How To Do Shellac Nails
…The Right Way!
Hi, my name is Jocelyn and I am the local nail guru here at Polishpedia.com
…I have been doing Shellac ever since it came out back in 2010. Wow it has been that long?
There are two groups of people when it comes to Shellac.
You either love it or you hate it.
1. You love it because it really lasts for 2 weeks and it looks absolutely amazing.
2. You hate it because it doesn’t last for 2 weeks and looks terrible.
Let’s All Love It…Here Is The First Step
**Don’t Do These 3 Things When Applying Shellac!
These are the top 3 things to avoid when applying Shellac. You will wish you knew about these things yesterday! You can now skip the frustration that often happens from Shellac messing up or not lasting 2 weeks.
→ Click Here To Download My Free Top 3 Shellac Mistakes ←
The best way to prevent people from hating Shellac is to teach them the top 3 reasons why Shellac peels. Here is my link to my Top 3 Shellac Mistakes Case Study.
Download It, Read It, & Don’t Ever Do Them…Make Sure Nobody Does Those Mistakes On You Too!
1 Down…1,000s To Go. Let me know if any of these things were on your radar. I love to get this type of feedback.
Shellac Application Steps
We have gone through and listed each step to help you do Shellac. These steps are very important. Since Shellac is designed as a system it is crucial to follow each of the systems steps and to use all the appropriate Shellac products that come with they system.
Step 1: File Nails Into Shape.
Step 2: Remove Cuticles off of the Nails.
Step 3: Apply a Layer of Base Gel.
Step 4: Cure Each Hand for 10 Seconds.
Step 5: Apply the 1st Layer of Shellac TM.
Step 6: Cure Each Hand for 2 Minutes.
Step 7: Apply the 2nd Layer of Shellac TM.
Step8: Cure Each Hand for 2 Minutes.
Step 9: Apply Top Coat TM.
Step 10: Cure Each Hand for 2 Minutes.
Step 11: Wipe Each Nail With Alcohol to Remove Sticky Film.
I hope that this how to do Shellac Nails tutorial helps you do your own or others nails with Shellac! If you have any questions regarding the Shellac application process, please do not hesitate to ask using the form below.
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61 Responses to How To Do Shellac Nails
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I was just curious to know what stores would carry shellac
I have did my first at home shellac polish at the weekend and its still looking great. I would like to change the colour for this weekend (I have got different colour shellac polishes) – do I have to take the whole lot off and start again or can I pain the new colour on top of the existing (if this is ok, are there any tricks to getting it right?
Thanks
I believe you need to remove the first colour. and start fresh
What is the difference between what they call gel polish versus shellac polish?
Katty,
Shellac is a hybrid gel polish. Gel polish takes longer to apply and takes filing down in order to remove. Shellac (a brand of CND) is quick to apply and requires zero filing.
I hope this helps.
~Jocelyn (Nail Artist @ Polishpedia)
Hi,
I don’t have any alcohol wipes to remove the sticky-ness at the end of the mani, is there anything else I can use? Non-Acetone nail varnish remover? Alcohol hand cleanser/gel….anything?!
Lolly,
Try anything with a bunch of alcohol in it. I would think that the alcohol hand cleanser should work. Let me know if it does.
~Jocelyn (Nail Artist @ Polishpedia)
hi i have the cnd shellac and lamp and have been trying on my own nails for now and i’ve noticed that sometimes the shellac peels right off completely the following day. what am i doing?
also, sometimes when you apply the first or second coat of shellac polish it almost shrinks and runs away from the edges of the nail bed before i can even get it under a lamp! what am i doing wrong?
the only thing i can think of is my base and top coat is a different brand than my polish. could changing that solve my problem do you think? or is my skin and nail too moisturized? i’ve read that your nail bed must be completely dry and free of any oils. is this true?
hi! i noticed this happens to me on the “thick” colours.. Im thicking maybe its being applied to thick? or not enough base coat.. but i havent worked it out yet, thats why i steer clear of them and i buy the shimmer colours. it does NOT do it with them.
🙂
does yours peel right off the following day as well?
No no. I get 3weeks + with all mine..
My mum gets 2-2.5 weeks til she’ll get maybe 1 nail chip and my neighbour.. but on me I get 3weeks easy with no chipping.. weird.
Hi, I am a qualified mobile beautician and I want to buy UV lamp please can u tell me how many things I need to buy with UV lamp I mean base coat, top coat, UV colour coat and which remover I need to buy shell I use any nail polish remover. When I need to use alcohol. THANKS
Hello Grace,
On our shellac supplies page you will find four lamps that you can buy for shellac nails. I have personally used the second lamp and the third lamp listed for Shellac and they have worked well. (as far as the lamp is concerned you can buy it right on our site).
With the lamp you need to buy the Shellac base coat, top coat, colors, 99% alcohol (to remove the sticky layer at the end of the application process), and acetone (to remove the Shellac). You can use cotton balls and tin foil with the acetone for removal. CND sells wraps which work well but they are not 100% necessary.
I hope this answers your questions.
Sincerely,
Jocelyn (Nail Artist @ Polishpedia)
Do you have to use a special shellac nail varnish or can you just use any brand from any shop
If the color is sticky what I can do?
use 77% or 99% alcohol on a paper towel and wipe over the nail to remove the stickiness
hi,
if the colour is still sticky then put it under the lamp for another 10 secs or wipe it down again with a cotton bud
I have recently started doing shellac and been told to apply layers
Very thin. I used the ‘rubble’ coloured shellac and it looked a bit see-threw
Stil after 2 colour coats like the alcohol was wiping some of the colour off
Should this happen.
how long are you curing it for? and what light system are you curing with? UV or LED?
2min on UV.. believe LED don’t do much curing for shellac.
no
We didn’t know how to take it off so we watched a video on goggle and we used a cotton ball soaked in aceatone then put it on the nail and wrapped it with tin foil and let it sit for 10 min. And bam it worked,and is much cheaper then the wraps they sell…..
*google
and thankyou for the tip i just tried it and it is amazing
I am wondering what I did wrong, I followed all the steps but when I was done my nails were still not dry, so when you touch them you get fingerprints in your nails. Do I need a lamp with a fan?
You need to wipe with alcohol wipes to remove the stickiness of the nail polish.
do not use cotton ball or “fluffy” cotton products… the fiber will stick to the polish… cheap alternative are paper towel.
I don’t want a colour on my nails, so can I just apply top coat on top of base coat?
yes you can
yes
Do u need the UV lamp in order to do the shellac nails? Or can they dry on their own?
You need a uv lamp
you do need the lamp
hi,
i was wondering if it is ok to use acetone free nail varnish remover to get rid of the stick at the end x x get
do you use acetone free nail varn at the end of applying shellac tks
Can I use the base and top shellac coat and between use another brand of color nail, like sally hansen?
Mari,
The entire system needs to be used together. If you use another polish in between, then the two week durability won’t happen.
~Jocelyn (Nail Artist @ Polishpedia)
it can work…. we do a OPI base coat(non gel), plus non gel polish( OPI, ESSIE, China Glaze) and then do a Gel top coat.
So you wouldn’t use the uv light to cure the regular base and the regular color, but you would to cure the gel top coat right?
I live in France and am interested in learning how to do Shellac nails. How do I proceed? I am currently on holiday in Australia. Are there courses available here and what is the cost and the duration? Are these products available in France? Thks
I would contact CND directly. They are for sale in france and they would know more about this. Let me know how it goes.
~Jocelyn (Nail Artist @ Polishpedia)
research, research and more research….. if you wanted to get all the color plus the lamp, it would run you around 600 to 800
Hi,
Im a qualified beauty therapist and nail technician. Can i buy Shelac products without doing training? and how much is it to buy the UV machine?
Thanks!
Marie
Marie,
Yes you can buy them without doing training. CND highly recommends that you receive training and I believe they give more credibility to CND trained nail technicians. If you go to our shop menu bar you will be able to find the lamp, it has a price that should be current. Let me know if you have any other questions. Glad to help. 🙂
~Jocelyn (Nail Artist @ Polishpedia)
I am a qualified beauty therapist and nail technician. Could i just buy the shelac products or do i have to do a specific course? and how much is the UV machine?
120ish for the machine… n o training needed… internet is our trainer… and fellow users are our support!
can i use nail varnish remover as the alcohol?
No. You need to use the alcohol to remove the sticky layer.
Hi I’m soon finishing my level 3 nail course I was wondering to use the shellac products if you was required to do a course or if you could simply go ahead and buy the products. I have previously used the polish pro by nsi and was looking into other makes of uv gel polish many thanks jay smith
Jay,
Good job at soon finishing your level 3 nail course! CND recommends that you become trained but it is not required. If you are trained, they do give you a higher recommendation.