CND Shellac - half empty bottle, wasted product?

[Suzanne Wilkinson]

Hello,

I am new to Salon Geek and this is my first post so I hope I am doing it right!

The salon that I work with have been stocking CND Shellac for years and have always had near perfect results all the time, with the exception of a few clients who just aren't suitable for it or are nibblers/pickers! However, for the past 8 months to a year the girls and I have been having quite a few problems with some (if not most) of the colours where the bottles are half empty. They are thick and gluggy and almost impossible to be go on thin.

My full procedure which I have always followed is:

-Soak for 15 minutes if its a repeat client.
-Fully prep nail and scrub fresh all nails.
-Base coat one hand with CND Base Coat and insert into CND UV Lamp.
-Base coat other hand and insert into lamp once first has completed
-Put first thin layer of selected colour on both thumbs and cure
-Put second thin layer on both thumbs and cure
-(Repeat above steps if wishy washy colour)
-Put first thin layer on pinky and ring finger and cure
-Repeat on other hand
-Put second thin layer on pinky and ring finger and cure
-Repeat on other hand
-(Repeat above steps if wishy washy colour)
-Put thin layer on remaining 2 fingers and cure
-Repeat on other hand
-Put second thin layer on remaining 2 fingers and cure
-Repeat on other hand
-(Repeat above steps if wishy washy colour)
-Apply CND Top Coat to first hand and cure
-Repeat on other hand
-Apply Solar Oil.

We have been back to CND (which is literally 10 minutes drive from our salon which is great) I can't tell you how many times complaining but they always have an answer like: Roll the bottle, don't shake it or, sit on the colour and top coat to keep it warm before application or, heat it in a cup of hot water prior to application. To me these are excuses, I am beginning to get quite frustrated with it as i don't actually find it acceptable that there are so many rules to follow to apply a Gel Polish to get a good result. I get the shaking/rolling aspect of it of course but to have it at the right temperature to work?

Its like the gel has almost run out by the time you get half way down the bottle. We have so many bottles now that none of us will even attempt to use because we just foresee issues and would rather use a new bottle which as I am sure you are all aware, can be pretty costly!

So any ideas, is it just us, are we doing something wrong or is anyone else out there having the same issues?

Many thanks in advance

 

[noreenoconnor]

A few questions for you

Are the threads in the neck of the bottle clogged with product?

How often do you shake the bottles and how long do you shake them for?

How hot is it in the salon?

 

[attitude]

Why are you doing a few fingers at a time?

 

[Suzanne Wilkinson]

A few questions for you

Are the threads in the neck of the bottle clogged with product?

How often do you shake the bottles and how long do you shake them for?

How hot is it in the salon?

Hi,

Are the threads in the neck of the bottle clogged with product? Sometimes yes but not always and if they are we are careful in cleaning them up with a little acetone on a fibre less pad.

How often do you shake the bottles and how long do you shake them for? Currently we roll it for around 30 seconds before putting the bottle either under our bum or in-between thighs and then roll again for a minute or so prior to application.

How hot is it in the salon? The salon is huge but very minimalist, we have 4 nails stations and a reception desk. in the winter it is very cold in the morning but soon heats up with the heating which is great. At first we actually thought it might have been the temperature of the shop being cold so when they suggested the heating it up thing we were quite impressed and surprised we hadn't thought of it prior, however, since the weather had been nice and we haven't needed the heating on and still experiencing the issues thats when we started to think it was more of an excuse. I saying that the heating of the product does help sometimes but not alway.

 

[Suzanne Wilkinson]

Why are you doing a few fingers at a time?

When we first started to use the product we found it shrunk back from the free edge a little and found ourselves blast curing a few fingers at a time to stop it, however, it soon just got to be a little habit and we have done it ever since. We also use Bio Sculpture Gel in the salon but we don't do it with that. Salon quirk I suppose

 

[noreenoconnor]

Shellac is a hydrid polish, the solvents in it are very important if you haven't been shaking it correctly from the start or if the necks of the bottles are clogged the solvent ratio will have been greatly diminished. when this has happened there is no alternative other than to buy a new bottle

look at a clock and shake the bottle for the normal amount of time you normally shake them for ... I only mention this as I thought I was shaking for 30 seconds when in reality it was more like 10 , I have been shaking my new bottles for far longer and have noticed a big difference in consistency and application of the product

Also why are you curing thumbs separately, are you using a another brand of uv lamp or the CND lamp?

 

[Suzanne Wilkinson]

Shellac is a hydrid polish, the solvents in it are very important if you haven't been shaking it correctly from the start or if the necks of the bottles are clogged the solvent ratio will have been greatly diminished. when this has happened there is no alternative other than to buy a new bottle

look at a clock and shake the bottle for the normal amount of time you normally shake them for ... I only mention this as I thought I was shaking for 30 seconds when in reality it was more like 10 , I have been shaking my new bottles for far longer and have noticed a big difference in consistency and application of the product

Also why are you curing thumbs separately, are you using a another brand of uv lamp or the CND lamp?

When we first started having problems with it we did talk and admit we probably weren't shaking the bottles as much as we should so we started to make sure we were shaking it properly. I have even in-between hands, closing the bottle and shaking again just to be thorough.

The thumbs being cured separately is nothing more that a silly quirk we started years ago, when we first started using Shellac we found it shrinking back from the free edge often so we blast cured it to stop it and it just stuck from there. As for the lamp, it is the standard CND UV Lamp that we use, the white one?

 

[attitude]

When we first started having problems with it we did talk and admit we probably weren't shaking the bottles as much as we should so we started to make sure we were shaking it properly. I have even in-between hands, closing the bottle and shaking again just to be thorough.

The thumbs being cured separately is nothing more that a silly quirk we started years ago, when we first started using Shellac we found it shrinking back from the free edge often so we blast cured it to stop it and it just stuck from there. As for the lamp, it is the standard CND UV Lamp that we use, the white one?

It's just you're wasting a lot of time doing that. Also, if your bottles are ever open during this time, it's causing the solvents to evaporate, thus making your Shellac thicker.

 

[noreenoconnor]

you can shake the bottles all you want but if the solvents have already evaporated then it's not going to make much difference , the shaking is what mixs the solvents and solids together , if there's no solvents there's nothing to mix it with , hearing the product can help slightly but not much , if it's gloopy chuck it and start fresh , expensive yes but not as expensive as constant redos or losing clients

Also make sure you teach yourself and your staff how to correctly remove the brush from the bottle when painting, there is no need to clean the necks of the bottle if the brush is used correctly , this will save both time and product

Swirl the stem of the brush and remove product from the brush using the inside of the neck of the bottle

 

[pure]

It's just you're wasting a lot of time doing that. Also, if your bottles are ever open during this time, it's causing the solvents to evaporate, thus making your Shellac thicker.

Totally agree with this.
You're taking far too long presumably to perform the service because you are fiddling around doing one or two nails at a time, the bottle will be open and all the solvents will be escaping into the atmosphere and making the product go thick. My advice would be to stop this salon quirk, apply it properly and you should see your problem disappear.

 

[dee76_red]

Why are you doing a few fingers at a time?

Where I used to go they did a couple at a time!

 

[attitude]

Where I used to go they did a couple at a time!

Your point? If you use the proper lamp and procedure this is completely unnecessary, and is causing the OPs problem.

 

[Suzanne Wilkinson]

Thank you everyone.

I have to admit though, doing it the way I do it doesn't take me any longer than doing it normally. However I will tell the team to try it the normal way for a month and see if we get any better results with the bottles.

 

[attitude]

Then you have to start with new bottles, as Noreen has explained.

 

[CFBS]

Is it possible your bulbs need changing too?

 

[iamaleximus]

I would really try get out of the habit of curing 2 fingers here 2 fingers there if your going to do that you may as well just go one hand at a time for a full procedure finish one and move to the other! I wouldn't use acetone to clean the neck of the bottle and brush etc. If you really need to clean up I was told to use Isopropyl alcohol as it completely evaporates.

 

[dee76_red]

Your point? If you use the proper lamp and procedure this is completely unnecessary, and is causing the OPs problem.

My "point" was to say Suzanne wasn't the only person to do it this way...."right or wrong".
I totally understand this forum is to help people and share experiences....however, I do find your attitude towards people not as experienced as yourself, condescending and slightly rude....is there really any need? Or is this why you name yourself as you do?

 

[attitude]

MY point was, her bottles being exposed to air so often are causing the problem. The OP was asking why her product was thickening. That, and as others said, not shaking enough, are what caused it. The OP wanted to prevent thickening, and because you've been somewhere where they apply the same, doesn't help the OP.

Feel free to click "ignore" if my "attitude" bothers you.

 

[jacquelineanna]

When we are half way down the shellac bottle we open a new one, when that is half way down the bottle we decant the first half bottle into the second half bottle and keep going in that manner.
Some colours are terrible for pulling back from the free edge ... If you need to do two fingers at a time it's not a problem, it's not any slower and it solves an issue. What's to worry about

 

[noreenoconnor]

When we are half way down the shellac bottle we open a new one, when that is half way down the bottle we decant the first half bottle into the second half bottle and keep going in that manner.
Some colours are terrible for pulling back from the free edge ... If you need to do two fingers at a time it's not a problem, it's not any slower and it solves an issue. What's to worry about

I wouldn't recommend this, You are upsetting the solvent to solid ratio and as a result your polish may be thicker which may cause service breakdown.

It's better practice to start with a fresh bottle every time.