Shellac base coat, can it be overcured?

[Anna from Toronto]

I dont have a 10 sec timer so I set my lamp to 2 min and I work on the other hand while the fist one is curing.

Can the base coat be overcured?

I find soaking off very easy but sometimes (esp with lighter colors) I find that there is a tiny bit of base coat that remains on the nail that is kind of difficult to remove even with the pad soaked with acetone.
Not a big deal at all, otherwise I'm totally impressed

 

[Wee Fee]

I dont have a 10 sec timer so I set my lamp to 2 min and I work on the other hand while the fist one is curing.

Can the base coat be overcured?

I find soaking off very easy but sometimes (esp with lighter colors) I find that there is a tiny bit of base coat that remains on the nail that is kind of difficult to remove even with the pad soaked with acetone.
Not a big deal at all, otherwise I'm totally impressed

Hi Anna,
so glad you are impressed with Shellac What is your favorite colour so far?

As you know, the recommended time to cure the Shellac UV Base Coat is 10 seconds in either the CND Brisa Lamp or the new CND UV Lamp.
Both these lamps have a 10 second option so I guess you are using a different lamp all together?
If using the CND Brisa Lamp of New CND UV Lamp there would be no problem exposing the Shellac UV Base Coat to extra time in the Lamp, as after the 10 seconds it's cured perfectly and totally stable - you could have it under that lamp for another hour and it would be unaffected. BUT why would anyone do this when the correct lamp has a 10 second timer option?
So, you can't overcure the Shellac Base Coat in the correct Lamp, but you CAN overcure it with the wrong lamp, even in the recommended 10 second time period.

I strongly recommend getting a hold of the appropriate lamp. Using any other Lamp is likely to lead to over/under curing, removal being effected, wearability being compromised, etc.
We promise clients 14 days of flawless wear with Shellac - but you absolutely CAN NOT promise this to your clients if you are breaking the system in this way.
Invest in the new CND UV Lamp, it's so awesome, you'll high five me later

Hope this answers your question Anna,
good luck Shellacing

 

[Anna from Toronto]

Hello Fiona.. sorry, i have a second between clients so I wanted to quickly answer your question.
I'm using Light Elegance lamp. It has 3 x 9 watt Philips bulbs which are closer to the fingers then regular lamp. The interior is all lined with reflective material.
I read all the specs on the lamps (written by Jim McConnel) and that one is even a little bit stronger then Brisa regular lamp.
I have Brisa lamp too... but since I have to cure thumb separately, I went with LE.
The new CND lamps are not available yet here in Ontario.

edited to add:
My favourite color? Difficult to choose
Red Baroness- I applied as soon as I got the colors. Wildfire looks AWESOME too...

Most popular colors in the salon?
Red Baroness
Tropix
Wildfire
Negligee or Romantique & Negligee combo (I layer them)
Fedora

 

[Anna from Toronto]

Just an update:

I finally got the CND lamp and now I use 10 second cure for base coat... and voila! The Shellac soaks off better!
Before it soaked off just fine but I had little gritty stuff stuck on the nail.. now the color slides off much better and whatever is left behind comes off easily with the orangewood stick.

Also, I'm not having any issues with little chips here and there. The lamp DOES make a difference. It's more then worth the price you pay.

Well.... lesson learned- listen to the manufacturer :o

 

[Wee Fee]

Just an update:

I finally got the CND lamp and now I use 10 second cure for base coat... and voila! The Shellac soaks off better!
Before it soaked off just fine but I had little gritty stuff stuck on the nail.. now the color slides off much better and whatever is left behind comes off easily with the orangewood stick.

Also, I'm not having any issues with little chips here and there. The lamp DOES make a difference. It's more then worth the price you pay.

Well.... lesson learned- listen to the manufacturer :o

Hi Anna, so glad you are delighted with your lamp! Thank you for your update.
Hope your profits are increasing and your clients are hooked for years to come!

 

[LahNails]

Just an update:

I finally got the CND lamp and now I use 10 second cure for base coat... and voila! The Shellac soaks off better!
Before it soaked off just fine but I had little gritty stuff stuck on the nail.. now the color slides off much better and whatever is left behind comes off easily with the orangewood stick.

Also, I'm not having any issues with little chips here and there. The lamp DOES make a difference. It's more then worth the price you pay.

Well.... lesson learned- listen to the manufacturer :o

Hi anna, I am a new nail tech in the Toronto area, You say you found chipping was less with the CND lamp? I am finding it hard to bring myself to spending the money on it and i have had problems with my gel chipping ( I was using Gelish in an average 36 watt lamp)
I guess my question to you is, do you think i should invest in the lamp to have better results for my clients when i use CND shellac?

Thanks !

 

[geeg]

You MUST use the CND Lamp or you will have service breakdown.

Read and learn my friend.

http://www.salongeek.com/nail-geek/172609-uv-product-summary.html

 

['chelle]

I do get confused when I hear people say they dont use the CND lamp with shellac because they dont want to spend that sort of money. I'm not posting this to have a go at anyone, but to offer my point of view on this which will hopefully help other techs who may be thinking about branching out into shellac but economising on the lamp.

Basically there is no economising. You will eventually end up needing to buy the CND lamp so you save yourself nothing by starting off with a cheap lamp. Another lamp will not cure the shellac properly. It may end up under-cured in which case you risk over exposure on your client, even if the product looks fully cured, or you risk over-cure which is what occurs when product is cured with too high a UV output in which case you will get service breakdown. Either way your end result is a less than professional treatment.

Which leads me to my point. Your client is paying you for a professional service, therefore they are entitled to receive one, frankly by not providing your client with a professional service from start to finish you are ripping them off, and I will stand by that remark if anyone chooses to take offence! If I pay for a salon treatment I expect that the therapist/tech is fully qualified and insured, well turned out, up to date on the industry, using the leading professional products, performing the service professionally and following all manufacturer guidelines for the products they use. Nothing in that list is above and beyond the call of duty, they are the basics that our clients should expect, and if we fail to observe just one of those points we are letting them down.

Consider this: if you went to the hairdressers for a hair colour, you would expect the stylist to use the correct %vol peroxide to get the optimum results for that colour to develop. What if your colour needed a 40%vol but your stylist has got some 20%vol for cheaper so has decided to use that instead. If you found out that your stylist had used the wrong product because it was cheaper you would not be happy that they had parted you with your money on the pretence of providing a professional service, and you'd be right to be unhappy. Our clients dont know the ins and outs of nail services so they dont know about the lamp issue, but I'm sure if they knew that some of their techs are using the wrong lamps they would be asking for their money back, and I for one would agree that they are entitled to it.

Our industry is so over populated now, and its vital that we make sure that each and every client we see receives the very best service we can possibly offer, if not there's always a tech around the corner who's willing to do a better job than you did, so by using a cheaper lamp you are saving yourself nothing, you are just robbing yourself of repeat business and positive word of mouth in the long run.

You wouldnt use a gel brush rather than a l&p brush just because its cheaper - why not? Because it doesnt do the job. The same applies to your CND lamp.

You've already decided to invest in a leading product, Shellac is amazing and clients ask for it by name, so dont fall at the last hurdle by trying to save money on your lamp :Love: