What do you need for shellac?

The cult of beauty originates in ancient Greece, where well-groomed, well-groomed bodies and faces were highly valued. Today this tradition continues, and more and more attention is paid to the whole image, including those parts of the body that are not thought about too often. So, hands, and especially nails, need constant care. One of the means to maintain their ideal appearance and condition can be shellac, which is a nail coating that combines gel and professional manicure varnish. Today gel polish is gaining popularity and firmly holds the leading position in many countries. And therefore, novice craftsmen are often interested in the question of what is needed for shellac and how to use it?

Basic components for performing the procedure

In order to achieve the desired result in the form of a curative, sustainable and bright coating, a certain list of means is required, such as:

  • A lamp with which the applied coating hardens, dries and cures.
  • Degreasing solution for nails and for removing the sticky layer after the polymerization process.
  • Base and top (top) varnishes, which prepare the nail plate, nourish it before applying the colored layer and fix the result, protecting the nail surface from scratches and maintaining shine.
  • Cuticle remover for gentle application.
  • Colored varnishes are pigmented agents that will give the desired pattern and color.
  • Oil for moisturizing the cuticle after the procedure.
  • Sponges for removing gel polish.

The lamp is required in order to dry the plastic and soft material of the varnish, to fix it in the form in which it was applied.

Lamps

So what kind of lamp do you need for shellac? Today there are two options - UV and LED lamps. The former work thanks to ultraviolet radiation, the latter - due to the conversion of electrical energy into light radiation. The range of lamps is huge, so choosing the right model is difficult. Each of them has certain advantages and disadvantages.

Among the advantages:

UV lampsLED lamps
Relatively low costPolymerization speed from 10 to 30 seconds
Large selection of models of different capacities (from 9 to 54 watts)Low power consumption
Suitable for both home and salon useEnvironmentally friendly
Wider wavelength range allowing to dry varnishes of various brandsLong service life (up to 10,000 hours)
Ability to replace burnt-out light bulbsLack of heating of the lamp body
Relatively small size and weight of the device
Resistance of LEDs (luminous elements) to shock and mechanical damage

Disadvantages:

UV lampsLED-lamps
Drying time of varnish - from 2 to 4 minutesHigh price
Fragility. The average life of light bulbs in such a lamp is approximately 1,500 hours of active useA narrow range of light waves that may not polymerize some types of varnishes
Dangerous. The heating elements contain mercury, so if the light bulb is damaged there is a risk of it escapingNo replacement bulbs. Over time, they burn out, and the entire lamp will have to be replaced
Large dimensions and weight of the device (depending on power)
during operation

Another important point when choosing a lamp is its wattage:

  • In UV devices, it varies from 9 to 54 watts. For home use, a 9-watt lamp is also suitable, but the curing speed in it will be quite long - up to 6 minutes. For professional use, it is better to purchase a 36-watt lamp, it is capable of drying any gel in a fairly short time (on average 2 minutes) and is suitable for its various types.
  • In LED-devices - from 12 to 45 watts. Due to the rapid hardening of the varnish due to the high light intensity of such a lamp, its lower layers may not dry out enough, due to which the shellac will curl up, or, due to the hardness of the material, it simply does not polymerize.

For ease of use, timers are often built into lamps to help keep track of the time. Such devices turn off on their own after a specified period of time.

Choice of coating

The next important question is what varnishes are needed for shellac. The main parameters when choosing shellac should be:

  • its durability and wear resistance after coating;
  • ease of application;
  • ease of nail polish removal;
  • condition of nails after the procedure;
  • cost of coverage.

So, on the world market there are many companies offering their services and products, in particular, shellac. The most famous and popular among them are Shellac from CND, Hand Nail Harmony, Just GelPolish, Gelish and Jessica Geleration.

  • The undoubted advantage of CND products is their safety and hypoallergenicity. In the production of goods in this company, substances such as toluene and formaldehyde, which have a harmful effect on the human body, are not used. In addition, the high quality of shellac and its density provide a rich color and a long service life of the coating. However, at the same time, it has a fairly high price for a small volume (7.3 ml) and a very limited choice of colors. But its main advantage is that, unlike other manufacturers, CND produces not gel polish, but gel polish, in which there is more coloring pigment and less destructive substances. It is also much easier to use.
  • Just GelPolish offers a huge color palette and a large volume of varnish (14 ml), making it one of the main competitors of Shellac. In addition, its price is much lower than that of the flagship, and the primer, in addition to binding the surface of the nail and the applied coating, also has healing properties.
  • Jessica Geleration products are highly resistant to wear and color selection, but application brushes quickly deteriorate.
  • Gelish Brand Product of the Year in Europe retains shine and prevents chipping of gel polish for three weeks. The choice of color palette is very wide.

With a variety of choices, the concepts of "gel polish" and "shellac" merge into one, but this is wrong. Gel polishes are an easily soluble, plastic and flexible material that seals weak and brittle nails and gives them elasticity. Removing this coating is difficult. And shellac is removed simply without damaging the surface of the nail, and, in addition, it is the only gel that does not need to "adhere" to the surface of the nail. Therefore, when asked whether a primer is needed when applying shellac, the answer is unequivocal - no. The primer degreases the surface of the nail, burning it out, which is a rather radical measure and does not add health to the nails, and in shellac, the base takes over the function of degreasing and protection, preserving the integrity of the integument.

Application of shellac

For a high-quality result, the process of preparation and application of varnish-gel involves several stages.

Preparation

  • Make a manicure, give the desired shape and length of nails, remove the cuticle.
  • Polish the nail with a soft file to smooth out roughness and unevenness.
  • Degrease the nail with alcohol or acetone-free nail polish remover. When using gel polish at this stage, it is required to apply a special agent that improves the adhesion (adhesion) of the nail and artificial materials. This is not necessary when using shellac.

Coating

  • Apply a thin base coat and cure with a lamp. The base will strengthen the nail plate and protect it from the coloring pigments of the base varnish.
  • Apply the base color in a thin layer, as if directing the contours and lightly painting over the area to be covered, polymerize with a lamp.
  • Apply a second colored layer in a denser layer, also dry.
  • Cover the finished design with a top coat that will protect nails from environmental influences, strengthen them and give them strength.
  • Remove the sticky layer of the top with a special liquid or nail polish remover without acetone.

After the shellac has been applied to the nails and cured, the cuticles should be moistened.

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