sadie1234567
Member
Hey
Any one any comments on using shellac polish with a standard uv lamp please ??
Thanks
Any one any comments on using shellac polish with a standard uv lamp please ??
Thanks
Shellac with standard UV lamp?
- Thread starter sadie1234567
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Hi Sadie, Shellac will only be fully cured with the CND lamp or the older, Brisa lamp.
Misstoniilou
Well-Known Member
I normally agree with peopple here when i've read about mixing products etc but on this one, UV light is UV light. Slapping a shellac label on a UV lamp does not change that. If shellac requires 9/18/36w of uv light to cure then it doesn't matter whether the source providing that says 'CND shellac' on it or not.
I've been using UV lights for various things (not just nails) for over 10 years and my partner is a qualified electrician with 7 years experience mainly working with lighting.
As good a company as CND are they do not have the ability to change UV light into anything more or add any qualities to it.
If you're not confident then buy theirs but this is one of the few areas where the label/brand doesn't matter here.
Obviously CND would not be able to offer assistance if you had a problem and weren't using their product though.
I've been using UV lights for various things (not just nails) for over 10 years and my partner is a qualified electrician with 7 years experience mainly working with lighting.
As good a company as CND are they do not have the ability to change UV light into anything more or add any qualities to it.
If you're not confident then buy theirs but this is one of the few areas where the label/brand doesn't matter here.
Obviously CND would not be able to offer assistance if you had a problem and weren't using their product though.
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Natasha chapman
Active Member
I've always used shellac with a normal uv light and never had a problem at all always cured fine
LizOmen
Well-Known Member
nails magazine had a very interesting article this month about product curing. how it can look cured but is really only 40%
JERSEY JOCK
Well-Known Member
Doug Schoon's articles are the ones to read up on.
This is a common misconception.
Saying UV light is UV light and therefore all lamps that produce UV Light can do the job is like saying any engine can run any car just because an engine uses energy converted from petrol. If the source of UV light was unimportant, we wouldn't need nail lamps as daylight alone would work. Or even standard florescent bulbs used to light rooms (they too emit UV light).
Light cured products are designed with UV output (and wavelength) in mind. There is such a crazy level of disparity between UV output between manufacturers of lamps that it is pretty much impossible to create a light cured product that will work consistently in a wide variety of lamps.
Please take the time to look into this issue. IMO, it is currently the single greatest threat to the nail profession.
Here are some links to get more informed:
Misstoniilou
Well-Known Member
I wondered how long that would take.
Sorry but uv light at the same strength, same arrangement and same conditions does not change by scrawling 'cnd shellac' on the box. That is a scientific fact.
CND dont even make their own either (may be wrong happy to be corrected there). Obviously you're a distributor are't you, so you're not actually allowed to admit that lol.
Sorry but uv light at the same strength, same arrangement and same conditions does not change by scrawling 'cnd shellac' on the box. That is a scientific fact.
CND dont even make their own either (may be wrong happy to be corrected there). Obviously you're a distributor are't you, so you're not actually allowed to admit that lol.
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Misstoniilou
Well-Known Member
Just to point out though, im nt saying you should whack it under any uv. Im saying if youre confident you knw your lighting and electronics to be able to get it right then it would be fine. If not dont.
But that's the point - not all UV lamps are made at the same strength, same arrangement and same conditions. Just look at the variety that are available to purchase and you can see how different they all are. Bulb placements are different. Some bulbs will cover a large range of the UV spectrum some smaller. Some are five finger cure some are four. They are different depending on the specific requirements of the UV polish.
Sure companies that don't have their own R&D will bulk buy white label polishes and lamps and have them branded. But there are a few companies who do develop their own polishes and will source an independent manufacturer to create their own lamp to their own specific requirements so that it matches their polishes precisely. CND are not the only brand who do this but they are only one of a few who do. To me this is what makes them stand apart from them rest!
I would strongly recommend that you research further about how UV actually works. Doug Schoon is an excellent source of independent material on the topic. He is tied to no specific brand but he knows his science! Once you have all the facts then you can make informed decisions.
Also, for those who say they 'know' their product is fully cured I would ask how do you know? Cured gel will be hard to the touch at just 50% cure yet can still be a potential for an overexposure allergic reaction because it is not fully cured.
They only way you can 100% say that you 'know' is to either use the recommended lamp or have one of the fancy machines they have in their R&D laboratories to test it. Doubt any nail tech owns one of those!
They only way you can 100% say that you 'know' is to either use the recommended lamp or have one of the fancy machines they have in their R&D laboratories to test it. Doubt any nail tech owns one of those!
Misstoniilou
Well-Known Member
Pure - which is why i said if youre not confident dont do it.
If you know what youre doing you would be able to. CND dont breathe magic fairy dust and unicorn vomit into their proucts. Its simple science.
Admittedly, the time and effort involved in this would probably make it not very worth bothering lol.
If you know what youre doing you would be able to. CND dont breathe magic fairy dust and unicorn vomit into their proucts. Its simple science.
Admittedly, the time and effort involved in this would probably make it not very worth bothering lol.
Confidence doesn't come into though unless you have a scientific method of testing whether your product is cured or not. See my post above
And as for fairy dust and unicorn vomit....really? I thought we were talking scientific facts here
Misstoniilou
Well-Known Member
Leave my fairies and unicorns alone!!
Sorry if I offended you. I thought I replied in a positive and constructive manner.
I would agree that UV light at the same strength, the same distance and placement (I assume that is what you mean) and the same wavelength would do the job, but that isn't what you inferred nor what I posted about. Sadly, many will read your post thinking that a multitude of lamps meet that criteria when in fact, they do not.
And yes, CND do not manufacture their lamp (much like Apple doesn't manufacture their phones). They design their lamp to emit the correct amount, intensity and wavelength required to correctly and completely cure their light cured products. This isn't unique to CND - other brands do the same. That is why it is important to match the two together and follow the manufacturers instructions. Just as it is important for all professionals to get educated on the subject.
And yes... I am a distributor, but I fail to see what I am supposedly not allowed to admit? I would be saying the exact same thing about using intermixing Gelish and some generic lamp because "UV is UV". I am pretty sure if you go through my post history you will see me doing that very thing. I try to help people with facts, education and support irrespective of what products they use. That is why I created this site.
sadie1234567
Member
Ellie74
Active Member
Clearly your
Regards
Ellie
Clearly your 10 years experience and your partners 7 years as a qualified electrician has counted for nothing on here as you are not banging the Same CND drum that people are getting brain washed with.
Regards
Ellie
Really now. Multiple scientists in the field all convey the same factual information, even those in competition with CND... but somehow this is CND brainwashing? I would have actually called that education.
Im all for disagreeing and debate (especially with facts), that is healthy. This kind of response is not.
NancySyd
Well-Known Member
I have to disagree with you (somewhat) here. While CND certainly can't change the nature of UV light, getting a proper cure is more than a matter of just having a light. And while electrically, lights might be the same, unless you have a spectrometer to measure it, you can't tell that the output is very different. A light not only has to emit the right frequency of light, it also has to be the correct distance and evenly cover the target area for the appropriate time, So, yes, CND can change UV light into something more than it is through reflection and hand placement for proper cure. While I'd agree that CND has been overly proprietary about the lamp issue, I think the science still holds. Some brands are more lenient and specify only the attributes of a proper light (36 watt UV lamp), or recommend extending the times. But CND has taken a stricter approach, largely due to the different and fewer photo initiators in Shellac. Most importantly, since there is no easily accessible means of determining a proper cure, and gels harden at about 55% cured, we are all at the mercy of "follow the manufacturer's instructions" regardless of the brand when it comes to a cure.
Now, I have chosen not to use CND Shellac anymore because of its strictures (along with other issues). I believe that if you use a product, you ought to use it correctly. This new lamp is not sufficient to bring me back into the fold, but I do think it is a nice step forward for those who do choose Shellac.
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