more durable and last for a much longer time.
You see the biggest problem that most rubber base coats have is that they don’t adhere well to your nails. I usually solve this by using a good nail primer to coat the nails before applying the base coat to make it adhere better.
Now Gel Bottle Rubber Base is a combination of a base coat and a primer which allows them to be flexible and yet adhere amazingly well onto your nails and polish.
2- Easy to Apply & Works with Most Brands of Gel Polish
The Gel Bottle Rubber base should be able to work with most brands of Gel Polishes and you can use both UV or Led to cure them.
The Gel Bottle Rubber base coat is a soak-off polish so they are also easy to remove.
3- Very Safe to Use
All of The Gel Bottle products are 5 free meaning that they dont contain any formaldehyde or formaldehyde resin, toluene, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), or camphor.
And plus they are vegan and cruelty-free. Citation.
Cons of Gel Bottle Rubber Base
- Takes a While to Cure Another drawback is that Gel Bottle Rubber Base just like most other rubber bases takes a while to cure.
- Expensive Gel Bottles Rubber Base’s biggest drawback is that they are super expensive but in their case, I truly think that they are worth paying for since they are so effective.
You can click here to see the price on their website.
Benefits of Using a Rubber Base Gel
1- Can Make Your Manicure Last Longer
The main benefit that a rubber base gel offers you is extra durability.
This comes from the fact they allow your manicures to bend and flex with your natural nails instead of working against them which can cause lifting.
And they also create a better surface for your polish to bond with, allowing them to adhere better to your nails.
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2- Reinforces Your Natural Nails
Rubber Gel Bases tend to be thicker than regular base gels. This added thickness allows them to protect your natural nails especially if they are very thin.
Related Article – What’s BIAB: Are they good for Nails, How to DIY, Best BIAB
3- Helps Keep Your Nails From Breaking
Rubber base gel also helps to make your nails more flexible meaning that the allow your nails to bend without breaking. This helps if you have weak and brittle nails that might break or crack easily.
Related Article – Gel Overlay: Cost, How to DIY – vs Gel Polish vs Extensions
4 – Covers Up Ridges
Now because of how thick rubber base gels allows them to cover and fill any ridges on the nail plate. Giving you a nice smooth manicure without any bumps and wrinkles
If I have any clients with a lot of ridges on their nails and are taking a gel nail product I would use a rubber base gel to give them a nice smooth manicure.
Also, if your nails have a lot of ridges in them consider using a nail ridge filler base coat, click here to learn more.