Strictly Shellac or not?

[Barbara Perdomo]

I will be opening my salon in a few weeks. I am CND certified and want to carry the CND line exclusively. I've considered bringing in OPI & Essie polishes BUT keeping Shellac only as the gel option because I've had a few people tell me I may want to have a secondary and even a third brand (polish and gel polish) in the salon as I may have clients that will ask me for something other than the CND line, and I may not want to lose those clients for marrying the CND line. Your thoughts? And, if you suggest a secondary or third, what would those be?

 

[es22x]

Shellac does not suit every client, so I do think it's worth investing in another brand. I love INK Londons iLac!

 

[asteropi]

Although Shellac is a fabulous line, it's not meant for weak brittle nails as it's a hybrid polish. You need to invest in a pure gel polish line too to cover those clients. Gelish is one of them, not sure about the others

 

[noreenoconnor]

I only use CND products in my salon and am proud to say I'm CND Exclusive.

If nails are damaged or weak shellac may not last a full two weeks, but instead of using a different gel polish , I usually get to to root of the problem with clients and help them to achieve stronger healthier nails, or to choose a more suitable nail coating such as gel or L&P.

I've found that clients with weak or damaged nails who use a different gel polish , still don't get amazing results. Just because you use a pure gel polish on weak or damaged nails does not mean that they will have flawless results , they can still chip and peel. You only need to look at the boards here to see people have problem nails with all gel polish systems.

Because gel polish is so popular in salons, I think both techs and clients try to fit everyone in to this category. But if your clients nails simply are not suitable for a gel polish, it makes more sense to choose the correct coating for them rather than trying to fit them with a different brand.

 

[blossom]

Agree with the others, CND shellac performs poorly on thin weak nails

I stock a smaller range of gellux for these folk - it's cheaper to buy but takes longer to get off so I charge the same. But is virtually indestructible!

Not tried ink but hear it's very good

 

[Barbara Perdomo]

I only use CND products in my salon and am proud to say I'm CND Exclusive.

If nails are damaged or weak shellac may not last a full two weeks, but instead of using a different gel polish , I usually get to to root of the problem with clients and help them to achieve stronger healthier nails, or to choose a more suitable nail coating such as gel or L&P.

I've found that clients with weak or damaged nails who use a different gel polish , still don't get amazing results. Just because you use a pure gel polish on weak or damaged nails does not mean that they will have flawless results , they can still chip and peel. You only need to look at the boards here to see people have problem nails with all gel polish systems.

Because gel polish is so popular in salons, I think both techs and clients try to fit everyone in to this category. But if your clients nails simply are not suitable for a gel polish, it makes more sense to choose the correct coating for them rather than trying to fit them with a different brand.

I am mutually proud of the brand, the education and support is in a class all its own, in my opinion. I thank you for your insight all the way from the US!

 

[Persephannie]

Why don't you think about something that will soak off but can go under shellac to give strength? You could do gelish structure gel under the shellac and save money on having to carry a whole other line. That way you could just invest in the gelish top, base, lamp and structure without having to carry the whole color line. Buff the top then apply the complete shellac manicure system. Hard gel overlay or l&p for those who need even more strength.