What is the difference between shellac and gel polish?

Shellac? Gel polish? Have you ever wondered what the difference is? You are not alone; it is one of the most common causes of confusion during your nail experience. The short answer is shellac is a specific brand, and gel polish is more universal. In our salon, we understand most people know "shellac" as a general term. If you ask for shellac, we will provide you all of our gel colours to choose from—even though only one is actually shellac. 

Gel Polish:

Gel polish is a type of nail polish that is applied to the nail and cured under a UV light. It is the colour that goes on during manicures and nail sets. We apply gel polish on your natural nail and on top of nail extensions like acrylic. Gel polish includes a base coat, colour, and top coat. Once the top coat is applied and cured for 2 minutes, your nails are ready to go! To properly remove gel polish, we buff the top coat off, wrap the nails with acetone-soaked cotton, let sit, and lightly buff off the rest. 

Shellac:

Shellac is a specific brand of gel polish made by the company CND. It is a trademarked brand of gel polish. It follows the same curing process as other gel polishes. The CND shellac top coat has a different formula from our other gel top coats. Once the top coat is fully cured, it still has a sticky feel called the inhibition layer that goes away once wiped with alcohol. We follow the same removal process as well, although the CND company specifically formulates their shellac to flake off a little bit easier than other gel polishes. 

Bio-gel:

A quick note about bio-gel. This is another term you will probably hear tossed around the salon, but it is completely different from gel polish. Bio-gel is a type of nail extension like acrylic; it is not colour like shellac or gel polish. It is a builder gel that can be put on your natural nail or nail tips to make your nail longer. If you have questions about other salon terminology, see our earlier blog post: Salon lingo 101. 

That’s all, folks! Check back next month for more exciting nail info!