In January, I added the CND Shellac No-Chip system to the Nails By Bonnie menu of services.  It was one of the best business decisions I’ve ever made.  Before bringing the system to the salon, I tested it on myself for three months. I wanted to make sure that it would be good for my clients, that it wouldn’t be damaging to their nails, and that the system did what it promised to do.

What I was first amazed by was the wear of the polish.  It did exactly what it promised as far as lasting for two weeks. And, it actually went beyond that time; I was genuinely impressed. But that’s not what really impressed me.

I was also impressed that the polish dried instantly. Sure, it promised to dry instantly. But being the skeptic that I am, I didn’t believe it would.   I found myself tipping around and babying my nails so I would ruin the manicure. But turns out I didn’t have to worry about that; the polish did, indeed, dry instantly!  After years of waiting for a quick-drying nail solution that actually worked and trying different methods of speeding up the drying process such as fans, quick-dry top coat, sprays, and oils, I just didn’t want to buy into the Shellac system. All of those so-called fast-drying methods failed to dry the nails through and through immediately. Therefore, we always had to wait for our nails to dry; whether it was 5 minutes, 10 minutes or half an hour we still had to wait. So imagine my doubt and ultimate delight in finding a product that finally lived up to its claims. Still, the rapidly drying polish, though impressive, did not impress me the most.

I love the fact that the Shellac has a glassy shine and maintains the shine even as the days go on. That was also a plus, but it’s not quite what really really impressed me.  What impressed me… if I can repeat that being the skeptic that I am it took me all of four years to try this system. I was mainly apprehensive because I am a naturalist (hang tight; I will get to what really impressed me in a second) and as a naturalist I believe in the health of the nails. So my concern about the no-chip polish was the possibility of it damaging the nails. In highlighting what the Shellac system guarantees, I have discovered that the no-chip manicure itself does not necessarily cause damage. But if you are a naturalist like me, there are some things that you have to pay attention to decrease the possibility of long-term nail damage.

To explain how to maintain healthy nails using no-chip polish, l should tell you how my clients have been fairing (I promise, I’m getting around to what really impresses me). I’ve found that out of all of my clients who’ve switched over to the no-chip polish, a very small percentage of them are experiencing nail dryness. This is important because nail dryness isn’t a new thing.  Dry nails often occur when many materials such as acrylics and gels are used.  So…(drum rolls, please) what really impresses me about no-chip so far (told you I was going to get there), is that although a small group of my clients have encountered a little nail dryness, the nails aren’t weakening, they are not brittle, and they are not breaking.  That’s nothing short of a phenomenon!

In all my years of working in the nail care industry, I have found that any product outside of regular enamel causes breakage.  And if those three nail problems (weakening nails, brittle nails, and broken nails) are encountered when using other synthetic materials, the nails usually break.  The complete opposite is happening with CND Shellac – the nails are getting stronger and harder, even though they are drying in some places. That’s unusual.  Again, I’m thoroughly impressed.

So how can the small drying issue be resolved?  My solution is to give my clients moisturizing treatments in between no-chip service. I have created a special routine for my clients that need moisturizing treatments; this method has been successful in curtailing some of the drying.

I have also developed my own little trick that I share with my clients in the event of a nail emergency and they can’t return to the salon for two weeks.   It’s our own little secret, but I’m willing to share it with you, too, when you come into the salon. 🙂

It’s safe to say that I really believe in this no-chip system.  It’s possible that I’ve never been this impressed with any new nail innovation; but that seems so extreme. So suffice it to say that I haven’t been this impressed in a long time. So impressed that I actually sat down to blog about it.

No-chip polish definitely has my approval as long as it is used in the manner that the system has designed it to be used. I have decided that CND Shellac will be a part of the Nails By Bonnie menu of salon treats for a long time to come. What if something comes along and impresses me even more?  Well, then I’ll be singing its praises too!

Happy Shellac’ing…Bonnie