Tell me about shellac

[ILoveAFullFridge]

Pros? Cons? Hard wearing? What about as the nails grow?

My nails tend to break on the outer edge, just at the point where they begin to separate from the finger. Will shellac stop this?

Shellac doesn't last on me. I find Gelish much stronger.

I love shellac...my record is 4 weeks :) doesn't damage my nails really.

Agree with Crutchlow. The Gelish lasted 4 weeks, but the Shellac was peeling off after 10 days. Might have just been unlucky though. It is supposed to be less damaging for your nails.

Shellac completely ruined my nails, I use Sally Hanson strengthener now and it's amazing, highly recommended

Is it the shellac itself that is damaging, or the removal of the shellac?

Never heard of Gelish. Does it look the same?

And would either of them stop my nails breaking as soon as they get 3-4mm beyond the end of the skin?

4 weeks?
Don't your nails grow underneath?
Seriously, I've never tried it,the thought of nail roots stops me.

Gel looks the same as Shellac. It stopped mine breaking - my nails never ever get to more than 5mm beyond the end of the skin, even when on holiday! I am happy with that length as any longer and I would definitely end up breaking them.

My nails did grow underneath, but it didn't look too bad - maybe 3mm from the cuticle. Better than short broken nails!

What are nail roots?

When you have natural colour nail re-growth.

Oh! It really didn't look that bad, but maybe my nails grow slowly, or I have low standards!

If you don't notice then maybe your nails don't grow fast.
In four weeks mine will be one third down to the tips.

Oh no, it definitely wasn't as much as that!

Coffee...I did have shocking nail roots!! Haha. That's what made me remove it...was still going strong! I use acetone to remove it...doesn't damage your nails that way

Can you not top up or fill the roots?

I was thinking of trying clear or neutral coloured shellac (or Gelish), so I imagine roots wouldn't show up much, anyway.

I've had Gelish quite a few times. The first time they lasted nearly three weeks (but with very obvious 'roots' after two weeks). After that they lasted less and less - most recently I had to take them off after a week as they chipped so badly.

My nails are pretty wrecked though despite soaking them off rather than picking them off. I spend a fortune on strengthening stuff to try to stop them flaking.

Saying that, I love having gel nails and I know I'll be seduced into trying them again...

I've said this a million times, but it is not Shellac/Gelish/gel whatever that damage nails, it's improper removal and not caring for them when the gel is on. They need to be soaked off properly, with pods or wraps, and you should massage nails with oil regularly when the gel is actually on. It helps with dehydration, which is what causes the peeling/flaking.

Gel by OPI is by far the best out there at the moment, it's cured by LED rather than UV and is a dream to remove.

Hotcross, how do you massage the oil in with the gel on? Do you just do it on top of the polish?

Yep, that's exactly right pretty much - pay attention to cuticles and sides of nails, the skin around the edges. If you use a tiny tiny amount of oil you can massage it into the gel itself - this is what I do anyway, it might not be the recommended approach haha. Works for me though :)