Layering OPI Gelcolour and Shellac

SalonGeek

Help Support SalonGeek:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

coolies_babe

New Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2012
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Location
Sydney
Hi, has anyone tried layering OPI gelcolour and shellac my local supplier told us that alot of salons in the area are doing it. i personally prefer shellac but i understand why ppl what to use opi colours... some are doing opt top n base n shellac colour ( apparently its easier and quicker removal) and some are doing shellac top and base and opi colour as some think they hav a better colour range... has anyone else tried this out?
 
The systems aren't meant to be mixed. Use all CND for your Shellac service and all OPI products for your Gelcolor services.
 
I think intermixing systems is (one of?) the dirty little secrets of this profession. Generally speaking, manufacturers instruct against it, but lots of people do it (and not just with gel/polish). In the DIY universe, we do it all the time, but I would look askance at a pro who did it.

Gelish advertises that its base and top coats can be used with any system, but CND Shellac says no to that. Yet Shellac, with its easy removal and fewer colours, is one of the most sought after brands for intermixing.

I think that this is one of those issues, along with the lamp issue, that will have to be resolved over the next year or two. When there were only a couple of manufacturers, "stay within the system" and "use only our lamp" made sense, and manufacturers could dictate the terms. But now, with dozens of systems out there and techs using multiple systems, it is cost prohibitive to have the lamp for every system. Two years ago, there wasn't a lot of choice in terms of systems; now, if one system doesn't do what we need, we can just move on to the next. Similarly, clients more and more want us to mix systems to get the best of each one - the easy removal of CND Shellac or OPI, the acetone resistance of Gelish, the color choices of ACG or Just Gel, the matching polishes of LeChat, Orly or Geleration. It is properly the role of professionals to customize their services to the benefit of the client. But how much is too much? CND has made it clear that for Shellac, using another lamp or intermixing is too much. Gelish says go for it. What is your liability in intermixing? I think these are the questions that techs and manufacturers will have to resolve in concert.
 
I think intermixing systems is (one of?) the dirty little secrets of this profession. Generally speaking, manufacturers instruct against it, but lots of people do it (and not just with gel/polish). In the DIY universe, we do it all the time, but I would look askance at a pro who did it.

Gelish advertises that its base and top coats can be used with any system, but CND Shellac says no to that. Yet Shellac, with its easy removal and fewer colours, is one of the most sought after brands for intermixing.

I think that this is one of those issues, along with the lamp issue, that will have to be resolved over the next year or two. When there were only a couple of manufacturers, "stay within the system" and "use only our lamp" made sense, and manufacturers could dictate the terms. But now, with dozens of systems out there and techs using multiple systems, it is cost prohibitive to have the lamp for every system. Two years ago, there wasn't a lot of choice in terms of systems; now, if one system doesn't do what we need, we can just move on to the next. Similarly, clients more and more want us to mix systems to get the best of each one - the easy removal of CND Shellac or OPI, the acetone resistance of Gelish, the color choices of ACG or Just Gel, the matching polishes of LeChat, Orly or Geleration. It is properly the role of professionals to customize their services to the benefit of the client. But how much is too much? CND has made it clear that for Shellac, using another lamp or intermixing is too much. Gelish says go for it. What is your liability in intermixing? I think these are the questions that techs and manufacturers will have to resolve in concert.


I don't understand what the "DIY universe" has any opinion on this ? when it is Professional use only products that are being discussed!


Anyway ...... Shellac is not supposed to be mixed , it is a system please use it as one hun ,give the clients the full system that they are comming to you for , not half Shellac half OPI , sensitivity's to products take time to manifest .. don't put your self or your clients at risk even if it dose work . I also think you should report your local distributer to CND.
 
Hi, has anyone tried layering OPI gelcolour and shellac my local supplier told us that alot of salons in the area are doing it. i personally prefer shellac but i understand why ppl what to use opi colours... some are doing opt top n base n shellac colour ( apparently its easier and quicker removal) and some are doing shellac top and base and opi colour as some think they hav a better colour range... has anyone else tried this out?

It is called a system for a reason, because it is a complete system from start to finish and makes for the optimum performance of your enhancements. I would also have thought it will make your insurance invalid if you mix systems? I can however understand about poor colour selection which is why I opted for Gelish, I know I would have gotten slightly bored using any other gel polish brand because of the lack of choice. I always think it's best to stick with what you are taught and keep searching until you find the system which is best for you. Hth's Xx
 
I don't understand what the "DIY universe" has any opinion on this ? when it is Professional use only products that are being discussed!

There's no need to get hinky about it. : ) If you read the sentence after the one you highlighted you'd see that I said that it is inappropriate for pros to do this. But you should certainly be cognizant of the fact that these products are already available to anyone and are likely to become completely available to consumers fairly soon. The profession will be impacted by the DIY universe and the demands they create among your clients.

If only as a competition issue, you should at least be aware that other salons do this, that DIYers do this and that some manufacturers not only allow for it, they advertise it. This is an issue for pros because it strikes directly at the point of how much customization you can do within the parameters of the manufacturer's instructions. Honestly, if all you do is what is written in the manufacturers' instructions, I don't need a pro. I need a pro to bring her experience, education and wisdom to choosing, using and customizing the best product(s) for my needs.

Furthermore, you should be aware that intermixing systems is an issue, like lamps, that will be a hot issue as we move forward and that as professionals we should be prepared to have an opinion about how we want to use these products. Do we want to intermix? How could that be done? What benefits accrue from it? What are the dangers or liabilities?
 
Last edited:
It is called a system for a reason, because it is a complete system from start to finish and makes for the optimum performance of your enhancements. I would also have thought it will make your insurance invalid if you mix systems? I can however understand about poor colour selection which is why I opted for Gelish, I know I would have gotten slightly bored using any other gel polish brand because of the lack of choice. I always think it's best to stick with what you are taught and keep searching until you find the system which is best for you. Hth's Xx

But Gelish allows you to use colors from other systems. So it is completely within manufacturer's instructions to intermix in this case.
 
But Gelish allows you to use colors from other systems. So it is completely within manufacturer's instructions to intermix in this case.

Exactly! It was for this reason that I choose Gelish after careful consideration and research. However most other systems do not recommend this and therefore should be followed as a complete system. So your system should be chosen wisely as you can't just mix and match, also you have no idea of how it will affect your clients nails.
 
Exactly! It was for this reason that I choose Gelish after careful consideration and research. However most other systems do not recommend this and therefore should be followed as a complete system. So your system should be chosen wisely as you can't just mix and match, also you have no idea of how it will affect your clients nails.

But this is where it gets interesting. If you're using Gelish and want to use a Shellac colour, Gelish says it's okay, but CND says it's not. So what do you do? That's the kind of discussion I think we professionals ought to be having with the manufacturers.
 
But this is where it gets interesting. If you're using Gelish and want to use a Shellac colour, Gelish says it's okay, but CND says it's not. So what do you do? That's the kind of discussion I think we professionals ought to be having with the manufacturers.

Agreed it is slightly confusing! Although I am a Gelish user and personally would never have the need to use any other colours or brands as my clients luv it just the way it is! Hmmm....
 
It totally baffles me as to why any professional would want, or even consider intermixing Shellac with any other product. You can create hundreds of colours by layering Shellac so there is no need to use any other system IMO.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top