How long does shellac last? Why it chips, and how to avoid it

You leave the salon with perfect nails.

Ten days later, a corner lifts. Then another.

Frustrating? Of course. You asked how long does shellac last, you were told weeks, and it is chipping before the date.

A word on vocabulary first. Shellac is a brand name, but many people use it for any gel polish cured under a lamp. In this guide, it simply means gel polish.

Here is what you need to know: in most cases, the cause is neither the polish nor your nails. It is a few habits, kept or forgotten, before and after the appointment.

In this guide, you will see everything that makes gel polish last: the preparation, the daily habits, the mistakes to avoid, and what to do when a nail gives way too soon.

This advice comes from our own manicure practice at SIMEHA Institut.

How long should gel polish last?

Gel polish generally lasts several weeks. How long it really lasts depends on three things: the growth of your nails, their nature and what your hands do every day.

We may as well say it straight away: there is no guaranteed duration.

Two people leaving the same salon on the same day will not get the same wear. Nails that are naturally oily, soft or prone to splitting hold polish less well. Hands that are often in water wear it out faster.

And here is a point that is often overlooked.

Most of the time, it is not wear that ends a manicure, but regrowth. A band of bare nail appears at the base, and the polish, which is still intact, no longer looks neat.

That is normal. It is simply the sign that it is time to have it removed.

Before your appointment: this is where everything is decided

How long gel polish lasts is largely decided before it goes on: polish holds on a nail that is clean, dry and free of grease. Anything that leaves a film on the nail gets in the way.

On the day of your appointment, four rules:

1. Avoid hand cream and oil in the hours before.
2. Do not soak your hands for long just before: a nail full of water shrinks as it dries, and the polish can lift.
3. Do not cut your cuticles yourself. Let the beautician take care of them.
4. Mention a split, soft or peeling nail. It needs suitable preparation.

At the salon, the beautician prepares the surface of the nail before applying the base.

This step does not show. Yet it is the one that makes the difference between polish that holds and polish that lifts.

Are you already wearing gel polish? It must be removed before the new one goes on. At SIMEHA Institut, removal costs CHF 20 and takes 30 min: remember to book it at the same time.

During the appointment: how do you recognise work that will last?

Gel polish that lasts relies on thin coats, a well-covered nail edge and the right time under the lamp for each coat. These are the beautician's techniques, but it is useful to know them.

• Thin coats. A thick coat cures badly in depth and ends up lifting.
• No overflow onto the skin. Polish that touches the cuticle or the edge of the nail creates a starting point for lifting.
• The free edge covered. The tip of the nail is the place that wears first; it must be sealed by the polish.
• Time under the lamp. Each coat is cured before the next.

And you, in all this?

Just one thing to do: keep your hands still under the lamp and let the beautician work without rushing her.

Gel polish on its own takes 30 min at the salon, and the manicure with polish 1 h.

The first hours: watch out for hot water

In the hours after gel polish is applied, avoid very hot water and steam above all. The polish is dry when you leave the salon, but the nail needs a little time to settle.

On the first day, it is better to avoid:

• a long bath, the sauna and the steam room;
• washing-up with bare hands;
• household cleaning products.

For the rest, live normally. Rummaging in a bag, typing on a keyboard, pulling on gloves: all of that is allowed as soon as you leave.

That is the advantage of gel polish over regular polish.

The four daily habits that make it last longer

Day to day, three habits make gel polish last longer: wearing gloves for water and detergents, nourishing the cuticles and sparing the tips of your nails. None takes more than a minute. A fourth, the length, is settled at the salon.

1. Wear gloves

Hot water and detergents are the first enemies of polish. They dry out the nail and attack the polish film from the edges.

Put on gloves for the washing-up, the housework and the gardening. Yes, every time.

2. Nourish your cuticles

A cuticle oil, applied once a day, keeps the skin around the nail supple. A dry edge cracks and pulls on the edge of the polish.

One drop per nail is enough; massage it in for a few seconds.

3. Spare the tips of your nails

Your nails are not tools.

Opening a can, peeling off a label, scratching at a stain: each of these movements lifts the polish at the free edge. Get into the habit of using the pad of your finger, or an object.

4. Keep a suitable length

A long nail acts as a lever at every knock.

Does your polish always chip in the same place? Ask the beautician for a shape that is a little shorter or more rounded.

The four mistakes that ruin gel polish

Four mistakes shorten the life of gel polish: scratching, filing the edge, using an acetone remover and letting the removal date go by. Avoiding them is often enough to gain several days.

The most serious is the first, by far.

Peeling off gel polish does not just spoil the manicure: it damages the nail for several weeks.

Can you put regular polish on top?

Yes: you can apply regular polish over gel polish, to change colour for a few days or to hide regrowth. It is a good way to make a manicure last.

Here is how.

Apply the regular polish in thin coats, as on a bare nail. To take it off, use an acetone-free remover: it generally removes the regular coat without attacking the gel polish underneath.

An acetone remover, on the other hand, would dull the gel polish.

One more tip: a coat of regular clear polish, applied after about ten days, can bring back the shine and protect the edge of the nail.

A nail gives way before the date: what should you do?

When a nail chips before the removal date, do not pull on it: file the damaged edge, protect it and book an appointment. One damaged nail is no reason to peel off the others.

1. File gently the lifted part, so that it no longer catches.
2. Apply a coat of regular clear polish to the nail, to protect it.
3. Book an appointment for a removal, followed or not by a new application.

Does the problem come back every time, always on the same nails? Talk to the beautician about it.

The cause is often simple: one nail oilier than the others, a shape that acts as a lever, a habit of your dominant hand.

When should you have your polish removed?

Have your gel polish removed when the regrowth shows clearly or as soon as several nails are lifting. Keeping polish too long weakens the nail: the polished part, which is stiffer, acts as a lever on the bare part.

Removal is done at a salon, with a product that softens the polish. It costs CHF 20 at SIMEHA Institut.

Between two manicures, you can leave your nails bare for a few days and nourish them. That is the subject of the guide nail care after shellac.

Where can you have gel polish applied?

SIMEHA Institut applies gel polish on the natural nail, at Rue Caroline 41, 1227 Genève, Suisse, in the Acacias district. Gel polish on its own costs CHF 35; with the manicure, CHF 55.

All hand treatments, their duration and their price are presented on the manicure page. You book online, with no account, and you pay at the salon.