CND Shellac queries

[MissMellons]

I've read numerous posts on here that state that CND Shellac isn't for everyone.
What do people mean by that? What is the alternative if Shellac doesn't work?

I'm trying to make a final decision on a training course for Jan and its just confusing me. I want the best that money can buy but at the same time, I don't want to be using a system that isn't suitable.

 

[blossom]

Hi
I've used CND Shellac for several years

I find it's ok if nails are normal/ strong but on weak bendy nails it chips after a few days or maybe a week

For those people I use Shellac over a gel or acrylic overlay and it lasts 3 weeks obv charging accordingly

It's a gentle system requiring no buffing of the natural nail before application and has a quicker soak off time than some of its competitors

It's been around a while, has a good celebrity following and gets mentioned in magazines somewhat more than other brands

TBH I've sometimes thought of changing (to Ink London perhaps which ppl speak well of here) but
I hold such a massive collection of colours id have to spend a fortune

CND Shellac is not the cheapest to buy and if you're up against strong competition in your area in the price stakes I'd probably recommend going with a cheaper brand if you don't think you'll be able to charge premium prices

 

[Angelaznailz]

Try The Gel Bottle.
Very hard wearing, reasonable, nice bottles. You can build extensions with the brush-on builder Gel too.

 

[blossom]

Try The Gel Bottle.
Very hard wearing, reasonable, nice bottles. You can build extensions with the brush-on builder Gel too.

I do rate the gel bottle as a product, however, it doesn't do the same job as Shellac in my opinion as it's a complete so and so to soak off, you won't soak that off in 10 mins by any stretch of the imagination

I infill it though and it's great but I wouldn't want to soak it off at each appointment, too much like hard work

 

[Shauna06]

I think there are better brands out there. Shellac is well known but that doesn't necessarily mean its the best. It does not last on my or my mums nails whatsoever, I've recently tried another brand and my gel polish lasted 3 weeks before it had a bashing with my car door. It might be ok for those with good natural nails and its really handy to remove but I don't love it.

 

[blossom]

I think there are better brands out there. Shellac is well known but that doesn't necessarily mean its the best. It does not last on my or my mums nails whatsoever, I've recently tried another brand and my gel polish lasted 3 weeks before it had a bashing with my car door. It might be ok for those with good natural nails and its really handy to remove but I don't love it.

Which cheaper brand did you go with Shauna? X

 

[Leggibone]

I like shellac, it applies nicely, but it doesn’t last on my nails, nothing really does without acrylic. But lasts well on my clients, nothing works perfectly on 100% of peoples

 

[tinkerbell80]

I could be wrong, but I see so many people moving away from Shellac now, I have introduced The Gel Bottle alongside my Shellac and no one wants Shellac anymore even those that got on well with it. I actually love Shellac, so I miss it. There are so many systems available now it makes it so so hard to choose from. I’ve been tempted by London Ink and by Artistic Gloss but on The Gel Bottle forum I see people moving from these brands all the time.

 

[Angelaznailz]

I could be wrong, but I see so many people moving away from Shellac now, I have introduced The Gel Bottle alongside my Shellac and no one wants Shellac anymore even those that got on well with it. I actually love Shellac, so I miss it. There are so many systems available now it makes it so so hard to choose from. I’ve been tempted by London Ink and by Artistic Gloss but on The Gel Bottle forum I see people moving from these brands all the time.

I use TGB and Shellac (and I’m using up a couple of OPI gelcolor too). I use TGB base and top coat with them all and have great results.

 

[tinkerbell80]

I use TGB and Shellac (and I’m using up a couple of OPI gelcolor too). I use TGB base and top coat with them all and have great results.

How does Opi compare to the gel bottle and Shellac? Angelaznailz??

 

[willowrose]

How does Opi compare to the gel bottle and Shellac? Angelaznailz??

If they're using the wrong base and top coat for 2/3 brands the comparison is not going to be useful.

I use TGB and Shellac (and I’m using up a couple of OPI gelcolor too). I use TGB base and top coat with them all and have great results.

I would expect to pay a lower price for a diluted service.

 

[noreenoconnor]

CND Shellac is designed for people with healthy natural nails, It gives a longer lasting coating than traditional nail polish, yet has zero nail damage and removes easily in as little as 5 minutes.

If your client has a thin weak or damaged nails, it's unlikely that they would just want a coat of colour, they probably will want a little transformation, such as extra length or added strength to their nails. In these instances shellac would not be a suitable service option, they would need something like gel or liquid and powder to give them the results that they are looking for.

 

[blossom]

CND Shellac is designed for people with healthy natural nails, It gives a longer lasting coating than traditional nail polish, yet has zero nail damage and removes easily in as little as 5 minutes.

If your client has a thin weak or damaged nails, it's unlikely that they would just want a coat of colour, they probably will want a little transformation, such as extra length or added strength to their nails. In these instances shellac would not be a suitable service option, they would need something like gel or liquid and powder to give them the results that they are looking for.

I've been using genuine CND Shellac for 5 or 6 years now and while I love it, I have never ever had a removal in 5 minutes [emoji23] more like 15. Even with acetone stood in hot water to warm it, and a wheat bag on the hands. I can do an application in 30 mins but for a removal and redo I always allow an hour.
Is there anything else I could be doing as a 5 minute removal would be my holy grail

 

[noreenoconnor]

I've been using genuine CND Shellac for 5 or 6 years now and while I love it, I have never ever had a removal in 5 minutes [emoji23] more like 15. Even with acetone stood in hot water to warm it, and a wheat bag on the hands. I can do an application in 30 mins but for a removal and redo I always allow an hour.
Is there anything else I could be doing as a 5 minute removal would be my holy grail

A 5 minute removal time can be achieved when:
-the client has healthy natural nails and you have not buffed the nails prior to application
-the client has come back at 2 weeks
-the client has used their solar oil every day whilst wearing the manicure
-you have used xpress5 topcoat
-you have applied the shellac nice and thin and only used one layer of top coat, and 2 coats of colour

I agree that some clients can be more challenging than others when it comes to removing their shellac! If the nails have been buffed, by another nail technician or you, the shellac has both chemical and mechanical bonding which means it will really grip the nail and be hard to remove. You often see this on clients whose nails are damaged at the tips, the shellac wants to stick there more can be more difficult to remove from these areas

For clients that like to wear their shellac for longer than 2 weeks, the product over cures to the nail and that makes it more difficult to remove. Wearing shellac for longer than 2 weeks can also cause nail damage as the clients nails are more prone to being bashed at a longer length, Also the product naturally deteriorates if worn regularly for longer than 2 weeks which will cause even more nail damage , which in turn will then cause the shellac to be even more stubborn to remove!

Not using solar on their nails every day, will mean that their nails may become brittle and damaged (which will make removal harder) but solar oil also keeps the tiny tunnels clear so that after 2 weeks the acetone can reach the base coat far quicker and will really aid a fast removal time. Also solar oil helps to keep the nails healthy and the healthier the nails the faster the removal.

Application also plays a big role, when shellac was first launched most techs were used to nail polish and were applying shellac too thickly, today i'm finding that most of my students are applying the shellac too thinly! Not enough base coat will actually cause for stubborn removal as it is the base coat that contains quick release polymers that cause the shellac to break up and flake away as easily as it does! Too thick of an application of top coat can also cause a longer soak off time and I typically see this is people who decant the dregs of their last topcoat bottle into the new bottle of top coat

Hope these tips help Blossom, You should be spending no longer than 10 minutes on removal even if some of the above factors are to play... unless of course it's not REAL shellac you're removing! Eurgh , hate it when clients come in from another salon claiming to have shellac on and you know you in for a long haul removal ! lol

 

[tuan]

I think you should use OPI Gel. The chemist at OPI used to work for CND, so the formulations are starting to resemble each other. Shellac is the best gel polish you can buy, but given the options, Shellac is just too high maintenance and expensive for most NTs.

 

[Trinity]

Is there anything else I could be doing as a 5 minute removal would be my holy grail

Are you using a extra prep product such as Protein Bond or a primer? I know lots of techs have started using then and it definitely increases removal time significantly.

 

[tuan]

A 5 minute removal time can be achieved when:
-the client has healthy natural nails and you have not buffed the nails prior to application
-the client has come back at 2 weeks
-the client has used their solar oil every day whilst wearing the manicure
-you have used xpress5 topcoat
-you have applied the shellac nice and thin and only used one layer of top coat, and 2 coats of colour

I agree that some clients can be more challenging than others when it comes to removing their shellac! If the nails have been buffed, by another nail technician or you, the shellac has both chemical and mechanical bonding which means it will really grip the nail and be hard to remove. You often see this on clients whose nails are damaged at the tips, the shellac wants to stick there more can be more difficult to remove from these areas

For clients that like to wear their shellac for longer than 2 weeks, the product over cures to the nail and that makes it more difficult to remove. Wearing shellac for longer than 2 weeks can also cause nail damage as the clients nails are more prone to being bashed at a longer length, Also the product naturally deteriorates if worn regularly for longer than 2 weeks which will cause even more nail damage , which in turn will then cause the shellac to be even more stubborn to remove!

Not using solar on their nails every day, will mean that their nails may become brittle and damaged (which will make removal harder) but solar oil also keeps the tiny tunnels clear so that after 2 weeks the acetone can reach the base coat far quicker and will really aid a fast removal time. Also solar oil helps to keep the nails healthy and the healthier the nails the faster the removal.

Application also plays a big role, when shellac was first launched most techs were used to nail polish and were applying shellac too thickly, today i'm finding that most of my students are applying the shellac too thinly! Not enough base coat will actually cause for stubborn removal as it is the base coat that contains quick release polymers that cause the shellac to break up and flake away as easily as it does! Too thick of an application of top coat can also cause a longer soak off time and I typically see this is people who decant the dregs of their last topcoat bottle into the new bottle of top coat

Hope these tips help Blossom, You should be spending no longer than 10 minutes on removal even if some of the above factors are to play... unless of course it's not REAL shellac you're removing! Eurgh , hate it when clients come in from another salon claiming to have shellac on and you know you in for a long haul removal ! lol

You've kinda blew my mind on some of the stuff, despite the subject at hand.

So you should not buff the nails at all? What happens if the gel comes off before 2 weeks? Doesn't a thicker layer of base coat become harder to cure?

 

[noreenoconnor]

You've kinda blew my mind on some of the stuff, despite the subject at hand.

So you should not buff the nails at all? What happens if the gel comes off before 2 weeks? Doesn't a thicker layer of base coat become harder to cure?

CND protocols have never had buffing as part of the service, It's main selling point is zero nail damage and this can only be achieved if not buffing the nails Regular buffing of the nails will thin them out and most certainly cause damage over time.

If you remove the gel before 2 weeks the shellac will remove more easily however removing shellac too often, such as once a week, will dry out the natural nails. When Shellac is used as directed it works beautifully, and is a far superior product IMO. The only times I see people having trouble with it is when they are not using it as directed or the client is not a suitable candidate for the treatment.

Yes a thick layer of base coat will be harder to cure, It should not be a thick layer, it should be a thin layer, however over the years I have seen people take the thinness to the extreme and having not enough product on the brush and dragging it over the nail doesn't leave a thin layer , it leaves a non existent layer with gaps or holes in it which will cause problems with removal, and even possible staining of the natural nail!