Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between pH Bond and Pro Bond?
pH Bond is a dehydrator and Pro Bond is a primer. pH Bond removes surface moisture and oil and leaves nothing behind, so it is wiped over the whole plate on every client after buffing. Pro Bond leaves a bondable layer for the base to grip, goes on the natural nail only in a thin wipe, and is mainly for clients who lift; the acid-free version bonds without etching and does not sting a thin or damaged nail. The order is buff, dust, pH Bond, then Pro Bond, then base. Priming a plate that was never dehydrated seals oil under the primer.
Should I use Top It Off or the No Cleanse Top Coat?
Top It Off is the original Gelish top: it cures with a tacky inhibition layer that is wiped with cleanser, and it is the finish the Foundation system was written around. No Cleanse Top Coat cures tack-free in 60 seconds under LED or 3 minutes under UV with no wipe, and it is universal, sealing gel polish, acrylic, PolyGel, and hard gel from any brand. Salons running mixed enhancements usually keep No Cleanse at every station. Both are filed off at removal rather than soaked through.
Why does the gel lift at the cuticle after a few days?
Almost always because product touched skin, or because the plate was primed before it was dehydrated. Flood lines at the cuticle and sidewall are the single most common cause of an early return. The next suspects are shine left on the plate because the buff did not reach the sidewalls and the cuticle line, a free edge that was not capped, and coats laid thick enough that the lamp could not cure them through. Work that list before changing a brand.
Are the base-and-top duo listings worth it?
They are listed slightly below the same two bottles bought separately, so for a salon opening a station or replacing both halves at once the duo is the simpler line to order. Most salons, though, go through top coat considerably faster than base, so buying the top on its own and keeping the base on a longer reorder cycle matches actual use better. The prep bottles outlast everything, since they go on as one thin wipe per nail.
What is on the Gelish base and top page
Nine listings covering the two ends of a Gelish gel manicure: the prep and base that hold it on, and the top coats that finish it. Base Foundation, Top It Off, and No Cleanse Top Coat are the core, with two duo listings that pair the base with one of the tops, pH Bond and Pro Bond for prep, a 15 ml acid-free Pro Bond primer, and Nourish Cuticle Oil for aftercare. Six of the nine are out of stock as this page was written. These are the bottles a Gelish station reorders on a rhythm, and the top always empties first.
The bottles and what each one does
| Bottle | Size | Job | Cure |
|---|---|---|---|
| pH Bond | 0.5 oz | Dehydrates the plate after buffing so nothing bonds to oil or moisture | No cure |
| Pro Bond | 0.5 oz and 15 ml acid-free | Primer for clients who lift; goes on the natural nail only | No cure |
| Base Foundation | Bottle | The adhesion layer the whole system is written around | Lamp |
| Top It Off | Bottle | The classic top with a tacky layer that is cleansed after curing | Lamp |
| No Cleanse Top Coat | 15 mL | Universal top for gel polish, acrylic, PolyGel, and hard gel, tack-free with no wipe | 60 seconds LED or 3 minutes UV |
| Nourish Cuticle Oil | 0.5 oz | Daily aftercare that keeps the seal at the cuticle flexible | No cure |
pH Bond and Pro Bond are not the same bottle
They get confused constantly, and using one in place of the other is behind a lot of avoidable lifting. pH Bond is a dehydrator: it removes surface moisture and oil and leaves nothing behind, so it goes on every client, over the whole plate, after buffing. Pro Bond is a primer: it leaves a bondable layer for the base to hold onto, so it goes on the plate only, in a thin wipe, and mainly on clients who lift. The acid-free version is the one most salons use now, because it bonds without etching and does not sting a thin or damaged nail.
Order matters. Buff, dust, pH Bond, then Pro Bond where it is needed, then base. Priming a plate that was never dehydrated seals the oil under the primer, which is the one sequence error that guarantees a lift.
Which top coat
Top It Off is the original: it cures with a tacky inhibition layer that is wiped with cleanser, which is the finish Gelish clients have been getting for years and the one the Foundation system was written around. No Cleanse Top Coat cures tack-free in 60 seconds under LED or 3 minutes under UV, with no wipe at all, and it is universal, so it seals gel polish, acrylic, PolyGel, and hard gel from any brand. A salon running mixed enhancements usually keeps No Cleanse at every station and Top It Off for the clients who prefer the original finish. Both are filed off at removal rather than soaked through, so the removal routine does not change with the choice.
The order in a service
- Prep the plate. Push back the cuticle, take the shine off edge to edge, and dust.
- pH Bond. Wipe across the plate and let it flash off; no cure.
- Pro Bond. Thin wipe on the natural nail only for clients who lift; keep it off the skin.
- Base Foundation. One thin coat, capping the free edge, cured in the lamp.
- Color. Two thin coats of whichever gel color the salon runs, cured between.
- Top. Top It Off and cleanse, or No Cleanse for a wipe-free finish, capping the edge again.
- Oil. Nourish Cuticle Oil at the end, and tell the client to use it daily.
When a gel manicure fails, where to look
- Lifting at the cuticle. Product touching skin, or a plate that was primed before it was dehydrated. Flood lines are the most common single cause of a rebooked complaint.
- Chipping at the free edge. The edge was not capped, or it was capped with base and then missed with the top.
- Wrinkled top coat. The layer was too thick, or the color underneath was not fully cured before the top went on.
- Cloudy or dull finish. Cleanser used on a No Cleanse top, or a wipe with a cloth that had oil in it.
- Heat in the lamp. Thin coats and, on a sensitive client, a moment out of the lamp before finishing the cure.
- Peeling within days. Shine left on the plate. The buff has to reach the sidewalls and the cuticle line, not just the middle.
The duo listings
Two listings pair Base Foundation with a top, one with Top It Off and one with No Cleanse Top Coat, and both are currently listed slightly below the same two bottles bought separately. For a salon opening a station or replacing both halves at once, the duo is the simpler line to order. For a salon that goes through top faster than base, which is most of them, buying the top on its own and keeping the base on a longer cycle is the more sensible rhythm.
Bottle care and storage
Gel cures in ambient light over time, so caps go back on and bottles stay out of direct sun and off a bright window sill. Wipe the neck before capping, since cured gel on the thread stops the cap seating and lets the bottle skin over. Keep the brush out of dust and never top up one bottle from another. The prep bottles outlast everything else on the shelf because they go on as a single thin wipe per nail, so a salon reordering by habit rather than by stock usually ends up with three pH Bonds and no top coat.
Wholesale pricing at ND Nails Supply
Gelish base, top, prep, and oil ship at wholesale pricing for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. Free shipping on orders $100+, and in-stock bottles ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.