Shellac removal

[LittleBun1710]

Today I had a regular client in for Shellac removal & application.
The last couple of times she's been in, her nails have been very weak as she got taken into hospital very suddenly a little while ago and had to pick her Shellac off as she needed surgery.
So today she came in and her Shellac WOULD NOT budge. Every other time since she picked it off has been normal - it's dissolved in 5 minutes or so. Today I tried everything!
I used all the usual stuff - Dissolve, cotton pads and Stylfile clips. After 10 minutes I tried foil instead of the clips and after another 5 minutes I buffed the top coat off.
I really didn't want to file the Shellac off as her nails are already damaged. In the end, I had to buff away what I could and reapply over what was left.
I dont understand!! I do around 15-20 sets of Shellac every week and have never ever had a problem, especially not anything like this. The client hadn't put anything extra on her nails.
Has anyone got any ideas??!! I'm now dreading her next appointment in case I can't get today's colour off either!
I just want some sort of explanation more than anything. It's just so bizarre!

 

[noreenoconnor]

Are you sure it was acetone you put on the wraps? I have occasionally confused if with IPA [emoji23]

Was the shellac completely intact, or did the top layer come off and the base coat and a small bit of colour get stuck?

 

[LittleBun1710]

Yep, it was definitely Dissolve.
Absolutely none of it budged, even after buffing the top coat off.

 

[noreenoconnor]

Was the pad completely saturated?

How hot or cold was the room you were in, Was your clients hands cold?

 

[Bohemianivy]

It's because her nails have been previously damaged by her picking the product off . When nails are to dry or damaged it sticks like super glue.

 

[noreenoconnor]

This is true, however if the topcoat hasn't budged something else is going on here Usually the top coat will melt away and the base and colour stick to the damaged bits of the nail

 

[blossom]

This is a long shot and I don't mean to be cheeky!

Was it an eBay CND Shellac by any chance? May not have been the real deal. But obv if you didn't have the problem with other clients, this could only be the case if you'd used a new bottle and if the others haven't returned to you yet

Just scratching my head here and not coming up with much!

Agree with Noreen, the top coat would normally dissolve even if there was a problem removing the colour layers

 

[LittleBun1710]

She's had her nails done since she damaged them and it's removed fine.
All genuine CND Shellac (I'm salon based) with all CND removal stuff.
The client says she hasn't put anything on them but thinking about it, the colour didn't look exactly the same. I assumed it had changed colour slightly as she's been on holiday but I now have a feeling she's had it done since I did them.

 

[Beauty belle19]

I had the same thing happen a few weeks ago with a client who had been on holiday but told me she had them re done whilst away. The set I'd done lasted the first 10ish days but as she was there for 2 weeks she lost a couple so got what she thought was gel polish applied.... Absolute nightmare!!!!!!
Goodness knows what they put on but literally did not move at all after soaking twice. In the end I had no choice but to file it off as gently as possible. The client had her toes done there too and felt awful so said she would use acetone to get them off before her next appointment and that didn't touch it either so I had to file them too

I think your client has had them done on holiday and didn't want to say anything (annoying but I think some clients feel like they've cheated on you so don't say or think you'll take it as a complaint) maybe you could just say that you have looked into it and just want to check she didn't have anything applied anywhere else? She might just think all 'gel polish' is the same and doesn't realise it could be that, or be so mortified that you've had to sort it out or if you offer free soak off if you've done the previous set, may not have said for that reason.

Sorry I can't offer any advise on how to remove it as I had to file but hope you get it sorted out xx

 

[NancySyd]

Today I had a regular client in for Shellac removal & application.
The last couple of times she's been in, her nails have been very weak as she got taken into hospital very suddenly a little while ago and had to pick her Shellac off as she needed surgery.
So today she came in and her Shellac WOULD NOT budge. Every other time since she picked it off has been normal - it's dissolved in 5 minutes or so. Today I tried everything!
I used all the usual stuff - Dissolve, cotton pads and Stylfile clips. After 10 minutes I tried foil instead of the clips and after another 5 minutes I buffed the top coat off.
I really didn't want to file the Shellac off as her nails are already damaged. In the end, I had to buff away what I could and reapply over what was left.
I dont understand!! I do around 15-20 sets of Shellac every week and have never ever had a problem, especially not anything like this. The client hadn't put anything extra on her nails.
Has anyone got any ideas??!! I'm now dreading her next appointment in case I can't get today's colour off either!
I just want some sort of explanation more than anything. It's just so bizarre!

I think that a few things have probably occurred. The first is that she did have her nails done by someone else and was embarrassed to admit it. Who knows what was put on her nails! Secondly, her nails were damaged by picking off the Shellac. That makes for porous nails that cling to the base coat more tenaciously. The last related thing is that damaged nails "absorb" (for lack of a better word) base coat and color coats which cause a thicker application than on strong healthy nails. So you have a nasty combination of unknown product, greater adhesion and a thicker coat. I find what works for me is pure acetone and heat - a flax bag or heated mittens (heated and then unplugged). I find that the moisturizers in some removers can interfere with removal - not a problem with healthy nails (or good products), but an issue with difficult removals. You may have to make several passes at it, but eventually it will release.

 

[Effi Briest]

I had something similar. In the end my client told me that the girl who did her nails used a Calgel product in a tub as top and base coat and only Shellac as colour.