6 Reasons Why It May Be Time For SHELLAC

By Jackie Summers

Admit it. Every time you’re scrolling through your Insta feed, and you spot a perfectly manicured hand clutching a matching bottle of polish, you pause. At a hair show, you drift over to the CND nail stand, and gaze lovingly at the rows and rows of pretty SHELLAC and VINYLUX colors. Of course you do. Nail polish is irresistible. So many colors. So many finishes. And polished nails look so chic, don’t they?

So maybe it’s time to think about offering nail services in your salon. And by nail services, we mean SHELLAC, the groundbreaking, long-lasting system launched by CND in 2010. CND Co-Founder and Style Director Jan Arnold, aka “Fashion’s First Lady of Nails,” gives that notion two perfectly-manicured thumbs up. Here’s why.

Jan Arnold: A lady with vision!

1. The technology is space age.
Jan describes CND’s research and development facility as the “Starship Enterprise” because it’s so advanced. There are 12 brainiacs there that do nothing but research all things nails. It took that Mensa dozen five and a half years to create SHELLAC. They were tasked with creating a product that goes on like polish, lasts at least 14 days, shines like a mirror, comes off in minutes and doesn’t damage the natural nail. After three years, they accomplished all of the above, with the exception of the removal time, which took 30 minutes. So Jan sent them back to the lab. Two and a half years later, they achieved a gentle wrap removal system that removes the product in 10 minutes. SHELLAC was launched…and sold out in two months.

2. It’s about the tiny tunnels.
Jan and her team were adamant about offering a system that doesn’t damage the natural nail. The scientists figured out how to create a formula with teeny, tiny tunnels so when the remover wrap is applied, the remover soaks into the tunnels and gently breaks apart the coating. The nail tech then massages the wrap, pulls it from the nail and it all comes off in one piece without soaking and without hurting the nail.

3. And it keeps getting better.
The SHELLAC system is pretty simple—there’s the base coat, color coat, top coat and the lamp that cures the whole shebang and locks in the shiny, chip-free coating. But you can’t have a lab full of guys sitting around with nothing to do, so they’ve been busy working on some exciting improvements. The new XPRESS5 Top Coat reduces the removal time from 10 minutes to 5 because it allows the remover to penetrate the tiny tunnels more quickly. And a new LED Lamp offers an open design that zeroes in specifically on each nail with no exposure on the rest of the hand. “The original lamp is completely safe,” explains Jan. “The UV exposure is equivalent to a walk to your mailbox. But we always want to offer the latest and best technology.”

4. It’s the ultimate pro nail service.
Lots of companies offer gel polish services, but CND holds eight patents on SHELLAC. What’s more, the company is laser-focused on the professional nail market. So offering the real deal, the actual SHELLAC system, means you’re offering the gold standard, says Jan. You’re perfectly positioned to compete with lower-priced salons and me-too services. “Many salons say they offer SHELLAC, but they don’t,” Jan explains. “They cut corners, they aren’t using our products and they have epic fails.”

5. You will be educated and certified.
What’s the cornerstone of every professional beauty company? Let’s say it together: EDUCATION! CND is mad about edu

cation—they offer many SHELLAC classes around the country each year that lead to a SHELLAC Certification. And now there’s a certification program through CNDU that makes mastering SHELLAC even easier. Even better? Once you’re certified, you’re added to the SHELLAC Certified Nail Professional database on the CND website so clients can readily find you. (CND gets about 25,000 hits a year from people looking for SHELLAC experts in their areas.)

6. Nail art has never been this much fun!
SHELLAC is a profit-maker—you can charge a minimum of $45 for the service which takes the same amount of time as a standard manicure, so you’re doubling your income. But it’s also fun! It has revived the world of nail art because it’s easy to burnish in embellishments or create ombrés and other special effects. “There are 35,000 nail bloggers,” says Jan, “and nail art is one of the top five liked topics on Instagram. Thanks to SHELLAC, nail art went from an artistic expression to a wearable art form. We did not see that coming!” And if you’re looking for inspiration—CND has you. The company started their fashion program—providing nail services at Fashion Week—20 years ago and has worked hard to make nails a fashion accessory. “All of that really came into its own when we launched SHELLAC,” says Jan.

So—new technology; high demand; profit; fashion inspiration; a product that fulfills a nail client’s dream of safe, beautiful, long-lasting nail color. Maybe now is the time for SHELLAC.

Hear why people love SHELLAC!