How do I perform a service with CND PLEXIGEL™? Are there any tips & tricks?

Correct use of the CND PLEXIGEL™ products is what ensures you succes in the salon. This article shares all the nice tips tricks for a succesful application and durability of the nails.

What to do before you start

Before you start to use your new PlexiGel products there are a few things you should know. CND PLEXIGEL™ Bonder and Protector Top Coat needs a gentle roll of the bottle to blend the ingredients as these two products contain solvents. Shaper and Builder should NOT be rolled/shaked as they are sculpting gels and it will create too many bubbles in the product.

Why is the preparation of the nail important?

The CND PLEXIGEL™ system is P.R.E.P. based. That means that in addition to P.E.P. you will add an extra step (R) where you gently remove the shine from the natural nail. CND PLEXIGEL™ is a gel enhancement system that requires P.R.E.P for proper adhesion. Light shine removal is needed using a 240-grit buffer or medium enhancement E-file bit.

P-Perform a manicure
R-Remove shine
E-Eliminate surface contaminants P-Purify nail plate layers
P-Purify nail plate layers

Please review the P.R.E.P. and Dry P.R.E.P. e-learning classes in our app.

When the natural nails are prepped and you are ready to apply CND PLEXIGEL™ there are different service options that you can perform. Below are some suggestions for services that you can offer with the PlexiGel system and Shellac/Gel Polish. All CND PLEXIGEL™ enhancments can, when used as a complete system, be worn for a 3+ weeks.

• Fixing of a torn or broken nail
• Clear Shaper or Builder Natural Nail Overlay 
• Clear tips sculpted over a form (encasing of nail art jewels possible)
• Clear Shaper or Builder Overlay + Shellac/Gel Polish/Vinylux over
• Clear tips sculpted over a form or a tip + Shellac/Gel Polish/Vinylux over

How can I add a SHELLAC™ service to CND PLEXIGEL™

When using CND™ SHELLAC™ Gel Polish over CND™ PLEXIGEL you can apply CND™ SHELLAC™ Gel Polish directly over the top film of the gel. If the enhancement require shaping or finishing you do that first, remove dust and cleanse the surface with TopFinish (99% IPA) and then go straight to the first layer of Shellac. 

When applying CND™ SHELLAC™ over CND™ PLEXIGEL you finish the Shellac application with a Shellac Top Coat, like Original or Duraforce Top Coat. It is not recommended to use Xpress5 Top Coat as it is not designed for 3+ weeks wear.  

What to do if I want a clear enhancement?

For clear enhancements, we recommend to finish using CND™ PLEXIGEL Protector Top Coat.

When sculpting with CND™ PLEXIGEL Shaper it is recommend to apply two layers for best wear. Apply the first layer thinly (per the Custom Cure protocol) for optimal control of comfort and best adhesion and the second layer as needed for each client. Once you get to know your clients nails (wear, tear and heat sensitivity) you may be able to apply one layer. If your client experiences cracking or chipping, you may have applied too little product. Try applying an additional layer and ensure to seal the edge of all layers for best wear.

Is Nailart possible with CND PLEXIGEL™?

With CND™ PLEXIGEL and nail art medicums (i.e. pigment, glitter, embellishments, etc.) you can create beautiful, sleek and luxurious looking nails. CND™ PLEXIGEL is the perfect base for art. We recommend applying a base enhancement layer of the CND PLEXIGEL™ system, so the nail has a minimum of one cured layer of Shaper or Builder applied before art is applied and encased. This will protect the integrity of the enhancement during wear.
If art mediums are added on top of the nail it is recommended to finish the nail with Protector Top Coat and then add art to uncured drops of Shaper, Builder or Protector Top Coat depending on the size of the nail jewel. 

Can CND PLEXIGEL™ be mixed with other systems?

As the PlexiGel Bonder has such good adhesion you might ask if you could use Bonder instead of CND™ SHELLAC™ Base Coat under Shellac. The answer to that is no. Both the PlexiGel and the Shellac system is designed as a system and protocol must be followed to ensure succes. If the application for some reason doesnt last it is difficult for us to help troubleshoot if other protocols have been used. To guarantee the longevity of a CND™ PLEXIGEL service, CND™ PLEXIGEL Bonder must be used to anchor the enhancement to the nail and act as an attraction layer during sculpting. And CND™ Shellac Base Coat must be used under Shellac Color coat to ensure proper adhesion and removal.

Do I have to use a special lamp?

It is always recommended to cure in the lamp tested and developed with the system that you are working with - no matter the brand.
Some of customers still have the older CND™ UV lamp and the CND™ UV Lamp has a beautiful broad distribution of wave length and should do a good job, however since CND™ no longer manufactures the UV Lamp, we did not test it with CND™ PLEXIGEL.
We recommend the CND™ LED Lamp as top choice for proper curing. CND™ PLEXIGEL was calibrated to properly cure in both of our CND™ LED lamps (closed and open units). If another lamp is used, it might lead to under or over curing and could impact the wear results of the product.

What is important when it comes to the curing process?

When speaking of curing. It is also very popular at the moment to use different models of a mini hand-held LED light. And even though they are tiny and at first sight can seem conveinient to use we do not recommend them to cure CND PLEXIGEL™.
Mobile or mini LED lights have a wide range of light output, which makes it difficult to calibrate their effectiveness in proper curing with CND™ PLEXIGEL. We recommend using the CND™ LED Lamp that is calibrated to work as a system together with the CND™ Custom Cure protocol to ensure proper and comfortable cure. 
 
CND™ PLEXIGEL is a monomer-rich formula which means that the molecyles used has more reaction sites. This means that when curing CND PLEXIGEL™ (or any other gel made on monomer rich formula) more development of heat in the product can occur. Customers that experience this may have more sensitive nails. Therefor there are created Custom Cure protocols that will ensure a comfortable cure for all customers. 

As you can see from the overview one of the variables for comfortable and proper cure is to use the CND™ LED lamp. To avoid too much heat to develop you can utilize flash curing. Flash Cure means to partially cure the gel for 2-3 ‘flashes’ in the CND™ LED Lamp for client comfort and product control. Using the CND™ LED Lamp with button 1 for 2-3 pulses will reduce the output by 50%, which will control the heat sensation. Once the gel is applied to entire hand, cure for one minute using preset button 2B for complete cure. You can flash cure as often as needed as long as a full cure is completed.